Park Assist
Park Assist
This Transition Networks partnership provides networking hardware and configuration services to Park Assist, a global technology firm that develops intelligent camera-based parking guidance systems.
Customer Overview
Park Assist entered the parking technology field back in 2005, and in 2010 pioneered the first camera-based parking sensor system in the industry. Over the past decade, the company has become the industry’s technology leader with successful installations spanning 20 countries.
The Park Assist technology platform includes a smart sensor that performs vehicle detection and transmits high-resolution images and streaming video to a head-end server. In turn, the server empowers Park Assist’s proprietary software application, which provides advanced data processing and analysis to enhance operations
The M4 sensors within the parking structure provide intelligence at the parking bay level. In a standard Park Assist installation, onboard cameras are used to identify vehicles and monitor occupancy in every parking space, which enables the sensor’s LED light to show drivers where empty spots are available by changing color. At kiosks located strategically within the parking structure, Park Assist’s license plate recognition (LPR) application can be used to help customers find their vehicle in the parking garage.
In addition, the Park Assist API and its mobile apps can be used to make customer-facing features accessible across a wide range of smartphones and tablets.
Park Assist has brought their platform to many types of parking venues including: airports, casinos, city parking structures, entertainment spots, healthcare facilities, hotels, office buildings, shopping centers, universities and more.
Customer Challenges
Previously, Park Assist had been using several different hardened switch providers for its parking guidance system implementations worldwide. Operating multiple switch models and brands from various vendors was too costly and resulted in slower deployments. There were also issues getting enough supply in time and ensuring that Park Assist personnel could maintain the operational capacity required to configure and implement numerous product lines.
To resolve this challenge, Park Assist began looking for a single-vendor hardened Ethernet switch product line including serial device servers that could provide the following:
- Cost-effectiveness
- Exceptional features
- Simple and effective web interface
- Flexible hardware lineup
- At least 2 combo SFP ports on each switch
- Outstanding customer and technical support
Customer Solution: Lantronix’s Hardened Ethernet Switches and Serial Device Servers
Park Assist streamlined its parking guidance system structure by selecting hardened Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) switches and serial device servers from Lantronix for its worldwide client implementations:
- SISPM1040-182D-LRT – 10 Port switch
- SISTM1040-262D-LRT – 18 Port switch
- SISPM1040-384-LRT – 12 Port switch
- SDSTX3110-121-LRT – Serial Device Server
The switches are currently in use at over 30 locations operated by Park Assist or one of its global resellers. The devices are installed in the power cabinets at each site.
Initially, all models were configured at Park Assist headquarters and then shipped to their final destinations. Recently, Park Assist supplied the base configurations for the different device models to Lantronix and now the Lantronix engineering support team ships fully configured switches and serial converters to the Park Assist distribution network. This further reduces Park Assist’s installation time and prevents any unnecessary delays.
New projects are also incorporating Lantronix’s hardware. For example, Park Assist is utilizing them in a large-scale PGS deployment at Ft. Lauderdale- Hollywood International Airport as well as several high-profile sites in Dubai.
The Products
The complete switching portfolio from Lantronix includes products fit for any environment or application, and contains more than 40 managed and unmanaged industrial layer 2 switches for Ethernet, Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet networks.
Lantronix’s Ethernet switching and serial device server products are unique in offering 10-, 12- and 18-port models, which closely match the needs of industrial networks. These switches facilitate low-cost network evolution by allowing customers to pay only for the port counts and features they need. Many of the switches also feature flexible fiber-optic uplink capabilities via two small form-factor pluggable (SFP) connectors.
The industrial managed PoE switches are hardened devices designed to reliably operate in harsh environments, such as those found on factory floors, outdoor enclosures or other hazardous environments.
PoE+ switches are Power Sourcing Equipment (PSE) devices that are designed to comply with the IEEE 802.3at 2009 and IEEE 802.3af 2003 standards and combine data received over a fiber optic link with -50VDC power. They deliver power to Powered Devices (PD) over unshielded twisted pair cabling. In addition, these industrial PoE+ switches provide all the benefits of PoE power.
The Lantronix product line was a perfect fit for Park Assist. In addition, the proven flexibility and high quality of Lantronix’s technology, as well as the company’s ability to deliver top-notch support services, helped Park Assist make the decision to select Lantronix as its solution provider.
Park Assist Benefits
By moving to Transition Networks as its single-source switch supplier, Park Assist has decreased product configuration and implementation time by 33%, and reduced purchase costs by approximately 30%.