Integrating Two-Way Radio into Your Unified Communications Environment

Transcription

1 Integrating Two-Way Radio into Your Unified Communications Environment Fixing the Gaping Hole Two-Way Radio Poses for Many UC Deployments Brent Kelly Wainhouse Research November 2008 Wainhouse Research, LLC 34 Duck Hill Terrace Duxbury, MA USA Study sponsored by:

2 Contents Executive Summary... 2 Two-Way Radio Voice: A Gaping Hole in UC Deployments... 2 Integrating Two-Way Radio with Unified Communications Systems... 3 Converting Analog Two-Way Radio to IP... 3 Unifying Two-Way Radio with Unified Communications... 4 Integrating WAVE with Unified Communications Solutions... 4 WAVE as an Interoperability Solution... 4 Integrating WAVE with Microsoft Office Communications Server WAVE Integration with IBM Lotus Sametime... 6 Integrating WAVE with IP Telephony... 7 WAVE Solution Architecture... 7 WAVE Media Server... 7 WAVE Management Server... 8 WAVE Communicators and Customization... 9 WAVE Dispatch Communicator... 9 WAVE Desktop Communicator WAVE Mobile Communicator Conclusion About the Author About Wainhouse Research About Twisted Pair Solutions, Inc Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 1

3 Executive Summary Unified communications (UC) provides a framework for streamlining the flow of knowledge and information throughout an organization. Combining the many disparate communications mediums available to the typical enterprise worker into a presenceenabled, easy to use communications and collaborative solution can simplify communications and increase individual productivity. Most UC deployments, however, have ignored two-way radio group voice communications by focusing on individuals and by limiting group voice to audio/video conferencing. Two-way radio group communications is extensively used for mission critical communication such as command and control, emergency response, dispatch, field service, and security. Military units, police, transportation companies, airlines, and many others depend on their radios for day-to-day operations. This whitepaper discusses why the voice capability two-way radio provides is a key component that must be considered within an organization s overall unified communications fabric, and we describe a product for doing so, WAVE from Twisted Pair Solutions. Two-Way Radio Voice: A Gaping Hole in UC Deployments Many of today s UC solutions focus on integrating telephony and conferencing with a buddy list and directory services to enable telephony presence, click-to-call/click-toconference, and fixed/mobile voice convergence (FMC). Voice is clearly one of the most important elements in any unified communications deployment as Microsoft and IBM both found this out when they realized that companies would not deploy Office Communications Server or Lotus Sametime until these UC solutions provided tight integration with voice systems. Similarly, in the many organizations that rely on two-way radio communications for critical operating functions, integrating voice from radio devices is a gaping hole in their overall unified communications planning and deployment strategy. Just as IBM and Microsoft learned that voice is required for a serious unified communications solution, organizations considering unified communications should not ignore the crucial voice capabilities two-way radio provides as they do their strategic UC planning. In 2007, the worldwide two-way radio market was estimated to be $8.2 billion. In North America alone, this market is estimated to be $7 billion by The two-way radio market has many names including Land Mobile Radio (LMR), Private Mobile Radio (PMR), tactical communications, and Push to Talk (PTT). For simplicity, we refer to it as two-way radio throughout this document. Mobile radios provide a critical communications capability for many industries, governmental organizations, and the military. In these organizations, two-way radio is the only way to communicate effectively and economically. Most individuals that use two-way radio also regularly communicate with desk-bound and mobile colleagues in the same organization, and they frequently interact with people in other organizations. Integrating two-way radio voice communications within an organization s Microsoft Office Communications Server or IBM Lotus Sametime desktop environment and/or with IP phones will be an important element of its unified communications rollout. However, integrating two-way radio with these popular UC environments has proven difficult due the myriad devices, channels, frequencies, PBXs, and cell phones people use. Until now. 1 RELM Wireless Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 2

4 In this white paper, we examine the benefits integrating two-way radio into a UC environment brings. We discuss how two-way radio voice is converted to IP and reveal some of the challenges involved with integrating two-way radio into a UC environment. We then focus on Twisted Pair s WAVE solution, which is an all-software, open standards, IP-based technology that lets customers build and operate secure and scalable communications systems using off-the-shelf hardware in the world s most demanding environments. We illustrate how WAVE integrates two-way radio voice with common unified communications platforms like Microsoft Office Communications Server and IBM Lotus Sametime, as well as with IP telephony platforms from Nortel and others. We conclude with a summary of the WAVE architecture and a description of how a WAVE solution works. Integrating Two-Way Radio with Unified Communications Systems A two-way radio system is a collection of portable units and stationary base stations that communicate with each other over predefined radio frequencies or channels. These systems are usually deployed by organizations that need instant communication between geographically dispersed, mobile employees. Two-way radio is a primary communications technology deployed by the military; by first responders including police, fire and emergency medical services; on oil and gas production rigs; in construction, transportation, and in warehousing applications; for site security; by forest service and oceanographic personnel; and in a host of other applications. Two-way radio systems typically consist of dispatch consoles and portable units. These systems may be simple deployments containing only a few radios, or they may be complex installations, consisting of thousands of portable units and hundreds of dispatch consoles, operating over very large geographies. Converting Analog Two-Way Radio to IP Two-way radio base stations typically have input and output ports that allow them to send and receive voice communication via a voice gateway. These voice gateways allow twoway radio systems to integrate with telephony systems and with IP communications systems. The capability to convert voice transmissions over radio waves to IP packets (known as Radio over IP or RoIP) is what creates the powerful connection between the previously isolated world of two-way radio and the collaborative power of unified communications. Radio over IP provides numerous benefits that not only extend the reach of two-way radio, but makes its inclusion in UC a necessity for organizations looking to maximize organizational connectivity and communication. Radio over IP can be managed and accessed through an enterprise-wide unified communications solution, and it provides the following benefits: Incompatible two-way radio systems and frequencies can easily communicate with each other because the voice is encoded using a standard compression algorithm (G.711, G.729 or G.723 codecs, for example) and transported between gateways over the IP network. Radio users can readily communicate with others who may be using standard telephones (TDM, IP, or mobile phones). Radio users can communicate with people who may be out of radio range, but who do have access to a PC or telephone. In geographically dispersed environments where radio is used in field locations, and where these locations are connected via an IP network, two-way radio users 2008 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 3

5 in different remote areas can speak with one another even though they may be separated over hundreds and thousands of miles. Many different organizations or departments can be joined together continuously or ad-hoc, with the flexibility to choose whether to monitor and/or communicate with one another at any time and in real-time. This flexibility to connect on demand is important in urgent enterprise operations and in life threatening situations. Unifying Two-Way Radio with Unified Communications Several approaches exist that enable disparate two-way radio communications solutions to communicate with one another and with mobile or landline phones. The first method consists of using purpose-built, proprietary hardware and software. The hardware in one of these solutions is typically a patch console that interfaces to several different types of two-way radio solutions. The software lets an operator patch the different radio channels and phone lines together using a graphical user interface. While useful, such solutions do have limitations, including: They typically rely on proprietary hardware using specialized CPUs and real-time operating systems. They are often purpose-built with little end user or integrator customization capability. These systems typically have little integration capability with a larger unified communications solution. They often require the same manufacturer s radio hardware throughout the entire solution, making it difficult to include legacy equipment or radios from other providers. A second, more flexible solution is a software-based approach that uses the power of software and RoIP to interface with any IP-based unified communications solution. The software runs on off-the-shelf computers using standard operating systems. This type of solution deploys standard gateways to encode the two-way radio voice signal to IP packets. Once digitized, the software is able to mix, route, and patch any two-way radio voice channel with any other voice device, including IP or TDM phones, mobile phones, softphones, UC clients, and other two-way radio radios solutions connected to the system. One software product for integrating two-way radio with unified communications is WAVE from Twisted Pair Solutions, Inc. Integrating WAVE with Unified Communications Solutions Radio over IP and UC technology are driving the cost of integrating two-way radio with unified communications down to almost nothing. In the past, a new user on the two-way radio system needed about $4,000 to buy a new radio and about $60,000 to buy a dispatch console. With newer software-based solutions, new users only need a PC, PDA, IP phone or Smartphone to join in on two-way radio group communications. Older systems were closed, which inhibited collaboration. Today, with software-based open solutions, any organization can afford group communications. WAVE as an Interoperability Solution Before two-way radio can be integrated as part of a UC solution, interoperability between disparate systems is a prerequisite. WAVE is a software-only solution that enables interoperability by creating a system of two-way radio systems. A system of two-way radio systems means that any radio manufacturer s solution can be integrated into the WAVE system as long as there is a gateway to convert that manufacturer s radio voice 2008 Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 4

6 traffic to IP. Thus, multiple disparate two-way radio systems can be connected together using WAVE, effectively creating a system of two-way radio systems. The WAVE software enables the creation of an open communications environment that allows all of the constituent two-way radio systems to maintain their operational independence while effortlessly removing the barrier of interoperability. WAVE provides managed, real-time, secure, group communications over the IP network and connects people who are using dissimilar and often incompatible communications technologies such as two-way radios, personal computers, cell phones, and IP phones into a single, interoperable and manageable communications system via standards-based IP communications technology. The product supports any radio system including UHF, VHF, TETRA, iden, SELCAL, GSTAR, and P25. Integrating WAVE with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 WAVE integrates two-way radio voice solutions with Office Communications Server 2007 via a software plugin developed by Twisted Pair. The plugin allows users running OCS 2007 to monitor radio channels and to talk on any monitored channels directly from the Office Communicator client as illustrated in figure 1. Figure 1: The WAVE Office Communicator plugin allows users to monitor and talk on two-way radio group communications channels from within the Office Communicator contact list Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 5

7 To use the plugin, users first select a pre-defined profile that identifies the desired twoway radio channels. Once selected, the channels associated with this profile display under the contact list, as shown on the right side of figure 1. The WAVE plugin also integrates with Microsoft Active Directory to enable single sign on. Thus, administrators can easily configure talk or listen-only privileges for Active Directory groups and simply add users to the groups, making any number of persons capable of monitoring radio channels and possibly speaking on them. OCS users need only a microphone and speakers to participate. To activate the microphone, users simply click with the mouse on a channel s Talk button, and they can begin speaking on that particular channel. WAVE Integration with IBM Lotus Sametime Integrating WAVE with IBM Lotus Sametime is also accomplished through a software plugin. This plugin allows users running Sametime to monitor radio channels and to talk on these channels from their Sametime Connect client as illustrated in figure 2. Figure 2: The WAVE Lotus Sametime plugin allows users to monitor and talk on WAVE group communications channels from within the Sametime Connect client Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 6

8 With the IBM Sametime plugin, users can monitor multiple channels simultaneously. To talk on any particular channel, they simply click the Talk button associated with that channel. Integrating WAVE with IP Telephony WAVE can also be integrated with telephony solutions either directly, using the WAVE SDK, or via a voice gateway. Nortel, for example, has gone the extra mile with Twisted Pair Solutions and has developed a special WAVE IP Phone client for its 1140e IP phone. The IP Phone client is an XML-based application that runs right on the IP handset. Like the PC desktop clients, the Nortel IP phone client displays several channels on the phone s LCD interface, which a person may wish to monitor. Users listen to two-way radio conversations using either the handset or the speaker built into the phone. By pressing a soft button next to a particular channel, users can talk on that channel using the IP phone s handset or speakerphone capability. When a person is using the phone to talk on a radio channel, the IP packets are routed from the phone to/from the WAVE Server. WAVE can integrate with any other phone system using a telephony gateway. With a voice gateway in place, a dispatcher can dial out to any phone and patch that phone in to any group radio conversation. Furthermore, conference groups can be set up in WAVE so that telephone users and two-way radio users can meet together. In this scenario, telephone users dial into a WAVE session, which is associated with a particular DID or PBX extension telephone number. WAVE Solution Architecture A WAVE system consists of two fundamental server software components and WAVE clients as illustrated in figure 4. The WAVE server software components are installed on standard off-the-shelf hardware servers that become part of an organization s IP infrastructure. There are two types of WAVE servers: the WAVE Management Server and the WAVE Media Server. WAVE Media Server At the heart of a WAVE deployment is the WAVE Media Server, a software-based media processing engine that mixes, transcodes, and routes voice traffic between any voice device connected to the system, including two-way radio, phones, mobile phones, broadcast systems and unified communications servers. Radio gateways sit between the various two-way radio systems and the WAVE Media Server. These gateways sample and encode each radio channel, converting the radio signals into voice IP packets. These packets are then sent to the WAVE Media Server, which determines which devices are listening to a particular radio channel and routes the packets to connected devices and systems as shown in figure 5. Each WAVE Media Server can comfortably handle 200 simultaneous radio channels. WAVE Media Servers can be distributed across a wide area network, clustered for additional capacity, and configured for redundancy Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 7

9 PSTN/Cellular Domain Cellular Core PSTN Core LMR Domain iden Radio UHF Radio VHF Radio Voice Telephony Gateway LMR Gateway LAN core WAVE Media Server WAVE IP Domain Management Server WAVE Communicators IP PBX Unified Communications Server(s) Figure 3: Architecture for the WAVE two-way radio unified communications integration. WAVE Management Server The WAVE Management Server is a browser-based application that allows administrators to configure a WAVE solution. It tells the WAVE Media Server which gateways are connected to the system, and which codec each gateway uses to encode the radio channels. The WAVE Management Server is also used to configure which devices can listen to a particular channel and which devices can talk on a particular channel. The Management Server authenticates devices connecting to the system, providing a secure wrapper around a WAVE deployment. A WAVE Management Server can run on the same physical hardware as the WAVE Media Server in smaller deployments; however, they are typically installed on their own physical server. Like the WAVE Media Server, WAVE Management Servers are usually deployed in a redundant configuration. In addition, should all of the Management Servers be knocked out or powered down for any reason, a WAVE solution will continue to operate in a headless fashion until a Management Server connection is restored. The ability for a WAVE solution to continue operating without a Management Server is critical for certain public safety and military applications Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 8

10 VHF Radio IP Phone LMR Gateway Analog Phone Cell Phone Voice Telephony Gateway WAVE Media Server (Redundant) LMR Gateway UC Clients UHF Radio Media Signaling Figure 4: Connecting disparate two-way radio systems together with unified communications systems, the WAVE Media Serve allows phone, mobile phone, and PC users to monitor and speak on the two-way radio channels. WAVE Communicators and Customization Twisted Pair Solutions provides five WAVE communicator clients, two for PCs, two for IP phones (Cisco and Nortel) and one for cellular phones. However, most customers have particular deployment specifications or require interfaces that are specific to how their individual organization operates. Consequently, organizations purchase WAVE through a VAR or an integrator, and these third parties usually create custom interfaces using WAVE s Software Development Kit. WAVE was designed with customization in mind, and VARs are able to easily create user interfaces and integrate WAVE s functionality in such a way that the product integrates tightly and properly with any environment where group unified communications are used. WAVE Dispatch Communicator The WAVE Dispatch Communicator is a Windows-based or Linux-based application used by system operators to manage multiple communications channels simultaneously. Through this interface, operators can monitor different radio channels from all of the twoway radio systems connected to a WAVE solution and can instantaneously patch channels together to enable two or more groups to communicate with one another. Figure 5 shows the WAVE Dispatch Communicator interface Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 9

11 Figure 5: The WAVE Dispatch Communicator is an interface that allows operators to monitor radio channels and patch talk groups together. In this interface, the list of available radio channels is displayed in the pane to the left. The center pane shows those channels the operator is currently monitoring, while the right pane shows channels that have been patched together. Patching two or more channels together is accomplished using a simple drag and drop capability. Operators using Dispatch Communicator can instant message one another. Furthermore, operators are also able to record and playback conversations using this interface. WAVE Desktop Communicator The WAVE Desktop Communicator is an application designed for people who need to listen in to and/or talk on specific channels. These individuals are typically not system operators Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 10

12 Figure 6: The WAVE Desktop Communicator client. The Desktop Communicator clearly has less functionality than the Dispatch Communicator, however, it can be widely deployed, and it allows people connected to a Windows PC to monitor channels and participate in conversations. User PCs need only a speaker and a microphone. To talk, they simply push the red Talk button, much like they would push the talk button on a two-way radio. WAVE Mobile Communicator The WAVE Mobile Communicator is designed for individuals carrying a Windows Mobile PDA that can connect to the network over Wi-Fi. Like the Desktop Communicator, people using the Mobile Communicator can monitor channels and push to talk on any of the channels they are monitoring Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 11

13 Figure 7: The WAVE Mobile Communicator. Conclusion Two-way radio is a missing link in the unified communications strategies for many companies that rely on two-way radio for their operations. Integrating two-way radio into the enterprise unified communications solution offers many benefits including: The ability to enable radio systems of all types to interoperate together regardless of make, model and frequency; Patching analog, IP and cellular telephones in to the radio network and using them as push-to-talk devices to transmit and receive radio voice traffic; The capacity for Microsoft OCS and IBM Lotus Sametime users to participate in radio group communications using the same desktop client they would normally employ; Using PCs and PDAs as push-to-talk radios or as end-points for any two-way radio device. Enabling IP phones to act as push-to-talk endpoints using the XML application interface; and Expanding existing group communications systems to include new people, ad hoc participants, group conferences, and highly mobile employees. Twisted Pair s WAVE software fills the gaping hole in many enterprise unified communications solutions by including two-way radio in the scope of a unified communications deployment. WAVE has been widely deployed in the public security and military verticals where the ability to integrate multiple two-way radio systems is critical. As unified communications rolls out across in the enterprise sector, the ability to integrate two-way radio systems with phones, soft clients, mobile devices, and UC clients can significantly accelerate disseminating business information and hasten decision making Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 12

14 About the Author E. Brent Kelly is a Senior Analyst and Partner at Wainhouse Research specializing in unified communications applications and enabling infrastructure. Brent has authored numerous reports and articles on unified communications. Dr. Kelly has authored articles for Business Communications Review Magazine and taught workshops at major industry events including VoiceCon. With over 20 years experience in developing and marketing highly technical products, Brent has served as an executive in a manufacturing firm, and he was part of the team that built the devices Intel used to test their Pentium microprocessors. He has also led teams developing real-time data acquisition and control systems and adaptive intelligent design systems for Schlumberger. Brent has worked for several other multinational companies including Conoco (now DuPont) and Monsanto. Mr. Kelly has a Ph.D. in engineering from Texas A&M and a B.S. in engineering from Brigham Young University. About Wainhouse Research Wainhouse Research, is an independent market research firm that focuses on critical issues in the Unified Communications and rich media conferencing fields. The company conducts multi-client and custom research studies, consults with end users on key implementation issues, publishes white papers and market statistics, and delivers public and private seminars as well as speaker presentations at industry group meetings. Wainhouse Research publishes a variety of reports that cover the all aspects of rich media conferencing, and the free newsletter, The Wainhouse Research Bulletin. About Twisted Pair Solutions, Inc. Twisted Pair Solution s award-winning WAVE software technology enables partners and customers to build and operate secure, highly scalable communications solutions in the world s most demanding IT environments. Recognizing that the best approach to solving the complexities of communications interoperability is to use software to unify multiple, diverse communications technologies, WAVE is trusted when communications is absolutely indispensable. Twisted Pair Solutions is headquartered in Seattle, Washington USA with offices in New York, the UK and Australia. Visit us at Wainhouse Research, LLC Page 13