Highlights

• RipEX2, RipEX2-HS
• Power and Water Distribution
• Base driven protocol
• DNP3
• Ongoing migration
• DPSK to 256 QAM
• 25 kHz bandwidth

Fez, known globally for curing quality leather using traditional techniques, is the second largest city in Morocco with a population of 1.7 million people. RADEEF has the responsibility of ensuring efficient distribution of water and electricity to all inhabitants over the entire territory of the prefecture of Fez.

RADEEF uses several hundred radio modems to manage the distribution of water and electricity. The existing modems are old, using serial connections and are not compliant with new security requirements that are now mandatory in Morocco for such applications. The need to upgrade provided RADEEF with an ideal opportunity to migrate to a modern IP solution. But it was also important to ensure any new solution would be both state-of-the-art and future proofed.

After exhaustive research, RADEEF selected RipEX2 as the optimal solution. Not only does it easily meet the new government security requirements but network throughput prospects are beyond what RADEEF had thought possible. Other features of RipEX2 that RADEEF benefits from include the RipEX2-HS hot standby Master station, interference tolerance, scalability of the radios and RACOM’s Migration solution which allows one by one legacy replacements with no outage during migration and no additional expensive HW required.

Phase one of the migration is built around a star topology and consists of two sub-networks of twenty five RipEX2 units, each with a RipEX2-HS at the centre. Two more RipEX2-HS stations are used to connect the sub-networks to the control centre. During deployment, SOHIME, the integrator, assigned two engineers to the project to join a RACOM engineer sent from HQ and RADEEF engineers. Excellent cooperation and teamwork between the three parties involved, ensured maximum success with most connections being highly modulated between 64 and 256 QAM.

Having successfully commissioned the first phase, another 180 sites will be migrated in 2020. And discussions have already started to improve the solution even further. The SCADA centre is at the other side of the city from the networks but as there is LOS between the two, there is the possibility of using a RACOM RAy microwave link instead of narrow radio channel to speed up data transmissions on this link.

Highlights

• RipEX, RipEX-HS, 400 MHz
• Power distribution
• Extreme reliability requirements
• IEC 104 – Base driven protocol
• Bespoke cabinets made by RACOM
• Siemens Ruggedcom switches
• ABB RTU’s

Founded in 1997, the Electricity Distribution Company (EDCO) assumes responsibility for planning, installation, operation and maintenance of electricity distribution systems over more than half of the Kingdom of Jordan.

In 2015 EDCO went out to tender for a major project to connect selected substations to a new SCADA/DMS/AMR control center in Amman. The system should be responsible for monitoring, control and technical management of the existing and future generation distribution networks, covering EDCO’s entire field of operations.

EDCO put maximum stress on reliability and redundancy and initially hoped to use Fibre Optics for communication. Due to the topography and other physical restrictions, Fibre Optics was only possible over a very limited area. After extensive research with their consultants, they established that a UHF data network could also provide a good solution when optimal equipment would be used.

After lengthy research and testing, they decided to use RipEX and its 1+1 hot-standby redundant version RipEX-HS. These devices fully met current need as well as the specification requirements for future monitoring and control requests, a specific consideration from EDCO within the tender process.

Other key considerations for the project included, specific routing functionality, high levels of reliability, dual power supply option for RipEX-HS units (both AC & DC supply in every single unit) and a requirement at specific locations for 10 W RF power.

In total, the initial network comprises 12 RipEX-HS and 25 RipEX modems, all enclosed within indoor type wall mount cabinets, pre-assembled/wired with all ancillaries and built and tested to the customer’s exact specification by RACOM.

Support mechanisms provided by the RACOM technical support team also proved crucial at all stages of the project, keeping development on track and helping the contractor meet specific deadlines set by the customer. This involved remote support and also site visits to provide hands-on support in the field.

Both the end customer and contractor were extremely happy with the levels of professional assistance they received from RACOM staff, including sales, management and technical support. RACOM were praised for the quality of our products, high levels of service and full commitment to the project on a number of occasions throughout the life of the project. Discussions are already underway to discuss possibilities for RACOM to further support EDCO in the future for their network expansion.

Highlights

• RipEX 400 MHz
• Power Distribution
• Bridge mode
• Recloser Management
• 25 km average link length
• Easy setup & management
• Remote rural area

Empresa Distribuidora de Electricidad de Salta S.A. (Edesa) generates and distributes electricity in Argentina’s Salta Province in the North West corner of the country. Since commencing operations in this region, the Company has been fully committed to provide the community with quality service levels and high safety standards. This involves ensuring electricity distribution is managed using the necessary tools so that the productive sector can anticipate and respond to the demands of the market.

Due to the geography of the Province, there are still scattered rural areas to which EDESA’s energy systems do not have access. Edesa is also fully committed to ensuring electricity provision as a new service, exclusively, to all inhabitants of Salta who request it.

One such new network, providing electricity to a rural area within the Province, uses RipEX radio modems to connect the SCADA network to reclosers. Set up to operate in Bridge mode, the RipEX units are installed in cabinets and mounted on poles in both the city and mountainous regions; the average length of link is between 20 and 30 km.

A Best-In-Class radio, RipEX is renowned for providing 24/7 reliable service for mission-critical SCADA applications for power networks and meeting all security requirements. With a high resistance to multipath propagation and interference and built from heavy duty industrial components, all mounted in a rugged die-cast aluminum case, RipEX is an obvious choice of modem to function reliably in these demanding semi-arid conditions.

We look forward to also helping Edesa meet their commitments of quality and safety to other communities they serve in the future.

Highlights

• M!DGE
• Power Distribution
• Ethernet and Serial Interface
• Cisco, Vigor… in the centre
• Sub-tropical climate
• IEC101 and IEC104
• Over 1000 remotes

Vietnam Electricity (EVN) is the largest state-owned power company in Vietnam, providing electricity generation, transmission and distribution throughout Vietnam.

After researching various technologies that could be used for data transfer in their SCADA telemetry network connecting mainly reclosers, it was decided that cellular routers were the most appropriate and would provide the optimal solution whilst allowing costs to remain within the budgetary constraints of the project.

The RACOM M!DGE was tested against other products and showed itself to provide the most robust solution for the network, hosting unique features such as IPsec, VPN tunneling and an ability to maintain high link integrity with end to end functionality in a stable environment.

The network is made up of VPN concentrators such as Cisco, Vigor, Juniper,… in the control centre with M!DGE units connected using IPsec tunnel or NAPT. The network uses two types of communication. Some of the remotes communicate using RS232 serial communications and IEC 101 protocol whilst the others use IEC 104 over Ethernet and TCP/IP.

M!DGE routers of all generations, including the latest M!DGE3, are continuously deployed in the EVN network since 2017. Installation and configuration of the routers is running smoothly and with minimal support from RACOM.

Highlights

• M!DGE
• Leased services network
• Mission critical applications
• Ethernet and serial interface
• Mountainous arctic environment
• Extreme temperatures up to -30 ^oC
• Over 500 units deployed

LMC (Last Mile Communication) has delivered enterprise-critical communication solutions with high focus on quality and reliability to customers since 1999. During that time LMC has become aware of a large demand for remote management, monitoring, tracking, alert, and remote access at customer installations with emphasis on security, that did not have a solution available on the market.

IOG, an LMC company, was formed with the commitment to meet that demand and provide solutions and expertise, making it possible to use cellular networks for these critical industrial installations. IOG makes it easy to establish and operate robust M2M solutions. The IOG network operates as a leased service for virtual private networks with typically 2-70 sites.

With the remoteness of many locations requiring these services, in Northern latitudes and rugged mountainous landscape, it has been important to develop robust solutions and use only the highest quality hardware. Adding to the challenge is the fact that many applications are mission critical, including pumping and power stations.

The IOG business model provides leased services and a commitment to provide high SLA provision to their customers; it has been essential for IOG to ensure that every part of the infrastructure meets the stringent demands placed on it.

Years of experience has proven that the RACOM M!DGE is the best choice in such an environment, providing excellent levels of stability. IOG customers also appreciate the serial SCADA protocol implementation.

As of 2017, IOG has over 500 M!DGE units in service and is delighted with the reliability offered by the device, helping IOG develop and maintain a justifiable reputation for quality in the Scandinavian market and beyond.

Dag Nielsen, Technical Director, states “LMC cooperation with RACOM dates back to 2001. During this time LMC has used different RACOM products and has always been happy and satisfied with levels of performance and reliability. RACOM technical support has also been excellent. It is why M!DGE is our product of choice.”

Highlights

• M!DGE
• Power distribution
• Fault indicators
• Reclosers
• Tropical environment
• Serial & Ethernet
• Over 100 units by 2017

Palembang is the capital of Indonesia’s South Sumatra province and a port city on the Musi River. This extremely low lying district has a population of over 1.5 million.

Electricity supply is provided by PLN, the nationally owned company in Indonesia that has been managing electricity distribution throughout the country for over 50 years. The current network was materialised by PT Surya Total Pertiwi, RACOM’s partner in Indonesia.

Due to the demanding tropical conditions it was important that the routers used in the network were extremely reliable and able to perform to the highest standard. With previous experience of RACOM’s M!DGE cellular router, PT Surya knew they could rely on this unit and chose it above all competition; it has been specially designed for SCADA and telemetry applications, maintaining reliable and secure connections from an unlimited number of remote locations to a central server.

The serial network in Palembang has over 100 remotes by 2017 and growing. M!DGE is used for communication with fault indicators and also for reclosers.

It is envisaged that in the future, the existing legacy radio network could be replaced or expanded with RipEX using RACOM’s tried and tested Migration solution. When this work is complete, PT Surya will have provided a RACOM hybrid network with RipEX and M!DGE working seamlessly together; a tried and tested solution already proving to be so effective in different applications around the world.

Highlights

• RipEX 400 MHz
• Power distribution
• Pole top circuit breakers
• DNP3 for SCADA
• COM1 and COM2 concurrently
• High speed / 16DEQAM
• 50 remotes under one base station

Mainpower NZ Ltd is a community owned company and has been distributing electricity to the communities of North Canterbury and Kaikoura in New Zealand for nearly 100 years. It is a not for profit company with customers receiving a share of profits and the company sponsoring community initiatives.

RipEX network is used there for SCADA communication with pole top circuit breakers which are part of the power lines company’s network and also for remote maintenance of these RTU’s.

Key requirements of the new network are concurrent serial communications over multiple serial ports while keeping max. throughput over long distances. The terrain within which the network operates is a mixture of rural and urban environments that includes multi-path propagation. RipEX ticked all the boxes and provides the robust solution the end user was looking for.

The main RF network is around one hilltop base station that services approx. 50 remote sites.  The network operates at max. data speed (16DEQAM) in UHF band using frequency split (different Rx and Tx channel).  Com 1 services the SCADA communications utilising DNP3.  Com2 provides transparent serial coms for several proprietary RTU maintenance and programming protocols.  A broadband RipEX RF link carries the two serial connections from HQ SCADA to the hilltop base station.

A fifteen years old network had been used that offered low speed serial communications. It was becoming obvious that this network needed to be migrated to a modern efficient solution. The new RipEX network delivers such a solution and more than surpasses all the customer’s expectations.

Highlights

• RipEX 300 MHz & M!DGE
• Hybrid network
• Power distribution
• Tropical environment
• Up to four repeating hops
• Multi-master
• IEC101, IEC104 and DNP3

PLN is a nationally owned company in Indonesia that has been managing electricity distribution throughout the country for over 50 years.

PLN chooses RipEX radio modems on a regular basis for networks throughout Indonesia. PT Surya Total Pertiwi, RACOM’s partner in Indonesia works extensively with PLN. They materialised a SCADA telemetry network to manage electricity distribution in Makassar district with a population over 2 million on Sulawesi Island in the East of the country.

Having considered the main products currently on the market that could potentially provide a solution to the problem, RipEX and M!DGE were chosen ahead of competition.

RipEX was the only product that was able to provide coverage to the remote geographical locations within the network and the complexities attached to servicing these endpoints; up to four repeating hops are required to reach some end points. Indeed, only RipEX offers an unlimited number of repeaters on the way; any endpoint can also work as a repeater simultaneously.

M!DGE is used in parts of the network for reclosers and RipEX for reclosers and RTU’s with one SCADA system used to control the entire network, regardless of the communication type.

The customer appreciates other of RipEX’s unique features such as multi-master applications. Thanks to the RipEX anti-collision Flexible protocol on the Radio channel, more applications can run simultaneously while using different SCADA protocols such as IEC101, IEC104 and DNP3. A Terminal server at the centre also allows the combination of Ethernet and serial RTU’s from five different manufacturers; ABB, Nulec, Cooper, Survalent and Kwang Myung.

As an additional control measure, RipEX had been successfully field tested to the top end of its operating temperature of 70 ⁰ C to ensure it operates seamlessly in the extreme climate.

The first 66 RipEX units and 3 RipEX-HS base stations have been installed at key points in the first phase during 2016, with the total number of sites estimated to be over 500.

The Partner view is given by Mr. Irwinho Harlim, CEO of PT Surya Total Pertiwi: “This tender was one of a number of a similar scope we are participiating for with high levels of success due to RipEX features. PLN is a long term customer who have very good experiences with this product over a long time. Both PLN and PT Surya Total Pertiwi really appreciate RACOM’s pre-sales and after sales support.“