Why not a 100 V system for a large, temporary site?

A 100 V system needs continuous cabling to every loudspeaker. On extensive sites this means kilometers of cable runs and cable bridges or civil engineering work that has to be removed again after the event. For a temporary deployment, this effort is out of proportion to the period of use. NIKOS works by radio and saves this cabling.

Is mobile network (4G/5G) not enough for safety communication?

Mobile networks are suited to mobile use of convenience services and broadband data such as video transmission, but are risky for safety-critical announcements: with many simultaneous users, network load rises abruptly and the network drops out. NIKOS uses its own self-sufficient digital radio network and keeps running even when mobile network, Wi-Fi and internet fail or are disrupted.

What are directional radio and satellite useful for?

Directional radio and satellite are strong solutions for connecting a site to the internet (backhaul) or linking to another, far-away network. However, carrying announcements to the loudspeakers within a site via satellite links is expensive, requires a clear view of the sky, leads to higher energy demand and fluctuating latency, and depends on external infrastructure. This makes it not crisis-proof. NIKOS can be operated completely self-sufficiently and solves exactly these problems.

Transmission Technology for Events Compared

Architecture comparison

How does communication reach the site?

For safety announcements, alerting and control on temporary or large-area sites, several transmission technologies are available. Each has its strengths – but not every one fits a setup that disappears again after a short time. This comparison contrasts 100 V cabling, IP/fibre cabling, mobile networks (4G/5G), directional radio, satellite links and autonomous radio networks (DMR).

6 transmission technologies in direct comparison

Assessment of suitability for crisis-proof communication systems on large-area and temporarily used sites.

Criterion	100 V system	IP / fibre	Mobile 4G/5G	Directional radio	Satellite	DMR
Signal cabling	Continuous speaker lines	Continuous fibre/network runs	No own cabling	Only at the radio sites	Only at the ground station	Only to accessories
Installation effort	Power masts, cable ramps	High: groundwork/splicing	Low: end devices only	Medium: align antennas along lines of sight	Medium: antenna installation under open sky	Low: no fixed antenna alignment needed
Dependencies	Power grid	Power grid	Power and mobile network	Power grid	Power grid, satellite and ground-station operation	autonomous operation via battery/solar possible
Flexibility	Fixed after installation	Fixed after installation	flexible, where coverage exists	Site-bound, depends on lines of sight	possibly contractually region-bound	full flexibility within range
Possible issues	Voltage drop over long runs	limited weather resistance of active components	insufficient radio coverage	connection problems due to lack of line of sight	no clear view of the sky, storms	none with careful planning
Behaviour during power failure	immediate failure	immediate failure	failure after 0–240 min depending on backup-power capacity	immediate failure	immediate failure	reports power failure, runs 16 h on battery, optionally permanently
Behaviour in a crisis	fails if cabling is interrupted	fails if cabling is interrupted	interruption under overload	interruption when antennas are mechanically realigned	interruption when the antenna is mechanically realigned	keeps running
Fit for temporary deployments	Low: high installation effort	Low: high installation effort	High: very flexible to deploy	Medium: suitability depends on local conditions	High: relatively flexible to deploy	High: built exactly for this
Typical role	Fixed building PA	Fixed backbone infrastructure	Comfort services, broadband data, video	Point-to-point backhaul	Backhaul where no terrestrial link exists	Mobile safety PA, remote control & system monitoring
Crisis resilience	Low	Low	Low	Limited	Limited	High

Ratings are application-oriented guide values, not lab figures.

Classification

Which technology fits when?

Fixed cabling (100 V, IP/fibre)

The right choice for permanently operated buildings and facilities. On large or temporary sites it means kilometres of cable routes, cable ramps and corresponding setup time – effort that rarely pays off for a one-off event.

External infrastructure (mobile, satellite)

Strong for large volumes of data and everyday internet connectivity. However, they depend on external networks, lines of sight or weather. When load spikes in a crisis, the mobile network often collapses or other public networks are shut down for safety reasons – exactly when they are needed for safety tasks. Such networks are therefore not suitable for mission-critical announcements, remote control and the transmission of important status data.

Autonomous radio network (DMR)

The robust DMR digital radio standard was developed for flexible applications that must work at short notice and under adverse conditions – for example temporary and mobile deployments. That is exactly why NIKOS uses this standard – without required cabling, independent of power, mobile and internet. NIKOS does not replace the use of broadband networks but complements them and makes "must-have functions" independent of them, so you stay able to act even in a crisis.

Meeting regulatory requirements

NIKOS provides the safety announcement and orderly evacuation required by the German VStättVO, the safety concept or other requirements – even when normal operation is disrupted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions & Answers

A 100 V system needs continuous cabling to every loudspeaker. On large sites this means kilometres of cable routes and cable ramps or groundwork that have to be removed again after the event. For a temporary deployment this effort is disproportionate to the duration of use. NIKOS works wirelessly and saves this cabling.

Mobile networks are fine for the mobile use of comfort services and broadband data such as video transmission, but risky for safety-critical announcements: with many simultaneous users – exactly in a crisis – network load spikes and the network fails. NIKOS uses its own autonomous digital radio network and keeps running even when mobile, Wi-Fi and internet fail or are disrupted.

Directional radio and satellite are strong solutions for connecting a site to the internet (backhaul) or linking to another, far-away network – for example when no terrestrial connection is available on site. However, carrying announcements to the loudspeakers within a site via satellite is expensive, needs a clear view of the sky, increases energy demand, introduces fluctuating latency and depends on the availability of external infrastructure. It is therefore not crisis-proof. NIKOS solves exactly these problems, because the system can be operated fully autonomously.

No. NIKOS does not replace the existing radios but, where needed, uses the same radio network to address the mobile announcement units. Established communication channels can continue to be used – NIKOS adds a unified, simultaneous alerting and announcement function.

Transmission technologies