Categories: Tech

Drones to fight fires, the importance of connectivity

I droni per contrastare gli incendi, l'importanza della connettività thumbnail

The fire in the world they become more and more frequent, due to the increase in average temperature and drought. In the summer months, they are now a recurring threat. Drones can help fight fires, but to be effective they need the best connectivity. Massimiliano BallarinRegional Sales Manager, Cradlepoint Italy, explains the impact of the fast connection in stopping fires.

Fighting fires with drones, the role of connectivity

In recent years, the United States has experienced some of the worst and most catastrophic fires in its history. In Australia billions of dollars worth of assets have been lost, literally gone up in smoke. And in Italia triple the hectares burned in 2020 were burned in 2021. And in 40-50% of cases, woods and forests are on fire.

And at the same time, during the summer season it sets them on firethey last on average 40 to 80 days longer than they did 30 years ago. Also increasing the risk for intervention teams trying to stem this devastation. Fortunately, the technology to fight fires has also improved: today drones are precious allies.

The drones allow to give immediate information on the areas that are on fire. They are cheaper and pollute much less than helicopters and planes. And long-range ones can recon for up to 10 consecutive hours, three times longer than a helicopter.

But for them to work at their best, they need excellent connectivity. In fact, fires often destroy traditional networks as well. They are therefore needed 5G and 4G LTE cellular networksinstalling ruggedized mobile routers to communicate even in the worst moments of fires.

Emergency modems also have a dual SIM to continue to operate and provide essential data to stem the fire. The cellular network thus makes it possible to collect images and videos to organize relief efforts, making important decisions in a timely manner.

If you are looking for more information on the importance of 5G and 4G LTE networks, not only for emergencies, you can find them on the website of CradlePoint.