Wireless Private Network Solution for Marine Ranching

A marine ranch refers to a specific sea area where fishery resources are multiplied and conserved, and the marine ecological environment is improved through measures such as artificial reefs, stock enhancement and release, and ecological aquaculture, so as to achieve the sustainable utilization of fishery resources.In layman’s terms, it is a production method for marine fishery resources such as fish and shrimp by means of “sea enclosing” and “pasture fencing”, similar to the way of grazing cattle and sheep on grasslands, realizing the large-scale industrialized and sustainable utilization of fishery resources.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued the Notice on the Implementation of Agricultural Production and Development Projects in 2022, proposing the construction of national marine ranches, focusing on the development of conservation-oriented marine ranches based on the preservation and appreciation of ecological capital, and promoting the conservation of marine fishery resources. National supportive policies have laid a solid foundation for the development of marine ranches. “Jinghai 001”, Asia’s largest deep-sea intelligent cage, was successfully launched and completed its first fishing operation; “Shenlan 1”, a fully submersible deep-sea aquaculture cage, achieved the first large-scale harvest of salmon… The implementation of a series of marine ranch application scenarios is of great significance in terms of social benefits, economic benefits and marine resource protection.

To meet the demand for modern, intelligent and remote management of marine ranches, enable management and operation personnel to grasp the operation status of marine ranches quickly and conveniently, ensure operational safety to prevent losses, and improve the economic benefits of fishery aquaculture, modern scientific and technological means will play a crucial role. For example, high-definition network IP infrared cameras are installed around the cages for unified video monitoring, management and recording. The 24/7 monitoring and recording of cage operation and the work of operation and maintenance personnel are conducted, with real-time images displayed on the large screen of the dispatching room. On-duty personnel can monitor the operation of various facilities in real time to ensure the safe operation of the ranch. Another example is the real-time grasp of marine ranch operation status by operators through monitoring a wealth of data including ocean currents, water quality, wind speed and wind direction, timely prompting and handling information related to natural disasters, pest infestations and aquaculture health, so as to guarantee aquaculture benefits.

High-definition video surveillance, a large volume of sensor data and other information require a reliable TCP/IP high-bandwidth network for transmission and sharing, and the network transmission system must be reliable and stable. The geographical (coastal and even deep-sea) and topographical conditions of marine ranches are complex, and limited by system costs, the distance between monitoring points is extremely long, often ranging from several kilometers to tens of kilometers. Laying submarine optical cables is not only extremely costly and time-consuming in construction, but also incompatible with the flexible relocation needs of marine ranches. A private network system such as the iMAX Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN) system must be adopted to replace optical cables.

The operating environment of marine ranches is also extremely harsh (strong winds, thunderstorms, extreme temperatures, high corrosion, etc.). If the system equipment has poor environmental adaptability, low reliability and substandard performance, the system may malfunction frequently. For integrators, the maintenance cost under such conditions will be extremely high. At present, only a handful of telecom-grade or military-grade wireless systems targeting the mid-to-high-end market in the industry, such as the iMAX WMAN system, can guarantee such high quality and reliability.

Based on the iMAX wireless network system, combined with its years of experience in wireless network communication and the actual needs of marine ranch projects, Guoxin Longxin has launched the Marine Ranch iMAX Wireless Private Network Solution, which is currently the most feasible and cost-effective solution in the industry.

Specifically, we address the networking needs of marine ranches through three scenarios:

1. Backbone Private Network Interconnection between Marine Ranch and Onshore

Networking between a marine ranch and the onshore command center is extremely challenging, mainly due to the long distance from the ranch to the shore, which may range from several kilometers to tens of kilometers. 4G/5G services provided by telecom operators cannot achieve effective networking. In addition, marine ranches need to be relocated irregularly to meet aquaculture requirements such as water quality improvement and water temperature regulation. Wired connections such as submarine cables are not only prohibitively expensive but also inconvenient for relocation, leaving wireless technology as the only viable option. However, most wireless technologies have very limited communication range – for example, WiFi technology typically covers only hundreds of meters, which is far from meeting the needs of this scenario. Although traditional microwave equipment offers a longer communication range, its directional antenna design renders it inoperable with even slight relocation. Satellite communication technology is certainly the ideal choice, but both the cost of satellite mobile communication equipment (each set costs hundreds of thousands or even millions of RMB) and the subsequent satellite link rental fees (approximately hundreds of thousands or millions of RMB per year depending on bandwidth) are unaffordable for marine ranch applications. At present, only wireless systems such as the iMAX WMAN private network can meet such needs.

An iMAX wireless base station is constructed onshore (Note: it is not a tower construction, but the device itself is named a base station), and an iMAX wireless client is deployed at the marine ranch. Different series of equipment and suitable antennas are selected according to varying communication distance and bandwidth requirements.

If the communication distance is relatively short (e.g., within 10 kilometers), it is recommended to install an omnidirectional client unit on the marine ranch side. For longer distances, customized antennas are required on demand, and may be relocated each time the ranch moves.

Onshore base stations are mainly built by leveraging natural terrain, selecting mountainous areas or high points (e.g., telecom operator towers). Networking between the base station and the rear command center can be realized by leasing backbone optical network dedicated lines from telecom operators; if wireless communication conditions permit, a backbone WMAN system can also be considered as an alternative.

2. WiFi Coverage for Marine Ranch Operation and Management

Marine ranches have resident management and operation personnel who monitor the growth status of aquaculture products daily and handle emergencies promptly. A large number of sensors are installed around the platforms and cages as the “neurons” of marine ranches to sense changes in the surrounding environment and ensure operational efficiency. The construction of video surveillance and WiFi coverage on platforms and cages can effectively improve operation and management efficiency, and prevent safety accidents and disasters.

Guoxin Longxin has a device that can simultaneously realize wireless private network access and WiFi coverage within 100 meters of the site, achieving two goals with one solution. This device is the iMAX-ACG600 WiFi dual-mode wireless gateway system.

The iMAX-ACG600 system adopts a highly reliable all-outdoor design. Its Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN) module, combined with various series of iMAX-8000 base stations, enables backbone network access within a 10km line-of-sight range, supporting network access for video surveillance of information points, sensor connection, IP broadcasting, one-click alarm, information release and other services. Meanwhile, its WiFi module allows access of WiFi terminals (smartphones, iPads, digital cameras, laptops, etc.) within 100-200 meters around the node, meeting the local area network (LAN) access needs of smart terminals for operation and management personnel. This multi-network convergence design is perfectly suited for the convergence of multiple business edges in marine ranch applications.

3. Mobile “Ship Network” System for Operation Vessels

Marine ranches are generally equipped with supporting operation vessels or fishing boats. Onboard personnel also need network access for office and daily life, so how to connect the vessels to platforms and cages?

Operation vessels can adopt the Guoxin Longxin iMAX-4GW300 series 4G MAN dual-mode wireless gateway system for network interconnection. The iMAX-4GW300 supports both iMAX WMAN technology and 4G LTE technology, and provides multiple Ethernet interfaces, serving as a multi-network convergence gateway. In terms of wireless communication, it not only achieves high bandwidth, high reliability and high capacity via wireless private network technology, but also supports 4G LTE network access to the public network of telecom operators, providing users with a more flexible and optimal wireless networking solution.

Within the area covered by the iMAX wireless private network around platforms and cages, vessels can connect to the wireless private network through the iMAX-4GW300. When leaving the marine ranch, as long as they are close to the 4G/5G base stations of telecom operators, they can connect to the Internet via the 4G module, and then securely access the onshore command center network by establishing a VPN tunnel through SD-CX cloud switching technology of private cloud (or public cloud). The schematic diagram of a typical application network for wireless wide area network (WWAN) connection of vessels is as follows:

Note: As long as network interconnection is achieved, most onboard IT systems (for data, video, voice and multimedia information) can operate on it, meeting users’ diverse informatization and intelligent needs. Both public cloud and private cloud deployment modes are applicable, and multiple networking methods (4G/5G, wireless private network, etc.) can be organically integrated to realize remote interconnection across different locations.

Without security safeguards, the public network leaves the system exposed to risks (literally equivalent to “operating without protection”). Not only can security not be guaranteed, but system paralysis and data loss caused by hacker attacks and rampant viruses on the Internet will seriously affect system reliability and availability. Therefore, wireless wide area network (WWAN) solutions must adopt VPN (Virtual Private Network) technology to enhance security.

Taking the management needs of fishery administration vessels as an example, a highly secure and reliable WWAN solution is realized by combining hardware VPN and private cloud interconnection. The schematic diagram of its network topology is as follows:

The biggest drawback of 4G/5G networking is its near-shore coverage limitation (the typical coverage distance of a 4G base station is 1–2 km, and the typical coverage radius of a 5G base station is 0.5 km). Therefore, the specific design solution may need to be combined with wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN) private network technology to meet the operational needs of marine ranch scenarios. For the detailed solution for vessel positioning and networking, please refer to the article Vessel Networking and Positioning Solution on the official website or official WeChat account of Guoxin Longxin.

In consideration of the above three networking requirements, the topology diagram of Guoxin Longxin’s Marine Ranch Wireless Private Network System is shown as follows:

The iMAX wireless transmission system provided by Guoxin Longxin boasts unique technological advantages and outstanding performance, including support for multiple networking modes, IP67 protection standard, long-distance transmission, high bandwidth, strong anti-interference capability, high reliability, easy installation and convenient maintenance, which are unmatched by other wireless broadband devices. Especially in the harsh marine environment of marine ranches (typhoons, heavy rains, extreme heat, freezing conditions, etc.), the high performance and superior quality of the iMAX wireless system can be fully demonstrated.

The iMAX wireless broadband network system is designed to build wireless cities or solve ultra-long-distance network interconnection in outdoor environments. All series of equipment feature long communication distances combined with excellent performance and quality. Among them, the iMAX-6000 and iMAX-9000 series serve as wireless backbone networks, and the iMAX-8000S, iMAX-8000H and other series act as wireless access networks.

✅ Communication Distance: Under line-of-sight conditions, even the compact integrated-antenna iMAX 5G dedicated communication system can easily achieve 10 km radius coverage in point-to-multipoint mode; in point-to-point mode, the maximum distance can reach 120 km.

✅ Transmission Bandwidth: The iMAX-8000H is a 300Mbps point-to-multipoint communication system; the iMAX-6000 is a point-to-point communication system with 100/300/600Mbps bandwidth; the iMAX-9000 is a point-to-point communication system with bandwidth of 1000Mbps and above.

✅ Networking Features: Taking the iMAX-8000H as an example, the system supports routing and firewall technologies, as well as ring network, mesh network, hot backup and other networking architectures, making it ideal for constructing large-scale, high-reliability private networks. It is also optimized for video and voice services, enabling it to carry large-capacity audio and video traffic—advantages that WiFi-based products cannot match.

The iMAX 5G wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN) private network offers high bandwidth, high capacity, high security and high reliability. Dedicated private network ensures stable and reliable network connection for marine ranches. Of course, the application of this technology requires customized solution design tailored to specific requirements.

It should be emphasized that 4G/5G wireless wide area network (WWAN) technology and WMAN private network technology can be used in combination to jointly provide networking solutions for scenarios such as marine ranches.

Users have diverse actual demands and environmental conditions. Based on years of technical strength and project experience in successfully delivering marine projects, Guoxin Longxin can provide users with customized design of the most suitable wireless private network system (or virtual private network) and deliver optimal solutions.

订阅评论

0 Comments

最旧