DPS Telecom Insights

Identifying a Cost-Effective Wastewater Treatment Plant Monitoring System

There's a reason why stories about the water in Flint draw so much attention. Especially in America, in the 21st century, people expect clean water. They expect basic sanitation. And, they expect clean water to flow through the taps. This clean, disease-free water is staggeringly new in human history, and that advancement is created by modern wastewater treatment plants. It's not a stretch to say that...

What is SNMPWalk and When Should You Perform One?

There's an old saying you're probably familiar with: 'you have to walk before you can run.' Or maybe it isn't an old saying, maybe it's something you saw printed on vintage stock. Either way, it is certainly true. It's true in life, and it's true when setting up a system to monitor your remote stations. That's why, before you start running your monitoring network, you should...

The Leading Remote Monitoring and Management Tools for Utilities

Remote monitoring is an indispensable function for utilities. By monitoring generators, transmission lines, and substations, utilities can detect equipment issues before they occur. This enables more accurate responsive maintenance. As opposed to simply relying on predictive failure models or reports of malfunctioning equipment, utilities can pinpoint emerging failure conditions and correct them. This decreases wasted travel and diagnostic time and prevents expensive downtime. Some issues, such...

Developing the Best Substation SCADA System

Not too long ago, someone at the office was talking about SCUBA and asked if anyone knew what it stood for. One person insisted it didn't stand for anything, it's just what it was called - it's just SCUBA. Obviously, he was wrong ("Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus"), but that shows just how much SCUBA is part of our culture. It's just a word. Well, the same can be...

Why an Effective Asset Monitoring System is Critical for Telecom Infrastructure

Telecom means different things to users and operators. When telecom users think of networks, they think of their phones and other devices, and possibly of the invisible currents providing their service. When they think of something going wrong, they tend to think of the "signal being lost;" which, while it's true, it's also far from the entire story. Telecom operators know that there is a physical...

Implementing Advanced Positive Train Control Technology (PTC)

While several U.S rail companies have not yet fully implemented Positive Train Control (PTC) technology, it remains certain that they will shortly. First mandated in the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, thedeadline for full PTC implementationlooms. Installation of equipment has been accomplished onall Class I railroads , and 91% of route-miles have fully implemented PTC. Testing and activation remain on just 9% of Class 1...

Remote Infrastructure Monitoring: Top Strategies for Better Results

Very few people truly grasp the vast network that keeps the world running. People rarely see the endless telecom towers that keep us connected, or the seamlessly-connected utilities that keep our electricity flowing and water running. They don't see it, but they rely on it to run without question. If you're in charge of the network of stations that keep the world moving, you know the...

How Can SNMP in Networking Improve Company Strategy?

Graphic user interface (GUI) for smart management and visibility "Large" has many dimensions. Commonly, we think of a large company as one which has a significant number of employees. But describing a company as large can also signal a widespread physical footprint, like hundreds of telecom towers or thousands of gas wells. Even if businesses don't sprawl hundreds of miles, they can have hundreds of pieces...

Implementing an Effective Remote Tower Management System

Smoke swirls slowly from the top of a cell phone tower, almost like a pleasant chimney outlined against the slate-gray sky. Within a few minutes, though, the entire tower is ablaze, dark black smoke pouring into the sky, as first responders debate how to put it out. The electrical units at ground level are sparking and flaming, and determining how to end it is not easy....

How to Prevent Copper Wire Theft with Remote Control

Industries including telecom, oil and gas, and railroads all rely on remote, unmanned facilities to perform daily operations. As unmanned stations, these facilities allow companies to accomplish their objectives. They're necessarily unstaffed, as no company can afford to pay the high costs of staffing numerous, far-flung outposts. Unfortunately, this coin has two sides. Without staff on-site, these facilities are vulnerable to copper wire theft. Copper wire...