Singapore operator StarHub and the National University of Singapore (NUS), in cooperation with ComfortDelGro Bus and Veniam, the company that delivers the Internet of Moving Things, have deployed a mesh network of connected vehicles pilot on NUS Kent Ridge campus. The mesh platform leverages vehicles as mobile Wi-Fi access points that connect to one another and to fixed points in buildings throughout the NUS campus.
This approach is designed to extend overall Wi-Fi network coverage and enable a myriad of IoT devices to be connected. The wireless mesh access points are powered by a combination of Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) connected vehicle technology, 4G and Wi-Fi, providing seamless handovers and continuous connectivity.
With this deployment, NUS staff and students can access seamless Wi-Fi while travelling on all NUS campus shuttle buses. It also allows commercial partners to leverage the anonymised data generated from this network to analyse and address urban challenges facing Singapore logistics and transportation companies today.
The year-long project at NUS is part of StarHub’s Connected Labs initiative, which aims to build an extensive test-lab for developers and researchers to validate their solutions in a real-life environment, through the use of real actionable data and deep analytical insights. This pilot collaboration is also part of the NUS Living Lab initiative, led by the Interactive and Digital Media Institute (IDMI) at NUS, to transform the university into a test-bed or large living laboratory for new technologies so that start-ups, firms or multi-national companies can use NUS as a real-world setting to test new services before they are commercialized.
In addition to research, the data generated from the wireless mesh network in this pilot will also be used by NUS to understand commuting and mobility trends on campus, as well as provide insights into its management of campus operations and services.
