Cameras in the sun AvaLAN, SunWize, Mobotix partner for wireless surveillance package
By Martha Entwistle
Updated Tue May 1, 2007
PALO ALTO, Calif.--In a move that wireless Ethernet provider AvaLAN expects will "be very disruptive" to the market, AvaLAN announced March 15 a partnership with solar power manufacturer SunWize and IP camera manufacturer Mobotix to provide a wireless surveillance system that's designed for remote locations.
"The reason AvaLAN, SunWize Technologies and Mobotix are launching this is because we can provide a sub-$4,000 wireless package that can be used anywhere," said Ray Shilling, AvaLAN's vice president of sales and marketing. "For under $4,000, the customer is able to deploy a wireless IP camera anywhere in their facility, without having to pull CAT-5 cable or [dig to extend] power," he explained.
Shilling noted that AvaLAN radios consume one watt of power, and Mobotix makes an outdoor all-in-one IP camera that is also low-power-draw (at 3.5 watts). This means that a small and inexpensive solar panel can be used to power the system, Shilling said.
Remote locations that might have line-of-sight and power constraints would be ideal for this kind of system, he said. Shilling cited managing access control at the back gate of a municipal airport as an example.
Shilling noted that AvaLAN is partnering with SunWize for other non-camera applications, such as biometric access control applications. "It's socially responsible to consume nothing off the grid," Shilling noted. "That's pretty neat."
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