OT-Secure Monitoring for Critical Public Safety Radio Networks

Public safety radio networks are mission-critical infrastructure. Police, fire, and emergency responders rely on uninterrupted communications — especially during storms, power outages, and major incidents.

For telecom operators supporting critical police radio networks, even a brief site failure can have serious operational and public safety consequences.

The network operator needed a way to:

• Detect power failures instantly
• Monitor backup fuel availability in real time
• Ensure battery systems were healthy and ready
• Maintain safe environmental conditions inside shelters
• Detect unauthorized access or intrusion

All within a secure network with no access to the public internet.

The Challenge

These radio sites operate inside a high-security Operational Technology (OT) environment. For security and compliance reasons:

• No inbound or outbound internet access was permitted
• Cloud-based monitoring solutions were not allowed
• Data had to remain entirely on the internal network
• Integration with existing NOC tools was mandatory

At the same time, sites were remote, unmanned, and exposed to harsh conditions.

This created:

• Delayed awareness of utility power outages
• Uncertainty around generator fuel levels during extended outages
• Limited visibility into battery voltage and readiness
• Risk of equipment damage due to temperature or humidity issues
• No immediate detection of unauthorized access

The operator required real-time visibility without violating OT security policies.

The Deployment

The solution was deployed using EdgeKinect running fully on-premise inside the OT network.

Each site was equipped with industrial IoT sensors to continuously monitor:

• Diesel fuel levels for backup generators
• AC voltage from the main utility (hydro) feed
• DC voltage across battery banks and rectifier systems
• Temperature and humidity inside equipment shelters
• Motion and door activity for intrusion detection
• Vibration sensors detect when the generator is on and running

All sensor data was collected locally by EdgeKinect, which:

• Operated with zero internet connectivity
• Performed protocol translation and normalization at the edge
• Enforced OT-grade security and segmentation
• Forwarded all telemetry directly to SolarWinds running on the internal network

No cloud dependencies. No external data paths. Full compliance with OT security requirements.

The Result

After deployment, network operations teams gained immediate, actionable visibility — without changing their security posture.

Key outcomes included:

• Instant alarms in SolarWinds when utility power was lost
• Confidence that generator fuel levels were sufficient for extended outages
• Early detection of battery degradation before failures occurred
• Stable environmental conditions protecting sensitive radio equipment
• Immediate alerts for unauthorized access or movement

Most importantly, police radio communications remained operational, even during prolonged outages and severe weather events.

Why This Worked

The success came from combining edge intelligence with OT-native integration.

The operator gained:

• Real-time monitoring without internet exposure
• Seamless integration into existing SolarWinds NOC workflows
• Unified visibility across power, fuel, environment, and security
• Proactive response instead of reactive dispatch

Instead of introducing new tools or cloud risks, EdgeKinect extended their existing monitoring ecosystem.

The Technology Behind the Success

The solution worked because it combined industrial-grade sensors with secure edge computing:

Infrastructure Sensors:

• Fuel level sensors for diesel generators
• AC voltage monitoring for utility power loss detection
• DC voltage monitoring for battery banks and rectifiers
• Industrial temperature and humidity sensors
• Motion and door sensors for physical security
• Wireless and low-power for rapid deployment

EdgeKinect (On-Premise):

• Runs entirely inside OT networks
• No internet access required
• Local data processing and normalization
• Secure protocol translation
• Designed for critical infrastructure environments

SolarWinds Integration:

• Native ingestion of site telemetry from LoRaWAN Sensors
• Real-time alarms and dashboards
• Historical trends for compliance and audits
• Centralized visibility for NOC teams

Impact

This deployment delivered measurable improvements in:

• Public safety network reliability
• Mean time to detect and respond to outages
• Backup power readiness and fuel confidence
• Protection of critical telecom assets
• Compliance with strict OT security requirements

Most importantly, it ensured that first responders could rely on their communications network — without compromising security — keeping communities safe during emergencies and critical incidents.

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Our EdgeKinect OT Monitoring Solutions provide real-time visibility for telecom, utilities, and public safety networks — fully on-premise, secure, and integration-ready.

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