Castle Rock Microwave and Rajant: Enabling Rapid Deployment of Secure Emergency Care Communications for Healthcare Providers

In these unprecedented times, health care and emergency response organizations need a partner they can trust to enable rapid deployment of secure emergency care communications. From seasonal flu epidemics to the recent onset and global spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), crisis situations in healthcare are highlighting how easily the medical system’s capacity can be overrun. Hospitals need the ability to respond rapidly to such emergencies with the build out of temporary medical space capacity when and where it is needed. Readily deployable where no infrastructure yet exists, Castle Rock Microwave trusts Rajant Kinetic Mesh® as the ideal solution for connecting pop-up and mobile environments for emergency care.

Critical to the setup of emergency medical spaces – from medical tents to inflatable hospital shelters to repurposed buildings – is a communications network to connect healthcare workers within the triage space and back to personnel at the main hospital location. Triage teams need connectivity to pull up medical records, access digital images like X-rays or CT scans, and place prescriptions, as well as to track medical carts and supplies statuses to manage resource allocation for the temporary facility. In these situations, every minute wasted can put the health of many at risk, so the network must be easily and rapidly deployable, and must work reliably no matter the conditions or environment. Rajant’s private wireless network meets all the vital communications requirements for emergency care space expansion because it has been architected from the ground up for ad hoc deployment in virtually any setting – without the need for existing infrastructure.

Agile Deployment & Network Security for Rapid Mobilization of Emergency Care

Rajant’s private wireless network technology was born to combat the shortcomings seen in traditional wireless architectures used for emergency response following the September 11 attacks, particularly in supporting first responders’ mobile voice and data communications. They succeeded in creating a highly differentiated network system that is rapidly deployable, easily transportable, self-healing, and highly secure.

Deploy Rajant’s ruggedized BreadCrumb® nodes and network virtually anywhere.

The BreadCrumb nodes that comprise a Kinetic Mesh network are ruggedized to withstand harsh outdoor environments and can be easily affixed to both stationary and moving equipment or vehicles so they can take connectivity with them as they roam. BreadCrumbs work peer-to-peer and are able to hold multiple connections over multiple frequencies simultaneously, making Kinetic Mesh uniquely able to both augment existing mobility-challenged networks and to be deployed where no infrastructure yet exists. It seamlessly integrates with existing network infrastructures in use, making it possible to readily fill gaps in coverage where other network systems do not or cannot reach, providing instant expansion of coverage.

Ensures uptime for emergency care communications with multi-radio, multifrequency redundancy.

Rajant’s proprietary InstaMesh® networking protocol allows multi-radio BreadCrumb nodes to automatically make redundant connections with other nodes, creating hundreds of potential paths over which to direct traffic. This invisible mesh provides a backbone for unmatched reliability, with InstaMesh dynamically selecting the fastest path(s) for delivery from the meshed connections. If one path becomes blocked or is affected by interference, InstaMesh will instantly route communications via the next-best available path(s) and/or frequency, ensuring no single point of failure.

A Rajant Kinetic Mesh network is a full-duplex network, where each radio transceiver within a BreadCrumb node can operate independently and simultaneously. This allows the network to make multi-hop transmissions with no loss of throughput.

Fast and simple deployment and management

BreadCrumbs are intelligent devices that manage their own routing. This dramatically simplifies deployment because you can simply place a BreadCrumb where network coverage is needed and it will automatically connect to other BreadCrumbs in the area and find the fastest path back to the wired LAN. The network continuously self-optimizes in line with changing network conditions, so you don’t need technical network engineers to manage maintenance and can keep personnel focused on their real mission to provide critical care.

Military-grade security is built-in.

Because Rajant’s technology was originally developed for military applications, they understand the unique network security requirements that must be accounted for in situations involving sensitive data like personally identifiable patient records. Rajant is the only wireless network manufacturer with a certification from the U.S. government for its highest level of encryption, and with security features including per-hop, per-packet authentication, you can rest assured your data is secure.

Mobile Healthcare Connectivity: What’s Enabled with Kinetic Mesh

With Rajant’s network, hospitals and medical care units can rapidly mobilize temporary shelters and medical personnel to address overflow patients during times when existing capacity and beds are being taxed.

Implement Connectivity Across an Array of Temporary Shelters

In times of crisis, emergency medical care locations will often be set up where available to urgently meet the demand. From state fairgrounds to convention centers, recently vacated buildings, schools, and recreation centers to setting up emergency medical tents and inflatable hospital shelters right outside of a medical facility or within a short distance of it, Rajant can be deployed to facilitate communications within these temporary shelters and between the remote shelter location and main hospital.

Ideal BreadCrumbs for Emergency Care Expansion Networks

The BreadCrumb ES1 is an IP67 device with multiple mounting options, making it ideal for deployment in and around pop-up triage centers and on mobile hospital surge units.

The BreadCrumb JR3’s small footprint makes it ideal for deployment on crash carts and other mobile medical equipment to provide them with resilient Wi-Fi connectivity.

Provide Comprehensive Coverage to Triage Care Teams

Rajant’s technology can be used at pop-up hospital facilities located adjacent to an existing hospital, using BreadCrumbs for backhaul links to connect the triage area and main hospital location. Rajant has the critical deployment speed needed to extend your data network to temporary facilities, fast, and provides robust coverage for the range of emergency healthcare workers’ needs. They gain connectivity for VoIP telephones and private Wi-Fi to connect tablets and laptops that give them real-time access to patient records, digital imaging, prescription portals, and more – all in a secure manner. What’s more, the network enables the ability to keep track of and locate equipment using AeroScout asset tags, so they always know where their needed resources are.

Kinetic Mesh can also be deployed at pop-up hospitals located long distances away from the main hospital facility. In the diagram example above, the backhaul connection to the hospital is made via a PTP link although it can also be done through LTE. Alternatively, the network can operate as standalone infrastructure with an on-site server and no connection to the hospital.

Additionally, Rajant’s network can be deployed in large indoor settings temporarily repurposed for triage, such as expansive convention centers. BreadCrumbs can be deployed on tripods or affixed to existing poles and rails, and the network integrates with the existing communications infrastructure used by the building.

Ensure Rapid Network Deployment without Safety Hazards

Running cable to every device in temporary medical spaces is not only time-consuming but also creates safety hazards for personnel and patients moving throughout the site. It also does not provide Wi-Fi capability unless Wi-Fi access points are also installed using cable. Deploying a Kinetic Mesh network provides wireless backhaul and Wi-Fi access in one, eliminating all cables and providing the range of connectivity required.

Prevent loss of lives in a time when every minute counts.

For more information, contact Castle Rock Microwave by phone at 303-829-8838 or send an email to sales@castlerockmicrowave.com and someone will respond immediately.

BreadCrumb, CacheCrumb, InstaMesh, Kinetic Mesh, and BCICommander and their stylized logos are the trademarks of Rajant Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © Copyright 2020. Rajant Corporation. All rights reserved.