Laser & Radio Point to Point Connection
Design
The ideal solution would be to use a 100 Mbit laser link but the mounting location on the stone grader building end was a concern, particularly the levels of vibration, building movement and dust.
An additional site survey with the laser manufacturer and supply partner was arranged to evaluate the potential issues further. We needed to be certain the device would function correctly. After assessing the mounting position we elected to use the laser with modified alignment settings and a specialised mounting base. This would reduce vibration and maintain laser alignment during building operation. Additionally, a cowl would be made to minimise the dust around the lenses.
This would meet the design specification but would not offer any redundancy if used in isolation. We needed to supplement this link to provide the failure protection required. The obvious choice would be to use radio with the laser to maintain the link in any situation. These link types are very different and would offer the best possible failure protection.
