Reyee Blog /

Where and why do you need Wireless Coverage in an extremely cold environment?

1.Remote Locations: Access points and internet equipment may be deployed in remote locations with extremely cold temperatures, such as research stations in polar regions. (Barely for us)

2. Industrial Environments: In industrial settings, some equipment might need to function in sub-zero temperatures, like cold storage warehouses. (We recommended this case)

3. Emergency Services: Access points could be used by emergency services in cold climates to maintain communication during critical situations.

4. Connectivity: Certain outdoor scenarios require maintaining internet connectivity regardless of temperature, like surveillance cameras in cold climates.

5. Resilience: Equipment designed for such low temperatures can provide added resilience, ensuring network availability even in extreme conditions.

6. Specialized Applications: Scientific research, military operations, and other specialized applications may demand reliable communication equipment in very cold environments.

To operate effectively in extreme cold, Ruijie Reyee often designs equipment with enhanced insulation, components rated for low temperatures, and specialized enclosures to protect against moisture and temperature fluctuations.

Why Ruijie RAP6260G can survive in a -40℃ environment

RAP6260(G) designed to work in extremely cold temperatures incorporate various features to ensure their functionality:

1.Heating Elements: RAP6260(G) includes a built-in module with heating feature that activates when temperatures drop below a certain threshold. These elements keep the internal components warm enough to function correctly. （Below -30℃, the feature will be enabled and it will be heating 15 minutes to warm up the CPU）

2. Temperature-Resistant Components: This AP uses components and materials that can operate reliably in low temperatures. Electronic components are selected for their ability to function within specified temperature ranges. (-40°C to 65°C)(RAP6260G can start the device under -40℃ )

3. Insulation: Devices are often insulated to retain heat generated during operation, preventing internal components from getting too cold and potentially failing. Insulation can help maintain an operational temperature within the device.

4.Thermal Management: Efficient thermal management systems are designed to regulate the device's temperature. They adjust heat to prevent overheating while maintaining an appropriate operating temperature (ideally -25℃ to -8°C) in cold conditions.

5. Sealing and Enclosures: IP68, Robust, weatherproof enclosures protect the equipment from moisture, ice, and wind. Sealed enclosures prevent water and ice infiltration, and unknown environmental cases and acts of sabotage could cause damage or affect performance.

6.Power Management: Energy-efficient power management systems help devices operate effectively while minimizing overheating generation. This is important in extremely cold conditions. Even -30℃ the heating process is initiated, it will not generate extra power consumption and energy loss in general.

7.Temperature Monitoring: RAP6260(G) has temperature sensors inside the chip that monitor internal temperatures. These sensors can trigger heating elements or adjust the device's operation when reaching a ‘dead-point’ to optimize performance in varying conditions. When it dropped below -40℃, the protection and heating system will work until the inside temp reaches -25℃.

8.Remote Management: In cases where physical access to the equipment is difficult, remote management capabilities allow administrators to monitor and control devices from a central location.

Overall, the combination of these features ensures that RAP6260G can withstand extremely cold temperatures and continue to provide reliable network connectivity and communication.

Test and why we guarantee stability

1.Extreme temperature fluctuation Test

For every test circle, the environmental temp will drop or increase relatively by 40° C and remain for 3 hours to see reliability. (100 times passed)

2. Low-Temperature enduring

Put the Device under the low-temp range（from 25° C to -40° C and maintain low temperatures）for 24h,48h, and so on. (100 times passed)

3. Low-temperature limitation Test

From the indoor temperature down to the lowest temperature to see if the device can operate and run normally, every 2 hours drop 5° C to 10° C (100 times passed) (Optical module may not work normally under -30℃ natural temperature due to material specification)

Case Study - The Northernmost End Snowy Township Ski Resort

Background:

China Snow Township, alias Shuangfeng Forest Farm, is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction. It is located in the operation area of Dahailin Forestry Bureau in Changting Town, Hailin City, at the intersection of Zhangguangcai Ridge and Laoyiling in Changbai Mountains, Northeast of China. Due to the preference of the mountainous microclimate, the snow cover here can be as deep as 2 meters in winter, and the snow cover period is as long as 6-7 months.
Being stranded on a 2,500-meter peak during a violent snowstorm while your walkie-talkie is constantly out of order— You feel bad, really bad. Especially if you are responsible for managing the business operations of the entire snowy ski resort.
James Ray, one of our new customers, general manager of Forest Farm Resort, agrees: “My staff must be able to communicate quickly and clearly when there is a severe snowstorm or a skier has a problem. Emergency decision-making, so we need reliable means of communication, well-say, stable internet."
Forest Farm Resort, welcomes more than 50,000 visitors a year. With a goal of doubling visitor numbers to 100,000, James needed a better means of communicating to manage the ski resort's business operations. Therefore, Our local Channel Sales recommended they to use Reyee Hotel Solution (Wild Version) with special product RAP6260(G) for severe environment installation. It can establish a communication network covering the entire mountain and every corner of the resort.

Challenge:

James said the main challenge for the resort was how to improve communications from the base of the mountain to the summit at 2,500 meters above sea level and to the multiple management stations throughout the mountain; even worse, during dark winter, the outside temperature was down to -40° C and lower. "No fixed means of communication other than cell phones when talking to people on top of the mountain and forest. However, the quality of the signal is poor," complained by teams.

Additionally, James wants to create a direct network communication link between the new cable car（Ski Lift）, Cyber Live Room, as well as the various visitor offices and travel agencies. “We wanted to provide potential visitors with the latest information and showcase about the conditions of whole town in the form of video and data. The originals / traditional way simply could not do this. Therefore, we decided to use Reyee Hotel Solution with RAP6260(G).” James said.

Need to deal with:

1. Outside the area, there is a bare signal for the cell.

2. No in-time surveillance in whole resort town and no internet for site-to-site, bad for emergencies.

3. Walkie-talkie is not Reliable for communication from base to peak.

4. Harsh outside temperature.

Why choose RAP6260(G)?

James explained that he chose the RAP6260(G) for three main reasons:

1. Enterprise-level chip with a special heating feature can run stably in extreme weather.

2. Highest outdoor protection of IP68.

3. The low price of Wi-Fi 6 Entry-level product.

Results

In 2021, there finally is a wireless network that could bring people a full coverage network even in the ice and snow at -40 ° C.

Note: In the middle of winter, the temperature is minus 17-18 ° C, and the lowest temperature can reach -30° C or even -40 ° C.

It is understood that during the construction process, the installation of AP was very smooth and pass through the operation & signal test, but when docking the switch , there was an issue. At first, our team suspected that it was because of the cold weather (the minimum temperature has reached more than -20 degrees inside the house). However, in the end, after an on-site investigation, it was found that the problem was on the cable, and it was solved after Ruijie Cloud APP [Troubleshooting]. Although there were small episodes, in general, the point was very smooth this time, and it was ready for the peak season of the scenic spot.

Although the town's scenic spot has not yet reached the peak season, security guards and staff can be seen everywhere on the street, and from the "snow township LIVE" (real-time LIVE, the transmitting is very smooth~) opened on its official website.

(CCTV for whole town and resort, for security purposes)

There is a response from the security personnel:

"The newly installed Wi-Fi works very well, the signal is very fast, and the speed is also very fast, which can be regarded as a great benefit to the scenic spot!"

According to them, the 4G LTE signal in the town is not good, most of time they have to use walkie-talkie for communication or simply text and phone call on 3G. Now, there is a signal wherever you go. They say it's warm in their heart and feel blessed.

In addition, the person in charge of weak current operations responded 'when doing a work survey on the sightseeing plank road, because the woods here are denser, the signal will drop one or two blocks if it is too far away, but it does not affect the speed and can still be used normally,' he said this Wi-Fi coverage also helped him a lot.

Other RG-RAP6260 series also support the Heating feature.