How do you connect dozens of pole-top circuit breakers across hills, farms, towns – and keep real-time SCADA flowing reliably over long distances? Mainpower found the answer in RipEX.
https//www.racom.eu/eng/case/mainpowers-scada-network-across-north-canterbury-nz
Challenge: A Modern SCADA Backbone for a Diverse Electrical Network
Mainpower NZ Ltd, a community-owned utility, has been distributing electricity across North Canterbury and Kaikōura for nearly a century. As a not-for-profit organisation, it reinvests in its customers – both through profit sharing and through community programmes.
Their existing 15-year-old radio network could no longer keep up. The company needed a next-generation solution capable of:
- Concurrent serial communication over multiple ports
- Maintaining maximum throughput across long UHF distances
- Reliable operation in mixed rural–urban terrain with strong multi-path effects
- Supporting DNP3 for SCADA while also handling proprietary RTU maintenance protocols
Solution: RipEX 400 MHz Network with Dual Serial Ports and High-Speed Modulation
Mainpower deployed a RipEX 400 MHz radio network to link its pole-top circuit breakers and remote terminal units (RTUs).
Why RipEX fit perfectly:
- COM1 + COM2 operating concurrently for SCADA and maintenance
- High-speed 16DEQAM modulation for maximum throughput
- Robust performance in challenging terrain with multi-path propagation
- Frequency split (separate Rx/Tx channels) for optimal link stability
The system architecture centres around a single hilltop base station serving approximately 50 remote sites. A broadband RipEX RF link carries both serial channels from the SCADA HQ to the hilltop.
COM1 handles DNP3 for real-time SCADA operations.
COM2 carries transparent serial traffic for several proprietary RTU maintenance and programming protocols.
Results: A Fast, Reliable, Future-Ready SCADA Network
The new RipEX network delivers substantial upgrades over the previous low-speed system:
- Maximum data throughput maintained across all remote sites
- Stable communications across complex rural–urban geography
- Simultaneous handling of SCADA and maintenance traffic
- Modernised infrastructure exceeding customer expectations
RipEX has given Mainpower a robust, long-term platform – ensuring safe, reliable energy distribution for New Zealand communities for years to come.
