DIPOL Weekly Review – TV and SAT TV, CCTV, WLAN

Energy supplies from Morocco will reach the UK via the world's longest cable.

The UK may soon get cheap electricity sourced from the sun and wind. The British government is in talks with Xlinks to build a power plant and power transmission as part of the Morocco – UK Power project. The startup has estimated that the world's longest power cable will be 3,800 kilometers long, and three new factories located in the UK will be built to construct it. It is estimated that the entire project will take about four years to complete and will cost about £16 billion, half of which is the cost of the cable.

According to Xlinks CEO Dave Lewis, the emerging cable link will provide power at half the price the UK will pay for the under-construction Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant. The project will not require government funding and will provide power at £45/MWh, pricing it below BEIS' central energy price forecast. The cable will supply electricity from Morocco's popular Guelmim Oued Noun region. It is to be connected to a solar-wind farm that will generate 10.5 GW of electricity from the sun and 3.6 GW of wind power for an average of 20 hours a day. It is worth noting that the longest underwater energy link currently in operation is between the UK and Norway.

Holiday photo contest to finish soon.

Only until September 30, you can submit entries for the twenty-first edition of DIPOL's holiday photo contest "Engagingly about antennas". Winners will be chosen by Paweł Zechenter, well-know photographer from Krakow. We invite you to participate!

In this edition, we have prepared very attractive prizes: an electric scooter and the latest generation of WiFi routers. Distinction winners will receive a mug from DIPOL's collection. You can learn more about the contest and the rules here.

Selective amplification of DVB-T2 multiplexes in SMATV systems.

In terrestrial SMATV systems in multi-family buildings, hotels, public facilities with dozens and more outlets, broadband amplifiers should be avoided at the input of the system. In such cases, it is recommended to use channel amplifiers allowing to equalize the levels of all multiplexes.

The Terra family of programmable channel amplifiers includes 2 models: PA321TP R82513 and PA420T R82516. The amplifiers differ in the number of signal inputs and the method of power supply.

Each of the amplifiers' 20 signal paths is equipped with Automatic Gain Control (AGC)and ultra selective SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave) filter. Each path is responsible for amplifying one DVB-T/T2 digital terrestrial TV multiplex. This means that one device amplifies twenty digital multiplexes independently.

Assigning and changing public passwords at the DS-KD8003-IME1(IME2) door station

Up to 16 public passwords can be set in the Hikvision DS-KD8003-IME1 G73652 or DS-KD8003-IME2 G73644 modular video door station. Using them is possible if the door station is equipped with a keypad, e.g. DS-KD-KP G73668. Setting the codes is possible after logging in to the door station using the iVMS-4200 application in the Intercom-> Password settings tab. The password should have 4 to 6 digits. To assign a new password, select under Password type, the public password number and enter the new password twice. Changing the assigned public password is possible in the same tab, provided that the previous password is known.

IP network separation at home.

The same IP network should not simultaneously contain devices responsible for home security (monitoring, intercom, gate controllers, etc.) and home computer equipment. Separating these devices is one of the factors increasing integrity of the security system.

A way to separate these devices is to create virtual local networks. This requires the use of a managed switch and the creation of dedicated VLANs (virtual local networks). In the example below, by changing parameters on the switch, the user can create two separate networks. The first one will cover monitoring, and the second the home network. The operation of these two networks is independent – devices in different virtual networks cannot communicate unless special exceptions are configured.

It is very important during configuration (and often neglected) to manually assign IP addresses to the devices, without specifying a default gateway. Devices for securing the house should not have direct access to the Internet. Also remember to disable any cloud-based services (e.g. remote viewing). The administrator should only allow access to the internal network from the outside using a VPN (of course, this involves the need for an external IP address).

Surge protection at 100%.

A server room houses many computers and other network devices. Their value consists not only of the devices themselves but also of the data that is stored there. To secure them, automatic backup systems are used. However, the old rule says that the best way to protect the source data is to use surge protection.

In many cases, specialists installing computer networks use solutions based on optical media converters, instead of typical protection measures lowering risks of voltage surges between systems with copper cables. Optical fiber is a transmission medium guarantying high bandwidth and being an ideal insulator. In addition, the isolating fiber optic links are much cheaper than solutions dedicated for really effective protection of networks with twisted-pair cables.

Choosing a media converter as a surge protector, the best solution is to use multimode devices (lower price), supporting OM3 type cables. For example: two ULTIMODE M-023G L10025 media converters connected with OM3 L3311 patchcord.

Causes of problems with starting optical RF/SAT systems. Fiber optic cables are increasingly used in SMATV terrestrial and satellite systems. Since this type of cabling is still a novelty for many installers, who have been making such systems based on traditional copper cabling for years, they relatively often have problems in getting them up and running. These problems are usually easy to diagnose and eliminate...>>>more