The Chicago Elevator

Introduction

Chicago is a city known for its unique skyline.  Its skyscrapers are a historic treasure of the city.  The cityscape has structures more than a century old.  While many have been renovated, some still lack certain modern conveniences and utilities.

Installing a camera in the elevator of a tall, Chicago building is an unusual case.  The typical camera installation, in a nutshell, is running wires from power to cameras to a DVR.  For an elevator, running wires is no simple task.

Challenge

When an elevator is constructed, it includes lines for power and often an intercom.  Modern elevators may have cables for cameras and other utilities.  The existing elevator in this particular building did not have those features.  Adding cables post-construction requires reengineering and retrofitting.  The costs, time, and complexity involved are considerable.  It may even require a renovation.

A better solution was needed for our Chicago customer.  How can a camera be installed in an elevator within a reasonable budget and deadline?  Is there an alternative to wires and renovation?

Solution

A wireless AP (Access Point) module, such as LT-APNSM5, is a pair of devices that can network two points together without a physical cable.  They are similar to Wi-Fi, but more powerful and designed to link wired network devices.  They can carry the video feed of IP cameras, such as CMIP3923.

LT-APNSM5

A wireless AP and an IP camera will provide excellent picture quality.  They are also a fraction of the cost and time of installing physical wires.  This seemed like a perfect answer for the elevator problem.  The first point of the wireless bridge was installed at the top of the elevator shaft, the second on top of the elevator.  An Ethernet cable was run from there to the camera inside.

Results

The LT-APNSM5 wireless AP worked excellently.  Sending the signal through the elevator shaft, while atypical, worked without issue.  The end result was a crystal clear picture, even while the elevator was in motion.