Construction Site Communications

7/18/2019 Construction Site Communications

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CONSTRUCTION SITE COMMUNICATIONS

The Appropriate Use of I.T. on a Construction Site

CONSTRUCTION SITECOMMUNICATIONS

The last mile

Due to its very nature theconstruction industry requires itspersonnel to be mobile in order tocomplete the realisation of theproject.

To carry out their job function

communication with others isessential and quality, quantity andtiming of information can eitherhinder or facilitate successfulresults.

For many years the walkie-talkiehas been synonymous with theconstruction industry, howeverwith the advent of mobile phonesand wireless data communicationsthere are now many more optionsopen to you.

Getting connected

This document looks specifically atenabling communication in thefield. It gives you an overview ofthe technologies available to yoursite, outlining both the advantages

and disadvantages of each.

Hardware

Please refer to the guidance note: MobileTechnology, Construction Hardware for

information on the Hardware available.

Software

Please refer to the guidance note: MobileTechnology, Construction Software for

information on the Software available.





Cellular (Mobile Phone)

There are various ways in which you can choose to adopt this technology as your sitecommunications medium. The simplest but the least controllable is to allow fieldworkers to use their personal mobile phones and claim call costs as expenses. This

will happen inevitably when an inadequate alternative provision is made.

A d v a n t a g e s

• Voice and data transfer available.

• No outlay for equipment.

• Field workers are familiar with the

technology.

D i s a d v a n t a g e s

• Communications costs are difficultto control.

• High tariffs expected due toworkers choosing favourableevening rates.

• Reliance on the network providerfor coverage.

An alternative is to provide a Voice VPN (Virtual Private Network). Each mobilephone is registered with the service provider, and when a call is made the mobilephone is recognised as being able to use the Voice VPN and calls are chargedcentrally at an agreed tariff.

A d v a n t a g e s


• Costs are controlled.

• Internal and external

communications are possible.


• Costs are governed by length ofcalls.

• Reliance on the network providerfor coverage.

R e q u i r e m e n t s

• Handsets.

• Adequate coverage.

• Connection to a network.


• Handsets.


• Voice VPN Agreement.






WLAN – Wireless Local Area Network

Wireless LAN standards in the UK are based on the IEEE802.11b standard, but willbe upgrading to the IEEE802.11a standard in 2002/3. The table below illustrateseach technologies properties.

A d v a n t a g e s


• Internal communication costs can bedetermined at the outset of the project.

• External communications costs arecontrolled – single tariff.

• Internal calls between devices are free.

• Coverage can be extended by theContractor through the addition ofaccess/extension points as and whenrequired.

• High bandwidth data transfer available(Shared 11Mbps radio rate).

• Cells can be overlaid to increase totalthroughput.

• Established technology.


• WLAN Cards / VoIP WLAN handsets.

• Access Points with provision of power(and network connection).

• VoIP Gateway for voice application.


• Shorter coverage distance.

• Voice transfer uses VoIP, which is

less reliable than ‘normal’ telephones.

• VoIP handsets are expensive and notrobust.

30m radius in an openoffice / 300m radius in aopen space

Today5Mbps2.4Ghz / 11MbpsIEEE802.11b

30m radius in an openoffice / 300m radius in aopen space

US today, UK2003 (dependentupon regulations)

25Mbps5Ghz / 54MbpsIEEE802.11a

Distance coveredAvailabilityTypical DataThroughput

Frequency Used/ Radio Rate

Technology

Wireless LANs can be set up in a number of ways. The first and most simple, is an

ad-hoc network, where a group of PCs and mobile computers with wireless LAN

cards in them can communicate with each other directly. This allows the transferof information between PCs although does not allow access to a fixed network.

The most popular method of connectivity for wireless LANs is as an extension to awired network allowing mobile users or other authorised visitors access to the mainservers and other work related information. It is important to realise that, in mostapplications, wireless LAN is an augmentation technology not a replacementtechnology.

SERVER

APAP

EP

Cell 2Cell 1

Cell 3Key:

Cell - Coverage Area

AP - Access Point

EP - Extension Point





Private Mobile Radio

Private Mobile Radio (PMR) is a term used to broadly cover all forms of 2 way radiosystems. PMR has been used in construction for the past 15 years.

A d v a n t a g e s

• Costs can be determined at theoutset of the project.

• Coverage is achievable up to 15 milesin ideal conditions but typically 2-3miles.

• Well established technology.


• Handsets.

• Licence issued by the RadioCommunications Agency.

• Base stations.


• Voice transfer only.• Short conversations only.

• Private conversations betweenindividuals are not possible.

• Internal communications only.

• Handsets are bulky.

• Licenses are being replaced by TETRA.

Advanced Private Mobile Radio

More advanced PMR solutions are available at an additional cost. These interface tothe PSTN (public switched telephone network) to provide external voice calls.

A d v a n t a g e s

• Costs can be determined at theoutset of the project.

• Voice communications is supportedboth internal and external.

• Coverage is achievable up to 15

miles in ideal conditions buttypically 2-3miles.

• Well established technology.


• Handsets.

• Licence issued by the RadioCommunications Agency.

• Base stations.

• Connection to PSTN.


• Handsets are bulky.

• Number of simultaneous callslimited by the number of channelsavailable.

• Data transfer is very limited.





Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA)

TETRA has been developed for use in Europe and provides an upgrade path fromanalogue PMR to a digital system. TETRA systems have been available for 2-3 yearsalthough they have been based upon equipment for national networks. Equipment

is due to become available in mid-2003 to provide local TETRA systems to replaceexisting PMR systems. Within the UK, Dolphin Telecom operate a national TETRAnetwork. The TETRA technology is a type of cellular network that can besubscribed to in a similar way to GSM networks.

A d v a n t a g e s

• Voice and data communicationssupported.

• Internal and externalcommunications supported.

• Costs are partly controlled due to

press to talk (PTT) calls being free.

• Low set-up costs.

• National coverage.


• Handsets.




• Not well established technology.

• Stability of national operator still tobe resolved.

TETRA upgrade to PMR

TETRA systems will soon be developed to provide site wide solutions to upgrade thecurrent PMR systems. This will occur by 2004.

A d v a n t a g e s


• Costs are partially controlled dueto PTT calls/internal calls being

free.


• Handsets.

• Base stations.

• License issued by the Radio

Communications Agency.


• Costly set-up as base stations arerequired.

• Local coverage only.





Satellite Technologies

Low Earth Orbit

Through the use of special handsets information passes directly to and from the nearestLow Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite in view and on to its destination.

A d v a n t a g e s

• Almost planet wide coverage.


• Quick deployment.

• Portability; service can be relocated.

• Independent of landlines.


• Handsets.



• Communication is not always reliable.However, some providers offer a ServiceLevel Agreement.

• Long time delays, that can betroublesome for voice communications.

• Coverage is not achievable insidebuildings.

Geostationary

A satellite receiver provides a direct connection to the Geostationary Satellite andenables information to be passed onwards. To connect to personnel in the field aWireless LAN is also required.

A d v a n t a g e s

• Coverage within the satellite footprint.


• Quick deployment.

• Portability; service can be relocated.

• Independent of landlines.

• Supports high level encryptionschemes.

• True ‘Broadband,’ is easily achievable,delivering high speed ‘always on’ access to the internet.


• Price of calls and subscriptions.

• Handsets are cumbersome.

• Communication is not always reliable.

• Satellite network providers are highlyspeculative.

• Long time delays, that can be

troublesome for voice communications.

• Coverage is not always achievable insidebuildings.


• Handsets.

• Power and network connection.

• WLAN.






Key considerations

Imagine you are setting-out the next drainage run and have travelled 20 minutesfrom the site office to get there. You arrive and realise that you have forgotten tobring one of the drawings. Then the sub-contractor asks you whether there are

any services running through the area, again you don’t have that information tohand. You could call the site-office but you know everyone is out on site, insteadyou have to travel back again simply to collect the information needed – a 40minute round-trip!

The technologies outlined above will each provide the best solution in differentcircumstances. Asking the following questions should help you to determine thesolution that is right for your site.

Summary

As communications technologies evolve the potential for voice and data transfer isincreased. This document has shown you the options that are available to enableyour site based staff to communicate with each other both through voice and data.Other Guidance Notes in this series will then help you to choose the right softwareand hardware to implement IT to manage your Site Information Needs.

• Will staff require mobile telecommunications and/or access to data?

• How many staff will there be on site?

• Will there be a permanent Site Office?

• How large is the site?

• Is there direct line of sight available?

• Is certainty of cost important?

• Is there coverage from a National Provider?

• Are there suitable (robust etc.) devices available for the required usage?

Further Information

Other useful sources of information include:

• MICC Mobile Integrated Comms in Construction www.cordis.lu

• Arup Arup Communications www.arup.com/communications

• BT Niall Kells, BT Group [email protected]

• SatWeb Ian Proudfoot, SatWeb Ltd. www.satweb.co.uk

• Author Sarah Bowden, Arup [email protected]

The Future?

Currently in the USA, WLAN is available for use in public spaces such as airports,shopping centres and schools. The UK may shortly follow this initiative and

wireless devices would then become a common sight. For construction this will

potentially enable construction sites to tap into existing infrastructure, and thewireless device could become as ubiquitous on site as the walkie-talkie.

http://www.cordis.lu/

http://www.arup.com/communications

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.satweb.co.uk/



http://www.satweb.co.uk/


http://www.arup.com/communications

http://www.cordis.lu/

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Construction Site Communications