Longwatch XLP Low Power Video Surveillance System

Originally developed for a major oil and gas company to monitor remote wells in North America, the Longwatch XLP Low Power Video Surveillance System is powered by solar cells and batteries. The system hibernates in a low-power standby mode until an external sensor, such as a motion detector or intrusion alarm, or a command from the central control room sends it a signal to wake up. The system immediately records a short video alarm clip, transmits it to a remote operator at a central HMI/SCADA system and continues to record video on its disk until commanded to return to hibernation.

The XLP system is suitable for well sites with traditional instrumentation network communications. These well sites typically use low-bandwidth line-of-sight VHF radios with industrial protocols such as Modbus. The XLP system can transmit its video clip to the control room using an RF data link, where it can be viewed using the Longwatch Viewer or integrated into the HMI/SCADA system. The XLP can also use ethernet, wireless, mobile phone or satellite communications when power consumption or bandwidth is not a concern.

The Longwatch XLP Video Surveillance System was developed with the help of Advantech’s Design-To-Order Service (DTOS) and uses an Advantech UNO 2173 Atom-based computer. The UNO 2173 has a 1.6 GHz Atom processor, 1 GB of memory, Windows XP/E operating system, and battery-backed SRAM. When operating, the fanless UNO requires only 12 W of power.