And all of a sudden, the screen on the bus went completely black. However, only Ms. Smith, who was riding this particular bus line for the first time and had to rely on the stop display, was the one to take notice. Fortunately, with the assistance of other passengers, she was still able to disembark at the correct stop. Nevertheless, the issue with the screen persisted. How long do you think it remained unresolved?
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Once in a while, the passenger information system (PIS) on public transport vehicles may experience temporary malfunctions due to loose contacts, poorly connected cables, or even failed devices. It is imperative for the transportation company to promptly detect and resolve such faults to ensure passenger satisfaction and safety.
The Ethernet Switch – A Watchdog on Board Every Vehicle
Transportation companies that prioritize their passengers’ safety and satisfaction take state-of-the-art precautions to promptly diagnose equipment failures on moving vehicles. This requires a digital infrastructure and real-time data from the fleet, along with intelligent devices in the vehicles that can report failures to the control center. Ethernet switches, which connect onboard devices in a network, can also manage fault reporting.
Managed Ethernet switches are capable of using different protocols to send error messages to the control center based on the existing IT infrastructure.
These Diagnostic Options Are Available
Remote logging: Here, all log entries and changes in the Ethernet switch can be mirrored to a remote logging server in the control center. Depending on the severity of the fault, further actions (notifications) can be taken by the local server at the control station.
SNMP Traps: Monitoring can be set up through the standardized and widely used Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).
ITxPT xStatus as part of DNS-SD: The discovery protocol in IP networks defined by the ITxPT (IT for Public Transport) organization can also be used for monitoring purposes.
While many Ethernet switches support remote logging and SNMP, switches that comply with ITxPT organization specifications are equipped with more advanced protocols like DNS-SD and xStatus. These protocols allow devices and their status to be queried in a standardized way.
It’s All About Being Fast
The faster the diagnosis of a device failure, such as the passenger information system, the quicker the transportation company can react and rectify the fault. Ultimately, fast fault detection and resolution is beneficial to passengers and the public transport operator’s image.
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