When the Living Edge Lab at Carnegie Mellon University, one of the world’s leading research centers for edge computing, wanted to test innovative edge use cases during the COVID-19 pandemic, they realized they needed next-generation connectivity to make it work. That’s when their researchers turned to Federated Wireless and AWS to design and deliver a private 4G/5G wireless network that could meet their requirements for reliability, low-latency and simplicity.
The focus of the project for Carnegie Mellon was using live video streams on high definition cameras to monitor and track social distancing efforts to see if people were effectively practicing CDC guidelines. Researchers could also use the video analytics to aid in contract tracing efforts if a COVID-19 outbreak was reported within the area being observed.
There were two challenges to making the video analytics solution work. It needed a networking solution that could handle the low-latency requirements and heavy traffic load of the edge use case without slowing down, a combination that the university had not been able to achieve with existing carrier LTE or WiFi solutions. The second challenge was identifying a solution that was simple enough to deploy on-site without on-the-ground support.
The team at Carnegie Mellon was able to work with our solutions experts to install a pre-provisioned, plug-and-play solution that was simple enough for them to deploy remotely. “4G and telco networks usually require a lot of installation complexity and that’s why so many use Wi-Fi instead, because it is easier to install,” said Mahadev Satyanarayanan, group professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University and head of the Living Edge Lab. “The fact that we got this working remotely, I think, is a testimonial.”
Check out the full use case on the AWS Partner Network Blog or our article in Fierce Wireless.
Light Reading | Carnegie Mellon built a plug-and-play private LTE network >
AWS Partner Network Blog | Intelligent Video Analytics and Effective Remote Learning on Campus Private 4G/5G Networks >
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