BLT | Networked stations in Baselland

At its station in Bottmingen, BLT Baselland Transport AG has equipped its first monitor for dynamic passenger information (DPI) with wireless LAN (WLAN). The aim is to optimise the digital networking within the company between transport service employees and central services.

The transport service employees all have a tablet with which they can now connect to the BLT internal WLAN at Bottmingen station. As a result, defect reports on vehicles or infrastructure elements reach the responsible departments faster, which speeds up processes and shortens troubleshooting times.

By way of example, a bus driver notices that a seat cushion has torn in their vehicle. Upon reaching the Bottmingen terminal station, they complete a damage report on their tablet and send the information directly to the garage. Garage staff can then plan and prepare the repair before the vehicle even arrives. Until now, the garage had only received this information once the vehicle returned to the depot.

To summarise, the bus driver can use the time at the terminal station in Bottmingen to send the message. This allows the vehicle defect to be remedied much more quickly.

Internal and external WLAN using the same router

The BLT WLAN routers were equipped with HiddenSSID by our sister company WLAN-Partner. This ensures that only internal BLT employees have access to the hotspot at Bottmingen station. WLAN-Partner offers an ideal solution that allows the internal WLAN to be securely separated from the external WLAN yet it can still be operated via the same router.

BLT plans to upgrade the DPI to WLAN-enabled routers at additional stations this year, thus killing two birds with one stone: it will improve connectivity to driving personnel through WLAN while also replacing the existing 2G modem* in the DPI. 

* Note: The 2G mobile communications network will be switched off in Switzerland at the end of 2020. Many devices – some of which are newly purchased – communicate via this network and therefore their full functionality is no longer guaranteed once this network has been switched off (e.g. alarm sent to a mobile phone as an SMS).