I. Analysis of Key Points for Wireless Network Construction in Chemical Industry Parks

• Environmental Complexity: Large storage tanks, pipe racks, production equipment, and various structures are distributed within chemical industry parks, creating a complex electromagnetic propagation environment. Wireless signals need to overcome attenuation caused by reflection and absorption from metal obstacles to achieve full-area coverage.
• Safety and Reliability: Chemical production involves flammable and explosive substances. Wireless communication equipment must meet explosion-proof requirements and operate stably in highly corrosive and wide-temperature-range environments. The communication system needs to have anti-interference capabilities and high reliability to ensure uninterrupted real-time transmission of production data.
• Service Diversity: Communication services in chemical industry parks are diverse, including video surveillance, equipment status monitoring, personnel positioning, environmental monitoring, and emergency command. Different services have different requirements for bandwidth, latency, and connection density, so the network needs to have differentiated service capabilities.
• Mobility Support: Scenarios such as park patrols and emergency response require seamless access for mobile terminals to ensure uninterrupted communication for personnel during movement.
• Network Security: As a key national infrastructure, the communication system of chemical industry parks needs to ensure network security based on the principle of “physical isolation” and protect the security of industrial data.

With the large-scale and complex development of chemical industry parks (port areas), traditional wired networks are increasingly insufficient in terms of coverage range, deployment flexibility, and emergency response. As a key infrastructure for the digital transformation of chemical industry areas, wireless private networks, leveraging their advantages of flexible deployment, wide coverage, and high bandwidth, are becoming a core technical means to improve the safety management level and operational efficiency of parks (port areas).

II. Comparison of Private Network Technologies and Products for Chemical Industry Parks

1. Difficulties in Coordinating with Residents: Whether installing optical cables underground via trenching or overhead via pole erection, coordination with villages and residents along the route is necessary. Trenching for underground installation requires the construction of shafts for maintenance, while pole erection can only be completed after negotiating with farmers who own the land along the route. Nowadays, coordinating with villages and farmers has become increasingly difficult. In addition to the rising one-time construction costs, some farmers may even demand annual “rent”. Failure to pay such fees can lead to extreme situations, including damage to the optical cables.
2. Vulnerability of Optical Cables to Damage: Overhead optical cables via pole erection cost slightly less than underground installation via trenching. However, overhead exposed cables are easily cut by passing vehicles, causing system network outages. Even when buried underground, optical cables may be damaged by village-level construction work such as trenching, resulting in short-term or even long-term network disruptions. Beyond accidental damage, optical and power cables are also prone to theft and cutting by criminals. Once damaged, repairs are more difficult and time-consuming.
3. Impact of Optical Cable Splicing: Fewer splice points are better for optical fiber cabling, as splicing causes signal attenuation. In practice, however, intelligent on-site operations in chemical industry parks involve a large number of splice points—especially in locations frequently damaged. Repeated splicing can reduce signal strength below the sensitivity requirements of optical equipment; in the worst cases, entire optical cables may be rendered useless. Replacing these cables incurs significantly higher costs and can even cause system shutdowns.
4. High Costs: The material cost of optical cables themselves is not high, but the costs of trench digging for underground installation or pole erection for overhead deployment have risen annually due to increases in labor costs and expenses for renting trenchers, cranes, and other equipment. Construction costs often reach tens of thousands of yuan per kilometer, driving up the overall system cost. Crossing roads with optical cables is even more troublesome: whether using “pipe jacking” for underground installation or overhead deployment, the costs are extremely high, and potential risks remain widespread.
5. Long Construction Cycles: Trenching for underground optical cable installation or pole erection for overhead deployment is highly challenging. The longest phase of a project is often the construction period for optical cables, and the project duration is also positively correlated with construction costs.

Is a Wireless Communication System as Stable as an Optical Network? Is the Communication Link Reliable?

In fact, both wireless communication systems and optical communication systems have their own advantages and disadvantages, as well as high, medium, and low-end configurations. A truly professional, high-reliability wireless system like that provided by Guoxin Longxin is equally reliable and stable. When combined with reliability technologies such as hot backup and ring networking, it can even be more reliable than an optical cable link! Moreover, using wireless technology is undoubtedly the lowest-cost, fastest, and most efficient solution. But which wireless technology is the most suitable for this project?

The following introduces several common wireless network technology solutions and provides a comparative analysis:

1. Wireless Public Network Technology – 4G/5G Technology

The so-called “public network technology” refers to accessing the Internet through the public networks of telecom operators (China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom). Although 4G/5G wireless technology from telecom operators can meet the needs of small-data-volume and non-real-time information transmission, it is very unsuitable for use in the management, monitoring, and command of chemical industry parks. The specific issues are as follows:

1) Access Limitations

Data transmission relies on the operator’s mobile communication platform, which is restricted by base station construction. The communication quality and reliability in remote wild and rural areas cannot be guaranteed. However, these areas are precisely the ones that receive the most attention in the informatization of chemical industry parks, making a dedicated network with high reliability, large capacity, and high bandwidth a necessity.

4G/5G is designed for network access of smart terminals such as mobile phones. Therefore, parameters like latency, speed, and capacity are all configured based on terminal data access. In actual deployment, the carrying capacity of base stations is generally related to the user density in the covered area. If a large volume of video data (upload) floods in and is transmitted continuously, it will greatly consume system resources and may even cause base station equipment to crash. In other words, if the intelligent management of chemical industry parks relies on 4G/5G for networking and high-definition video transmission, it may be technically unachievable.

2) Bandwidth Limitations

Chemical industry parks need to conduct monitoring through real-time, large-capacity IP high-definition images, with a large number of concurrent video streams in a single area. The 4G/5G networks of telecom operators cannot meet such needs in terms of either bandwidth or reliability. A true broadband IP network access system is essential.

Currently, the effective speed of 4G networks is relatively low, which is completely unable to meet the bandwidth requirements of high-definition video monitoring (the typical bandwidth for 1080P images is 4Mbps). Additionally, it may take many years for 5G deployment and coverage to extend to rural areas. Furthermore, regardless of the 4G/5G standard, the uplink speed is lower than the downlink speed, making 4G/5G very unsuitable for video monitoring services that require large upload traffic.

3) High Costs

The business traffic of chemical industry park management is substantial, especially for high-definition video monitoring. A single 1080P high-definition video monitoring channel can generate over 1000GB of traffic per month. Even with a 2000GB data package and the current most preferential rate of 1 yuan/GB, the monthly cost would be 1000 yuan. With multiple video channels, the cost becomes unaffordable. If a 4G/5G system is adopted, high traffic fees will be continuously incurred during use. The traffic package-based billing method makes the cost prohibitive, and 24/7/365 continuous use is not feasible.

There is also an environmental cost that must be mentioned:

There is also an environmental cost that must be mentioned: after large-capacity video is transmitted to the Internet, it is necessary to rent a large-capacity Internet dedicated line with a fixed IP address from the operator to route the data back to the chemical industry park’s monitoring center, with a monthly rental cost of tens of thousands of yuan. If a third-party “cloud platform” is used for video transfer, additional high costs for cloud platform rental and dedicated VPN lines will be incurred, resulting in equally high expenses. Therefore, most users find this difficult to afford.

4) Security Issues

Accessing via 4G/5G requires relaying through an Internet cloud platform or using an IP address recognizable by the Internet. Using the Internet—a “public network”—exposes the system to the risk of hacker attacks. Only users with a professional security team can potentially ensure security, which is unrealistic for most users in the chemical industry park sector.

Another issue with building a network for chemical industry parks is the ability to deploy emergency services and ensure reliability in the event of a disaster. Networks such as dedicated lines from telecom operators often fail immediately in the event of a disaster or accident, and repairs are extremely difficult. They also lack the ability for rapid emergency deployment in wartime scenarios. In summary, for building a private network in a chemical industry park, 4G/5G can only be used as an auxiliary or supplementary solution.

Guoxin Longxin offers a variety of 4G/5G gateways and devices. Its latest product is an outdoor ultra-long-range 5G gateway, as detailed in the document iMWB-5GW2000D Ultra-Long-Range Wide-Area Network Multi-Mode MIFI Terminal.

For Guoxin Longxin’s 4G/5G virtual private network solution, please refer to the document 5G Virtual Private Network Solves Networking Challenges for Government and Enterprise Customers.

2. Ordinary WiFi Wireless Networks

With the rapid development of WiFi technology, it has become an ideal LAN (Local Area Network) extension system. However, using 2.4G/5.8G WiFi systems as a solution for building MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) has inherent shortcomings:

• Coverage: Most common WiFi systems are designed for indoor wireless coverage, with a typical coverage radius of less than 100 meters. To achieve full urban coverage, an excessive number of base stations would be required. Firstly, coordinating the construction of these base stations is difficult; secondly, managing and maintaining them is challenging. If relying on existing WiFi coverage systems of operators (which function as “public networks”), it would be hard to guarantee service quality, and network security would also be questionable.
• Services: Common WiFi systems are networks based on a sharing mechanism. They work well for data services such as web browsing without obvious issues. However, when used for video services that require stable bandwidth and large traffic—such as building a dedicated video surveillance network—WiFi systems fall short.
• Frequency: More critically, the current 2.4G frequency band is crowded with a large number of systems and devices competing for frequency resources. Major operators and numerous enterprises/institutions are building their own WiFi coverage systems, leading to severe mutual interference and a significant reduction in system availability.

In short, due to WiFi systems’ characteristics of good compatibility, short-range coverage, and suitability for small-scale LANs, they are only appropriate for building in-park office networks or as a supplementary means to support WiFi terminal access in some emergency scenarios.

Guoxin Longxin offers a variety of WiFi products. For information about WiFi technology, please refer to the document How Powerful is WiFi 7? The Past and Present of WiFi.

3.Wireless WirelessProprietary Technology for Wireless Metropolitan Area Network —- iMAX 5G Wireless Metropolitan Area Network Communication System:

The iMAX wireless metropolitan area network communication system provided by Guoxin Longxin adopts a private protocol and belongs to “private network technology” (i.e., built and used by oneself) or “private network” (owned by the user and unavailable to others). It features ultra-long communication distance, stable bandwidth, advanced QoS and bandwidth division guarantee mechanisms, small size, and easy installation, making it very suitable for the informatization project construction of chemical industry parks.

• Bandwidth Capacity: The maximum communication distance of various series of iMAX 5G broadband wireless products can reach 50 kilometers or even 100 kilometers in line-of-sight conditions, and the typical coverage radius of park base stations is 10 kilometers. The single-point communication bandwidth ranges from 100Mbps to 600Mbps, and it supports point-to-multipoint networking and N-sector capacity superposition networking, which can fully meet the bandwidth and coverage distance requirements of large-capacity, high-definition 1080P, and real-time transmission for the construction of chemical industry park monitoring systems.
• Performance Advantages: The system supports high-reliability technologies such as ring network and hot backup redundancy, and also supports technologies like routing, firewall, VPN, and VLAN, making it suitable for large-scale urban long-distance networking.
• Stability and Efficiency: The equipment inherits high-quality genes, with good operational stability and high reliability. It is a truly all-weather 7×24-hour uninterrupted operation device, with stable bandwidth and strong anti-interference ability.
• Safety and Reliability: It adopts access control, data encryption, and supports VLAN and VPN technologies to ensure the security of the transmission network at multiple levels and high standards. The equipment is of high quality and has good environmental adaptability, being a truly outdoor product.
• Good Economy: It requires a one-time investment, with no need for high link rental fees in the later stage. Under the same conditions, the investment in the iMAX 5G system is equivalent to the rental cost of optical cables for about 1-2 years. Moreover, it can be relocated at will, with convenient and quick installation, short construction period, and simple use, maintenance, and management.
• Flexible Deployment: The equipment is small in size and light in weight, taking only 1-2 working days to install, and is very easy to maintain and relocate.

In fact, the iMAX wireless communication system is designed to build a “wireless city” and has undergone special technical transformations for video surveillance transmission. All series of equipment have long communication distances and their performance is among the best in similar products. At present, the iMAX-6000, iMAX-8000H, and iMAX-9000 series are widely used in chemical industry park projects.

• Communication Distance: Under visual conditions, the iMAX 5G dedicated communication system can achieve a maximum communication distance of more than 50 kilometers. Even the smallest integrated antenna system can easily meet the coverage requirement of a 10-kilometer radius.
• Transmission Bandwidth: The iMAX-8000H is a 300/600Mbps point-to-multipoint communication system, the iMAX-8000S is a 100Mbps point-to-multipoint communication system, and the iMAX-6000 is a point-to-point 150/300/600Mbps communication system.

The iMAX-6000 and iMAX-8000H series are currently mainly used in the construction of wireless video surveillance systems, with numerous cases and applications in domestic chemical industry parks, ports, petroleum, public security, etc. Among them, the iMAX-8000 has a special explosion-proof model, see iMAX-8000Exd Industrial Explosion-Proof Wireless Private Network System, which is very practical for some chemical parks with explosion-proof requirements. Of course, ordinary equipment can also be equipped with protective enclosures that meet the explosion-proof level of the park.

It should be emphasized that the iMAX Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN) system supports numerous network technologies such as routing, firewall, and VPN. In terms of reliability technologies, it supports Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP), Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP), and Mesh (centerless mesh network). It can be deployed in hot backup redundancy networks, and even build “ring networks” or multi-layer ring networks. This is essentially different from wireless bridges based on WiFi technology. For constructing high-reliability, high-quality outdoor wireless MAN private networks, the iMAX Wireless MAN system is the optimal choice.

Besides the iMAX 5G Wireless MAN system for wireless MAN private networks, if the bandwidth required for the wireless backbone network in chemical industry areas exceeds 2Gbps, Guoxin Longxin’s FibeAir high-frequency IP microwave system can be adopted. This system offers a maximum bandwidth of up to 20Gbps, making it suitable for ultra-high-bandwidth backbone network interconnection and fiber optic network redundancy hot backup needs. For emergency scenarios requiring networking of mobile nodes (such as individual backpack terminals, individual handheld terminals, vehicle-mounted terminals, and UAV-mounted terminals), the Huanyou low-frequency Mesh mobile communication system can be used. This system is flexible, mobile, and enables rapid deployment. It can simultaneously meet the interconnection needs of voice, video, data, and networks, and is regarded as a versatile tool for temporary emergency networking. The specific selection of a system is customized based on the actual needs of users, and will not be elaborated on further here.

It should be emphasized that different chemical industry parks have different networking requirements, and the specific selection of a wireless solution must be adapted to local conditions and customized. The wireless private network for intelligent management of chemical industry parks may be an organic integration of the aforementioned multiple wireless technologies, followed by the customization of a solution that best fits the actual situation.

III. Solution Design for Chemical Industry Park Private Networks

Based on the above demand analysis and technical comparison, the private network solution for chemical industry park management must leverage the advantages of different technologies. Specifically, optical cables and wireless metropolitan area networks (MANs) serve as the backbone, 4G/5G wireless wide area networks (WANs) act as supplements, and WiFi functions as the extension for terminal access.

The schematic diagram of a typical network topology for chemical industry park (port area) private networks is as follows:

The private network solution for chemical industry parks by Guoxin Longxin adopts an innovative technical architecture, integrating multiple advanced wireless communication technologies to build an intelligent and digital communication infrastructure for parks. Its main technical advantages are as follows:

3.1 Multi-technology Fusion Architecture

The solution adopts a “multi-layer heterogeneous fusion” technical architecture to realize the complementary advantages of different wireless technologies:

• Wireless MAN Backbone Transmission: Based on the iMAX 5G wireless MAN system or FibeAir IP microwave system, it provides wide-area coverage with a single base station covering a radius of 10-30 kilometers, and the maximum point-to-point transmission distance reaches 120 kilometers. The system supports high-speed data transmission of 300/600Mbps or even over 10G, meeting the needs of high-definition video surveillance and massive data collection in chemical parks.
• Flexible Coverage of Mesh Ad Hoc Network: The low-frequency Huanyou wireless Mesh system has the capability of self-organizing, self-healing mobile communication, and can achieve a transmission rate of 40M/80Mbps in non-line-of-sight environments, which is particularly suitable for emergency mobile communication coverage in complex device areas.
• 4G/5G Mobile Access: It supports the integrated networking of public and private networks, providing high-speed mobile access capabilities for mobile inspections, ensuring uninterrupted communication for personnel during movement, and is suitable for cloud access of mobile terminals such as mobile phones. Alternatively,
• WiFi High-density Access: Through OFDMA and MU-MIMO technologies, it significantly improves network throughput, reduces communication delay, and supports short-distance (within 100 meters) and large-bandwidth applications such as AR remote assistance and emergency expert command.

Guoxin Longxin’s products span the above multiple wireless network technologies, and can customize the most suitable solution according to actual needs.

3.2 Multi-network Integration Application Scenarios

Guoxin Longxin’s wireless private network solution is multi-functional. It not only connects a large number of fixed video surveillance points and information collection points (for dangerous gases, dust, PM2.5, wind speed and direction, etc.), but also meets the needs of vehicle networking and ship networking such as park logistics vehicles, hazardous chemical vehicles, driverless vehicles, and operating ships. Moreover, it can satisfy the rapid and mobile deployment of emergency mobile terminals such as UAVs, backpack stations, and handheld stations, which can be described as a comprehensive multi-network integration solution.

Based on the wireless MAN private network system, it can be used for daily inspections, management and operation assistance in normal times, and for emergency rapid deployment to restore communication networks in case of emergencies, providing strong support for rescue and disaster relief.

The schematic diagram of the networking solution for full mobile scenarios is as follows:

The fully mobile networking solution can refer to the “All-Scenario Mobile Monitoring Solution”.

In view of the networking requirements in the special environment of severe obstructions in chemical industrial parks, the portable monitoring point system we specially designed will be of great use. The typical appearance of a portable monitoring point is as follows:

For more information on emergency-specific portable and relocatable systems, individual backpack stations, fixed stations, etc., as well as application cases of emergency systems, please refer to A Collection of Typical Cases of Emergency Communication Command. These emergency networking and monitoring systems are crucial for emergency command in chemical industrial parks where production operations involve certain risks.

3.3 Economic Analysis

Guoxin Longxin’s wireless private network solution has significant advantages in terms of construction and operation costs, bringing substantial economic benefits to chemical industrial parks.

• Infrastructure investment savings: The wireless private network eliminates the need for large-scale wiring projects, saving more than 50% of infrastructure investment costs (or long-term data link rental costs). Construction coordination is easier, engineering difficulty is lower, and the construction cycle is shorter. Networking is often the most uncontrollable and time-consuming link in many IT and intelligent projects. The adoption of a wireless metropolitan area network (MAN) private network solution can significantly shorten the construction period of related projects, reducing costs and increasing efficiency for integrator partners.
• Rapid deployment reduces labor costs: Wireless devices are plug-and-play, with deployment speeds measured in days, often ten times or even a hundred times faster than wired networks. This greatly reduces the input of construction personnel and equipment, leading to a substantial decrease in labor costs.
• Flexible expansion saves upgrade expenses: Unlike traditional wired networks, upgrading the capacity of a wireless MAN does not require re-wiring. The addition of clients can be flexibly expanded, relocated, or moved according to user needs. Flexible expansion can be achieved by adding wireless systems, avoiding repeated investments.
• Improved production efficiency: Real-time data collection and mobile applications enhance inspection and personnel work efficiency by over 50%, reducing the input in manual inspections.
• Safety management benefits: Through real-time monitoring and early warning, safety accidents are effectively prevented, and potential losses from production interruptions are reduced.
• Decision support value: With the wireless MAN as the basic transmission channel, combined with digital twins, big data analysis, and AI-assisted decision-making systems, it can provide data support for production optimization, energy management, safety management, etc., facilitating the refined operation of chemical industrial parks.

3.4 System Reliability

Guoxin Longxin’s wireless private network adopts a multi-level reliability design to ensure stable operation in the complex environment of chemical industrial parks.

• Device-level reliability: All wireless devices are designed with industrial-grade standards, meeting the IP67 protection rating, and operating within a temperature range of -40℃ to 75℃, which satisfies the requirements of harsh environments in chemical industrial parks. The mean time between failures (MTBF) of the devices exceeds 100,000 hours.
• Network-level reliability: The core backbone transmission links adopt 1+1 hot backup or ring network topology. Base stations support ring network protection or MESH self-healing, improving system reliability at the network structure level. Key nodes are networked using multi-link data mirroring (MLDM) technology or VRRP virtual hot backup redundancy technology. The network fault self-healing time is less than 50ms or even achieves zero-delay switching, ensuring uninterrupted services.

For more information on the reliability design principles of wireless systems, please refer to How to Ensure High Reliability of Wireless Network Systems?

3.5 Comprehensive Security Assurance

•  Transmission encryption: Dynamic encryption algorithms are used to achieve end-to-end encryption, preventing data leakage and tampering.
• Network isolation: Logical isolation of different business systems is achieved through technologies such as VLAN, VPN, and Firewall.
• Intrusion detection: Real-time monitoring of network attack behaviors is performed, and protective measures are automatically activated, such as DoS attack protection.

Genuine network security is first based on the principle of “physical isolation”. The security of a wireless MAN private network is far superior to that of a virtual private network, while the security of a virtual private network is better than that of ordinary 4G/5G and the Internet. For related technologies, please refer to Network Security Cannot Be Ignored – You Can’t Afford to Take the Blame! and In the 5G Era: Network Security and Physically Isolated Private Networks in Network Construction for Government and Enterprise Customers.

IV. Conclusion

Guoxin Longxin’s wireless private network solution for chemical industrial parks provides an ideal network communication infrastructure for the digital transformation of chemical industrial parks through coordinated optimization in three dimensions: technological advancement, economy, and reliability.

At the technological level, the solution integrates a variety of advanced wireless technologies to build an intelligent and automated network management system. In terms of economy, it not only reduces direct construction and operation and maintenance costs, but also creates significant indirect benefits through efficiency improvement. In terms of reliability and security, multi-level guarantee mechanisms ensure the stable and safe operation of the system in complex industrial environments.

In the future, with the development of technologies such as 6G, WiFi 7, and artificial intelligence (AI), the wireless private network for chemical industrial parks will continue to evolve towards the direction of “space-air-ground integration” and “communication-sensing-computing integration”, providing stronger technical support for the construction of smart chemical industrial parks. Guoxin Longxin will always adhere to technological innovation and provide better wireless communication solutions for the safe production and digital transformation of the chemical industry.