TAP designs, supplies and installs the communications backbone of transit networks: fiber-optic rings linking stations, depots and the control center; station and depot local area networks; a wireless mesh connecting moving buses to the control center; cellular backup; voice and radio communications; and the data centers that host every ITS platform.
The network is engineered for resilience, with self-healing fiber, redundant paths, automatic failover and layered security, so fare transactions, live video, vehicle data and passenger information keep flowing even when a link or device fails.
Architecture
A Four-Layer Network Architecture
TAP builds transit networks in clearly defined layers, from the data center at the core to the field devices at the edge, so capacity, redundancy and security can be engineered at each level.
Core & Data Center
- Core network
- Servers and storage
- Firewalls and IPS/IDS
- Disaster recovery
Backbone
- Armored fiber-optic ring
- Fiber network switches
- Microwave links where fiber is not feasible
- 4G/5G backup
Access
- Station and depot LANs
- PoE access switches
- Station Wi-Fi
- Bus-to-center Wi-Fi mesh
Endpoints
- Fare devices
- CCTV cameras
- Displays and IP speakers
- IP phones and radios
- On-board gateways
Fiber Backbone
A Backbone Engineered Not to Fail
An armored, high-core-count optical fiber backbone links every station, depot and the control center in a ring topology. Each failure condition has a defined, automatic response, so a single fault never becomes a service outage.
Fiber section cut
Ring protection reroutes traffic the opposite way around the ring, maintaining connectivity to every station.
Core switch failure
Redundant core switches in a high-availability pair take over forwarding without manual intervention.
Station link down
Station equipment fails over to the 4G/5G backup router while the fiber link is restored.
Data center outage
Critical services are recovered at the disaster-recovery site from replicated data and backups.
Armored Cable
Damage-resistant construction for duct and trench routes
High Core Count
Spare cores reserved for growth and future systems
Ring Protection
Industry-standard ring protocols on managed fiber switches
Certified Links
OTDR testing and documentation of every fiber segment
Station Networks
The Station Data Cabin
Each station is served from a data cabin where the fiber backbone terminates and the station network begins.s
| Fiber termination | Optical distribution and termination panels for the backbone ring |
|---|---|
| Racks | 19-inch 42U equipment cabinets with patch panels and cable management |
| Switching | Managed fiber and access switches, with Power over Ethernet for cameras, IP speakers and IP phones |
| Station LAN | Gigabit structured UTP cabling to fare devices, cameras, displays and other station equipment |
| Wireless | Station Wi-Fi access points and backup wireless routers |
| Power | UPS covering all cabin equipment, including PoE-powered devices |
| Cooling | Dedicated server-room air conditioning |
Bus Connectivity
Moving Buses, Continuously Connected
A corridor Wi-Fi mesh keeps every bus connected to the control center as it travels, with seamless handover between base stations and full-duplex capacity for live on-board video. Cellular 4G/5G provides a fallback path.
- Seamless handover along the corridor
- High aggregate capacity
- Full-duplex live video
- 4G/5G fallback and SIM provisioning
Communication Channels
The Right Channel for Every Purpose
TAP combines wired, wireless, cellular and radio communications so that every system has a primary path and a backup.
| Use | Fiber Backbone | Wi-Fi Mesh | 4G / 5G | UHF / VHF Radio | IP Telephony |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station and depot data | |||||
| Vehicle data in service | |||||
| Live CCTV video | |||||
| Staff voice communication | |||||
| Backup connectivity | |||||
| Control-center links |
Data Center
Data Centers for Every ITS Platform
TAP supplies the server, storage and network infrastructure that hosts fare collection, fleet management, passenger information, video management, depot and energy systems, built for high availability from the rack up.
Application and Database Servers
Rack-mounted enterprise servers host every central ITS application and database. Servers are specified with redundant power supplies, hot-swappable components and virtualization, so workloads can be balanced and moved without downtime.
- Enterprise rack servers
- Virtualized application hosting
- Redundant power supplies
- Out-of-band management
Redundant Storage
Centralized storage arrays hold transaction records, operational data and recorded video. RAID protection and redundant controllers keep data available through drive or controller failures.
- RAID-protected storage arrays
- Redundant controllers
- Scalable capacity expansion
- Dedicated video storage
Backup and Disaster Recovery
Scheduled backups protect every system, with copies held off-site. A warm-standby disaster-recovery site can resume critical services if the primary data center becomes unavailable.
- Daily automated backups
- Off-site archiving
- Data replication to the DR site
- Warm-standby recovery
Station and Depot Servers
Local servers at stations and depots keep fare devices, displays and depot systems operating during a backbone interruption, then synchronize with the central platform once the link is restored.
- Station servers
- Depot servers
- Local operation during link loss
- Automatic synchronization
Network Security
Security Designed In
Transit networks carry fare revenue, passenger accounts and live security video. TAP builds protection into every layer.
- Next-generation firewalls
- Intrusion prevention (IPS)
- Intrusion detection (IDS)
- Segmented VLANs per system
- Secure remote access
- Network monitoring and alarms
- Hardened configurations
- Security policy management
- 01IP desk phones
- 02UHF/VHF radio handsets
- 03Central radio system
- 04Help-point and intercom integration
- 05Control-center voice positions
Voice Communications Across the Network
Station staff, security teams, maintenance crews and the control center stay in contact through IP telephony at fixed locations and UHF/VHF radio for staff on the move.
A central radio system connects field handsets to the control center, providing an independent voice channel that remains available if data networks are disrupted.
Equipment Gallery
The Network & Data Center Range
Fiber Network Switch
PoE Access Switch
Wi-Fi Mesh Node
Station Data Cabin
Data Center
Firewall
Radio Handset
IP Phone
One Partner for the Network Behind ITS
Resilient
Self-healing fiber, redundant paths and failover.
Mobile
Buses connected throughout the corridor.
Secure
Firewalls, intrusion protection and segmentation.
Complete
From fiber and racks to servers and radios.
Supported
Network operation and maintenance by TAP.
Related
Works Together With
Hardware & Software
Management
Comments are closed