U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Report 2008–5129

Remote-Controlled Pan, Tilt, Zoom Cameras at Kïlauea 

and Mauna Loa Volcanoes, Hawaiÿi
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Remote-Controlled Pan, Tilt, Zoom Cameras at 

Kïlauea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes, Hawaiÿi

By Richard P. Hoblitt, Tim R. Orr, Frederic Castella, and Peter F. Cervelli

Scientific Investigations Report 2008–5129

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Mark D. Myers, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2008

This report and any updates to it are available online at:

http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5128/

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Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS

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World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov

Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS

Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the 

U.S. Government.

Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to 

reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report.

Suggested citation:

Hoblitt, Richard P., Orr, Tim R., Castella, Frederic, and Cervelli, Peter F., 2008, Remote-Controlled Pan, Tilt, Zoom Cameras at Kı ̄lauea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes, Hawaiÿi: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5129, 

14 p. 

Cataloging-in-publication data are on file with the Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/).

Produced in the Western Region, Menlo Park, California

Manuscript approved for publication, July 18, 2008

Text edited by James W. Hendley II

Layout by David R. Jones
 iii

Contents

Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................1

Previous USGS Volcano-Imaging Systems ...............................................................................................1

Network Overview.........................................................................................................................................1

Camera Node..................................................................................................................................................2

 Canon VB-C10 Network Camera ........................................................................................................2

Canon VB-C50i Network Camera .......................................................................................................5

Camera Enclosure.................................................................................................................................5

Camera Enclosures—Room for Improvement.................................................................................6

Wireless Bridge Radio .........................................................................................................................7

Antenna ..................................................................................................................................................9

Remote Power Unit...............................................................................................................................9

Moxa NPort 5210 Serial Device Server...........................................................................................10

Repeater Node .............................................................................................................................................11

Base-Station Node ......................................................................................................................................11

Software........................................................................................................................................................12

Operation.......................................................................................................................................................13

Performance.................................................................................................................................................13

Security..........................................................................................................................................................14

References Cited..........................................................................................................................................14

Figures

1. Map showing the locations of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), the cameras on 

Mauna Loa and Puÿu ÿÖÿö, and the telemetry repeaters .................................................................. 2

2. Diagram showing the architecture of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 

volcano-imaging system................................................................................................................... 3

3. Major components of the camera node............................................................................................ 3

4. Canon VB-C10 network camera and Canon VB-C50i network camera ........................................... 4

5. Canon VB-C10 network camera mounted inside a Hammond PJ16148H enclosure....................... 4

6. Camera enclosure and mounting tripod on the rim of Puÿu ÿÖÿö crater ............................................ 5

7. Camera enclosure and mounting tripod on the rim of Moku‘äweweo caldera near the 

summit of Mauna Loa....................................................................................................................... 6

8. Wistron Neweb Model CM9 radio..................................................................................................... 7

9. PC Engines WRAP 1.E systems board with one Wistron Neweb Model CM9 radio 

and 32 MB flash memory card ......................................................................................................... 8

10. PC Engines WRAP 1.E systems board with one Wistron Neweb Model CM9 radio 

and 16 MB flash memory card mounted in a Pelican APP-1400 enclosure..................................... 9

11. Cover of the Pelican APP-1400 enclosure containing the WRAP SBC and radio ............................ 9

12. Hyperlink Technologies model HG2424G antenna at the camera node on Mauna Loa................. 10

13. Diagram showing the layout of a basic remote power unit.............................................................. 10

14. Moxa NPort 5210 Serial Device Server (front and back views)...................................................... 11

15. Diagram showing the main components of a repeater node .......................................................... 11

16. Mauna Ulu repeater node............................................................................................................... 12

17. Diagram showing the main components of the base-station node................................................. 12
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Remote-Controlled Pan, Tilt, Zoom Cameras at Kïlauea 

and Mauna Loa Volcanoes, Hawaiÿi

By Richard P. Hoblitt, Tim R. Orr, Frederic Castella, and Peter F. Cervelli

Introduction 

Lists of important volcano-monitoring disciplines usually include seismology, geodesy, and gas geochemistry. 

Visual monitoring—the essence of volcanology—is usually 

not mentioned. Yet, observations of the outward appearance 

of a volcano provide data that is equally as important as that 

provided by the other disciplines.

The eye was almost certainly the first volcano monitoring-tool used by early man. Early volcanology was mostly 

descriptive and was based on careful visual observations of 

volcanoes. There is still no substitute for the eye of an experienced volcanologist. Today, scientific instruments replace 

or augment our senses as monitoring tools because instruments are faster and more sensitive, work tirelessly day and 

night, keep better records, operate in hazardous environments, do not generate lawsuits when damaged or destroyed, 

and in most cases are cheaper. Furthermore, instruments are 

capable of detecting phenomena that are outside the reach of 

our senses. The human eye is now augmented by the camera. 

Sequences of timed images provide a record of visual phenomena that occur on and above the surface of volcanoes. 

Photographic monitoring is a fundamental monitoring tool; 

image sequences can often provide the basis for interpreting 

other data streams.

Monitoring data are most useful when they are generated and are available for analysis in real-time or near realtime. This report describes the current (as of 2006) system 

for real-time photograph acquisition and transmission from 

remote sites on Kīlauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes to the 

U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 

(HVO). It also describes how the photographs are archived 

and analyzed. In addition to providing system documentation for HVO, we hope that the report will prove useful as 

a practical guide to the construction of a high-bandwidth 

network for the telemetry of real-time data from remote 

locations. 

A companion paper (Orr and Hoblitt, 2008) describes 

non-telemetered time-lapse camera systems used by the 

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Kīlauea volcano.

Previous USGS Volcano-Imaging 

Systems

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) first employed a 

real-time volcano imaging system at Mount St. Helens in 1980 

(Miller and Hoblitt, 1981). This closed-circuit microwave television system was assembled by Sandia National Laboratories. 

The system operated successfully, but was power hungry, 

troublesome to maintain, and expensive to operate. It was succeeded by a telemetered slow-scan television system (Furukawa and others, 1992) that was installed in 1987. This system 

used substantially less power and was easier to maintain than 

its predecessor. The slow-scan system operated successfully 

for about 5 years, until maintenance costs could not be justified by Mount St. Helens’ lack of activity.

The first telemetered volcano-imaging system was 

installed at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō in 1997 (Thornber, 1997). This system 

was assembled from commercially available hardware and 

software. It operated successfully through 2002. Thereafter, 

aging components led to increasingly frequent failures. In 

2003, when it became apparent that this system was approaching the end of its service life, we researched commercially 

available camera and telemetry systems. The system we eventually constructed is described below.

Network Overview

The camera network has two branches that, though they 

differ in detail, are functionally equivalent. One leg delivers images to HVO from the north rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater, 

and the other delivers images from the northwestern rim of 

Moku‘āweweo caldera on Mauna Loa (fig. 1). 

The architectural model used for both branches is shown 

in figure 2. Each branch consists of three geographically 

separated nodes: the camera node, the repeater node, and the 

base-station node. The camera node consists of an IP (Internet Protocol) camera, serial devices, a serial-device server, 

a 802.11x wireless-bridge radio, and remote power units. 
2 Submarine Ground-Water Discharge and Fate Along the Coast of Kaloko-Honoko ̄hau National Historical Park, Hawaiÿi

The repeater node consists of serial devices, a serial-device 

server, two wireless-bridge radios configured as a repeater, 

and remote power units. The base-station node consists of 

a wireless-bridge radio connected to a private LAN (Local 

Area Network at HVO).

Camera Node

The major components of the camera node are shown 

diagrammatically in figure 3. The camera was the first 

component that we selected. This component selection constrained the choices available for the power and telemetry 

components. We selected a Canon VB-C10 network camera 

(fig. 4) for installation on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō branch 

was the first branch of the network that we constructed. 

Canon VB-C10 Network Camera

The salient features of the VB-C10 are:

• Connects to an Ethernet-based IP network

• Standard TCP/IP Interface with RJ45 Ethernet connector

• 16 X optical zoom

• Pan: +/–100 degrees

• Tilt: +90/–30 degrees

• Image size adjustable from 160 x 120, to 320 x 240, to 

640 x 480 pixels

• Frame rate up to 30 fps (320 x 240 pixels)

• Power consumption with no Pan-Tilt-Zoom: ~6 watts

• Power consumption with maximum Pan-Tilt-Zoom: 

~10 watts

• Minimum illumination: 6 lux

Figure 1. Map showing the locations of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), the cameras on Mauna Loa and 

Puÿu ÿÖÿö, and the telemetry repeaters.

+

+

+

+

+

HVO

Mauna Ulu

repeater

PuÔu ÔÔ

camera

Mauna Kea

repeater

Mauna Loa

camera

10.85 km 10.05 km

36.75 km

44.81 km

MokuÔweoweo caldera

PuÔu ÔÔ

crater
 Camera Node 3

Figure 2. Diagram showing the architecture of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory volcano-imaging system.

Figure 3. Major components of the camera node.

Remote 

power

Camera

Wireless 

bridge radio

Private LAN

Repeater

Remote 

power

Remote 

power

Wireless 

bridge radio

Serial 

devices

Serial device 

server

Serial 

devices

Serial device 

server

Hyperlink Technologies

24 dBi parabolic antenna

Pelican APP-1400

waterproof case Canon VB-C10

network 

camera

Ethernet

Remote 

power

Serial

devices

Ethernet

Atheros CM9

802.11a/b/g

wireless bridge radio

Moxa 5210

serial device server

Hammond PJ161148H

waterproof enclosure

Ethernet

Remote 

power
4 Remote-Controlled Pan, Tilt, Zoom Cameras at Kïlauea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes, Hawaiÿi

Figure 4. Canon VB-C10 network camera (left); Canon VB-C50i network camera (right).

Figure 5. Canon VB-C10 network camera mounted inside a Hammond PJ16148H enclosure.
 Camera Node 5

Canon VB-C50i Network Camera

By the time that we began work on the Mauna Loa network branch, the VB-C10 had been superseded by the VBC50i, which we acquired.

The salient features of the VB-C50i are:

• Connection to an IP-based Ethernet LAN

• Standard TCP/IP Interface with RJ45 Ethernet connector

• 26 X optical zoom, 12 X digital zoom

• Pan: +/–100 degrees

• Tilt: +90/–30 degrees

• Image size adjustable from 160 x 120, to 320 x 240, to 

640 x 480 pixels

• Frame rate up to 30 fps (640 x 480 pixels)

• Power consumption with no Pan-Tilt-Zoom: ~6 watts

• Power consumption with maximum Pan-Tilt-Zoom: 

~10 watts

• Minimum illumination: 1 lux

• Audio capability 

• Software-development kit available

• Input voltage specified as 13 Volts DC, but 12 Volts 

DC from solar panel regulator is adequate

Camera Enclosure

Because of the extremely corrosive conditions at Pu‘u 

‘Ō‘ō, we selected an enclosure and connectors having 

exposed surfaces made of corrosion-resistant material. Each 

camera was mounted on an aluminum panel inside a Hammond Mfg. Model PJ16148H enclosure (fig. 5). We chose 

this enclosure because it is wide enough to allow a pan 

range of about 140o. The base of the camera body includes 

a tripod socket, which made mounting the cameras to the 

panels easy.

The salient features of the PJ16148H are:

• Waterproof, corrosion resistant fiberglass (NEMA 4X)

• 16.27 inches wide x 14.4 inches deep x 8.13 inches 

high (all outer dimensions not including the hinged 

top)

• Stainless steel hinge

• Top has a rubber gasket seal 

• Tapped brass inserts inside the box to accommodate an 

optional aluminum mounting panel

• Tapped brass inserts on the outside bottom corners to 

mount the box to a stable platform

Figure 6. Camera enclosure and mounting tripod on the rim of Puÿu ÿÖÿö crater. The power and Ethernet 

connectors have been waterproofed with liquid electrical tape.
6 Remote-Controlled Pan, Tilt, Zoom Cameras at Kïlauea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes, Hawaiÿi

We cut a 13 inch x 5.5 inch rectangular hole in the long 

side of the box to accommodate a window. On the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō 

camera enclosure we glued a piece of 3

⁄16-inch-thick window 

glass over the hole on the inside of the box by using silicone adhesive. On the Mauna Loa camera we used the same 

procedure, but used 3

⁄16-inch-thick Lexan 9034 polycarbonate instead of window glass. The Lexan is not as fragile as 

the window glass, but is softer and prone to scratching while 

cleaning the window.

On the back wall of the box, opposite the window, we 

installed a Conxall 2-pin, panel-mount receptacle connector 

(Conxall CXS3102A14S-9S-300) for power. We installed a 

terminal strip next to the power connector, then, for polarity 

protection, placed a diode across the power inputs and a fuse 

in series with the positive input. For the Ethernet connection, we installed a RJ-45 bulkhead coupler (Woodhead L.P. 

ENSP1F5). 

The enclosures were mounted on tripods to facilitate 

camera aiming. For Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō (fig. 6), we removed the legs 

from a surveyor’s tripod and attached them to a 3⁄8-inch-thick 

aluminum plate. The corners of the plate were drilled to align 

with the screw holes in the bottom of the enclosure, and the 

plate was attached to the bottom of the enclosure with stainless steel machine screws. This configuration works well, but 

fabrication of the plate was time-consuming and expensive. 

For the Mauna Loa enclosure (fig. 7), we used an 

alternative design. Instead of an aluminum plate, we used a 

3

⁄4-inch-thick polyethylene sheet that had been tapped in the 

center to accommodate the mounting screw of a standard 

surveyor’s tripod. The corners of the sheet were drilled to 

align with the screw holes in the bottom of the enclosure, and 

the sheet was attached to the bottom of the enclosure with 

stainless steel machine screws. This approach works well 

and provides a number of advantages. The surveyor’s tripod 

can be used without modification. The polyethylene sheet 

is inexpensive, easy to work, and is virtually impervious to 

volcanic gasses. 

Camera Enclosures—Room for Improvement

The Hammond enclosures do not hold up well in the harsh 

conditions at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The rubber lid gasket compresses with 

time, perhaps due to chemical attack, and the watertight seal 

fails. The silicon sealant used to mount the glass window tends to 

separate from the fiberglass box and, therefore, must be replaced 

once or twice a year. The bottom corners of the box slowly 

Figure 7. Camera enclosure and mounting tripod on the rim of Moku‘äweweo caldera near the summit of Mauna Loa. The power 

and Ethernet connectors have been waterproofed with silicone sealant. 
 Camera Node 7

develop cracks—probably due to corrosion and expansion of the 

brass inserts. We are seeking a more robust enclosure. 

The RJ-45 Ethernet couplers occasionally developed 

leaks and allowed water to enter the enclosure. We would have 

replaced them if we could have found a better alternative. 

The problem appears to be due to gasket failures on the panel 

receptacle, as well as on the plug. The leakage problem can be 

overcome by applying generous quantities of waterproof sealant to external connections. 

Wireless Bridge Radio

Once we selected an IP camera, we were committed to 

Ethernet-bridge radios for telemetry. Initially, we considered using 900 MHz Ethernet-bridge radios, as the previous 

camera system used 900 MHz Freewave wireless modems 

to telemeter the camera’s RS232 serial output. However, the 

growing popularity of the 802.11 (Wi-Fi) family of wireless LAN standards prompted us to look at mass-market 

2.4 MHz wireless-bridge radios. The chief advantages of 

these radios over the 900 MHz alternatives are low cost and 

high bandwidth; the chief disadvantages are shorter range, 

greater power consumption, security concerns, and a strictly 

unobstructed line-of-sight requirement between antennas. 

The possibility of getting more bandwidth for less money 

prompted us to experiment with Wi-Fi radios to telemeter 

camera images from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō to HVO. Encouraged by 

positive results, we decided to purchase some back-up radios 

of the same type used in the initial experiments. However, the radios were no longer available. Wi-Fi hardware 

is evolving so rapidly that components are apt to become 

obsolete quickly. Thus, although newer components might 

be more capable, system replacements will require at least 

some redesign, rebuilding, reconfiguration, and retraining 

to accommodate changes in technology. The current Wi-Fi 

telemetry at HVO utilizes miniPCI radios on a SBC (singleboard computer). Specifically, we used Wistron Neweb CM9 

Atheros Radios (fig. 8) on a PC Engines WRAP 1.E systems 

board (fig. 9).

The salient features of the CM9 are:

• 802.11a/b/g protocols

• Mini-PCI form factor; Mini-PCI Version 1.0 type 3B

• Frequency ranges: 2.400–2.483GHz, 5.15 ~ 

5.35GHz, 5.725 ~ 5.825GHz

• Channels supported: 

• 802.11b/g : 11 

• 802.11a: 12 non-overlapping channels (5.15 ~ 

5.35GHz, 5.725 ~ 5.825GHz)

• Security: 64-bit,128-bit, 152-bit WEP Encryption; 

AES-CCM & TKIP Encryption

• Output Power: 

• 802.11a: 17dBm @6Mbps; 13dBm @54Mbps

• 802.11b: 18dBm

• 802.11g: 18dBm @6Mbps; 15dBm @54Mbps

Figure 8. Wistron Neweb Model CM9 radio.
8 Remote-Controlled Pan, Tilt, Zoom Cameras at Kïlauea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes, Hawaiÿi

• Data Transfer Rate: 

• 802.11a (Normal mode): 54, 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 9, 

6 Mbps, auto-fallback

• 802.11a (Turbo mode): 108,96,72,48,36,24,18,12 

Mbps, auto-fallback

• 802.11 b/g: 11, 5.5, 2, 1 Mbps, auto-fallback, up 

to 54 Mbps

• 802.11 g (Super mode): up to 108 Mbps

• Operation Temperature: 0 ~ 70°C

• OS supported: Windows® 98SE, ME, 2K, XP

• Antenna Connector: 2 x SMT Ultra-miniature coaxial 

connectors

• Inexpensive

The salient features of the WRAP SBC are:

• Two Ethernet channels

• Two Mini-PCI sockets

• Two 266 MHz CPU

• 64 MB SDRAM

• 7 to 18V DC power through DC jack; optional PoE

• One serial port

• CompactFlash header for OS and applications

• Measured power consumption: 360mA @ 12 V with 

two CM9 radios

• Footprint: 6 x 6 inches (152 x 152 millimeters)

• Inexpensive

A WRAP 1.E SBC with one or two CM9 radio(s) was 

mounted inside a Pelican model APP-1400 polypropylene 

enclosure (fig. 10). ABS plastic standoffs were glued to the 

interior floor of the Pelican case by using 3M Scotch-Weld 

DP8005 structural adhesive. Note that DP8005 is designed to 

adhere to polypropylene and polyethylene; ordinary adhesives 

will not adhere to these plastics. A 10.4-inch x 7.7-inch sheet 

of 3⁄16-inch-thick ABS plastic was attached to the standoffs by 

using self-tapping metal screws. The SBC was then attached to 

the ABS sheet by using self-tapping metal screws. We installed 

a terminal strip for DC power inputs on the ABS sheet next to 

the SBC. For polarity protection we placed a diode across the 

power inputs and a fuse in series with the positive input.

On the back wall of the box we installed two type N 

female bulkhead to U.FL pigtails (fig. 10)—one for each 

Figure 9. PC Engines WRAP 1.E systems board with one Wistron Neweb Model CM9 radio and 32 MB flash memory 

card. The Swiss Army knife is shown for scale.
 Camera Node 9

radio. On the enclosure cover we installed a bulkhead power 

connector and two RJ-45 bulkhead couplers (fig. 11). The 

power connector was a Conxall 2-pin, panel-mount receptacle connector (Conxall model CXS3102A14S-9S-300), and 

the RJ-45 couplers were Woodhead L.P. model ENSP1F5. 

Ethernet crossover cables connect the RJ-45 couplers to the 

Ethernet ports on the SBC.

The salient features of Pelican enclosures are:

• Watertight, corrosion-resistant polypropylene

• Hinge has stainless steel pin

• Top has a rubber gasket seal

• Most trouble-free enclosure in the wet, corrosive 

conditions at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō

Antenna

We used Hyperlink Technologies model HG2424G 

heavy-duty grid WLAN directional antennas at each node 

on both network branches. Antennas were attached to 2-inch 

schedule-40 galvanized or stainless steel pipes anchored in 

concrete. At Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō we used stainless steel pipe. These 

antenna masts also served as supports for solar panels (fig. 

12). The maximum pipe diameter that the mounting bracket 

supplied with HG2424G will accommodate is 2 inches. 

Because 2-inch schedule-40 pipe has an outer diameter of 

2.375 inches, we had to modify the brackets to accommodate a 

2.5-inch U-bolt.

The salient features of the HG2424G are:

• Designed for 2.4 GHz ISM band, suitable for 

802.11b/g

• 24 dBi gain

• Designed for long-range point to point applications

• Low wind cross-section

• Proven to be robust in adverse conditions

• 8o beam width

• Inexpensive

Remote Power Unit

We experimented with several different configurations 

for the remote power units. The configuration we found to be 

the most satisfactory is described here (fig. 13). The basic unit 

consists of a 12 volt, 60 watt solar panel (for example, Solarex 

MSX60), a solar panel charge controller (for example, Morning star SS-10-12V), and two high-capacity 12 volt storage 

batteries (for example, ACDelco M27MF) wired in parallel. 

One to four of the basic units were installed at a given node. 

The charge controllers were mounted inside a Pelican APP1400 enclosure with two pass-through connectors for each 

solar panel—one for the panel cable and one for the battery 

cable—and two additional pass-through connectors for load. 

If two or more basic units were present at a given site, they 

were connected to load through a matrix of Schottky isolation diodes inside the enclosure. Thus, a single component 

failure will only disable a single power unit. The batteries 

and the charge controller enclosure were placed inside a 

larger enclosure. For corrosive environments we usually used 

Rubbermaid 35 gallon or 48 gallon ActionPackers, which are 

made of polyethylene. For less corrosive environments we 

Figure 10. PC Engines WRAP 1.E systems board with one Wistron 

Neweb Model CM9 radio and 16 MB flash memory card mounted in a 

Pelican APP-1400 enclosure. The two Ethernet crossover cables and 

the power cable that pass out of view to the upper right are connected to 

bulkhead connectors on the enclosure cover (see fig. 11).

Figure 11. Cover of the Pelican APP-1400 enclosure containing the 

WRAP SBC and radio. The connector at the top of the photo is for 

power; the two lower connectors are RJ-45 bulkhead couplers.
10 Remote-Controlled Pan, Tilt, Zoom Cameras at Kïlauea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes, Hawaiÿi

used large (4-feet wide x 2-feet deep x 2-feet high) painted 

steel tool boxes (fig. 12), which may be purchased at homeimprovement stores.

The remote power unit described here works well in 

Hawai‘i, which has ample sunshine and generally mild temperatures throughout the year. Environments without these 

advantages probably will require more power units than we 

found necessary, or perhaps a completely different design. 

Moxa NPort 5210 Serial Device Server

Once the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō camera became operational, we 

found that we had surplus bandwidth available. By co-locating 

other monitoring instruments near the remote network nodes 

we could put this surplus bandwidth to work. Instruments 

that dispense serial data can be connected to the IP network through a serial-device server. Each serial data channel requires a separate input port on the device server. The 

example given here—the Moxa NPort 5210—has two serial 

input channels (fig. 14).

The salient features of the 5210 are:

• Connect RS-232 serial devices to an IP-based Ethernet LAN

• Standard TCP/IP Interface with RJ45 Ethernet connector

• Two RS-232 serial input ports

• Transmission speed: 110 bps to 230.4 Kbps

• Protocols: ICMP, IP, TCP, UDP, DHCP, BOOTP, 

Telnet, DNS, SNMP, HTTP, SMTP, SNTP

• Power consumption (measured): 200 mA @ 12V

• Power consumption (manufacturer’s max): 305 mA 

@12V

Figure 12. Hyperlink Technologies model HG2424G antenna at 

the camera node on Mauna Loa. The pipe supporting the antenna 

also supports two 60 watt solar panels; the other pipe supports two 

additional 60 watt panels. The radio, four charge controllers, and eight 

batteries are in the steel box. The camera enclosure, which is on the 

caldera rim, is visible in the background.

Figure 13. Diagram showing the layout of a basic remote power unit.

Rubbermaid Action Packer

storage container

ACDelco M27MF

12V storage batteries

(2 batteries in parallel)

Load

Pelican APP-1120-E

waterproof case

Solarex MSX60

solar panel

Morningstar

SS-10-12V

charge controller
 Base-Station Node 11

• 12-30 Volts DC input voltage range; works well with 

12 Volts DC from solar panel regulator

• Configuration software

Repeater Node

A repeater node is similar to a camera node (fig. 15). 

Instead of one CM9 radio and one HG2424G antenna there 

are two of each: one radio/antenna to receive the signal from 

the camera node and one radio/antenna to transmit the signal 

to the base station (fig. 16). The repeater nodes have remote 

power—two basic power units work well—and a serial-device 

server to connect to co-located serial instruments. The repeater 

nodes could have easily accommodated cameras, but these 

sites did not have views that warranted cameras.

Base-Station Node

The base-station node consists of two CM9 radios and two 

HG2424G antennas—one radio/antenna for each of the two 

wireless-network branches (fig. 17). No enclosures or remote 

power units are necessary because the radios are inside HVO. 

The two wireless bridges are connected to a private LAN.

Figure 14. Moxa NPort 5210 Serial Device Server (front and back views).

Figure 15. Diagram showing the main components of a repeater node.

Hyperlink Technologies

24 dBi parabolic antennas

Pelican APP-1400

waterproof case

Serial 

devices

Two Atheros CM9

802.11a/b/g

radios (repeater)

Moxa 5210

serial device server

Remote 

power

Ethernet
12 Remote-Controlled Pan, Tilt, Zoom Cameras at Kïlauea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes, Hawaiÿi

Software

The operating system for the WRAP SBC is StarOS 

Station Server, from Valemount Networks Corporation. This 

Linux-based operating system is installed onto a compact flash 

card that is mounted on the WRAP board. Configuration of the 

WRAP SBC is done by connecting a PC to one of the Ethernet 

ports on the WRAP board by using a crossover cable. The IP 

of the PC must be changed such that the PC and the WRAP 

board are on the same subnet. For a WRAP board set with factory defaults, your PC network settings should be changed to 

reflect the following:

• IP 192.168.1.xxx (xxx represents an integer from 0 

through 255)

• Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

• Gateway: 192.168.1.254

For a WRAP board that has been configured with custom settings, it is imperative that the proper network settings, as well 

as the username and password, are known. Without these, the 

WRAP board will have to be reset to factory defaults.

After the physical connection is made, the connection 

to the software is established by using an SSH (secure shell) 

client, such as PuTTY. The IP address of the board, along with 

a username and password, must be known to connect. The 

factory defaults for these values can be found in the StarOS 

manual. Upon connection, the main StarOS screen will appear, 

showing several basic parameters reflecting the current state 

of the station.

It is possible to assign an IP address to each interface on 

the board, for a maximum of four IP’s—one for each of the 

Figure 17. Diagram showing the main components of the base-station node.

Figure 16. Mauna Ulu repeater node.

Hyperlink Technologies

24 dBi parabolic antennas

Two Atheros CM9

802.11a/b/g

wireless bridge radios

Ethernet Private LAN

(To Mauna Ulu) (To Mauna Kea)
 Performance 13

two radios, and one for each of the two Ethernet ports. Each 

of these IPs, however, must be assigned to a different subnet, 

leading to complicated route tables for the board, as well as for 

every router that is connected. A simpler solution is to use the 

Ethernet bridge feature of the StarOS software to link each of 

the interfaces, allowing the entire board to be on the same subnet with the same IP. For security reasons, we have assigned 

unique IPs to each active interface on the base station, while 

bridging each of the field stations. This provides security at 

the base station, while allowing all field stations on each of the 

two Wi-Fi links to be on the same subnet.

Routing-table entries, composed of subnets, netmasks, 

and gateways, along with the IP addresses and bridges, constitute the spine of the wireless network and are vital to its function. This routing table must be configured for each station to 

define the various subnets, as well as for the computers that 

will communicate with those subnets. For our purposes, each 

wireless branch comprises a separate subnet.

Each wireless radio can operate as an access point (master), which can connect to several stations, or as a station 

(slave), which can connect to a unique access point. In our 

situation, both radios of the Mauna Ulu repeater and both radios 

of the Mauna Kea repeater are access points, and all other 

radios are stations. The encryption that is used allows only one 

specific slave radio to connect to one master radio at each of 

these access points. To differentiate the links of each subnet, 

the antennas are aimed in different directions, and the network 

parameters, such as network name and channel, are different.

There are several parameters that can be configured for each 

radio. Since the radios are the key to the system, they need to be 

configured appropriately. A single mistake could result in the loss 

of the connection. The important parameters are as follows.

Network name—This is the name of the radio link. It has to 

match the name assigned to the other radio of the link.

BSS channel—This sets the frequency channel used. If the 

radio is a master, choose a channel number or leave the selection set to “auto”. If the radio is a slave, leave the channel set 

to “auto”, and the master will choose the channel.

Transmit rate—This parameter adjusts the rate of transmission, and it is best to leave this parameter set to “auto” so that 

if the signal strength becomes too low, the radio can adjust to a 

lower transmission rate to increase the sensitivity.

Long distance—The distance between stations is specific in 

this parameter. Experience has shown that adding three to five 

miles to the actual length improves the connection.

Country code—This code is necessary to set the legally 

allowed frequency channels.

TX power override—This sets the maximum output power. 

We have set this parameter to 30 dBm to ensure that the output 

power will never be limited. The actual power will be the 

radio’s maximum—in our case 18 dBm.

Antenna—This determines the physical antenna output used 

on the radio card—A or B. The antenna outputs on the radio 

cards are not externally apparent. The connection closest to the 

right edge of the card is output A, while the innermost output 

is B (fig. 8). The “Diversity” option is not used with directional antennas.

Enhanced features—These options are specific to data transmission, and should be left on for better performance.

Network type—This specifies whether the radio is a master 

(access point) or a slave (station).

Operation mode—This option sets the radio to use 802.11a, 

802.11b, or 802.11g as the operation mode. The mode should 

be specifically identified on the access points, while this 

parameter can be left at “auto” for the stations. Because of 

the type of antennas we have used, we are restricted to the 

802.11b and 802.11g modes, which operate at a frequency of 

2.45GHz. We have found that the 108Mb turbo option does 

not work for long-distance links.

Operation

Although the cameras respond to manual pan-tilt-zoom 

commands, we rarely use manual control. Instead, we have 

automated the commands necessary to create multiphoto 

panoramas at regular intervals. We archive a panorama of Pu‘u 

‘Ō‘ō once every minute; for Mauna Loa the interval is once 

every ten minutes. At any time, multiple Observatory users 

can view the archived images as static images or animation 

sequences. Each morning we typically view an animation of 

the images collected the previous night, using software we 

wrote specifically for this purpose. It only takes a few minutes 

to review the animation sequences. We also post the panoramas on the HVO’s public website, where Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and 

Mauna Loa panoramas are updated every five and ten minutes, 

respectively. 

Performance

The camera network has proven to be more robust than 

we expected. Following an initial trouble-free period, we 

began to experience problems with the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō network 

branch. Most problems were caused by moisture leaking 

through or around exposed connectors or enclosure seals. A 

charge controller failed for unknown reasons. We solved the 

problems by completely rebuilding the enclosures containing the radios, replacing the radios and the SBC with those 
14 Remote-Controlled Pan, Tilt, Zoom Cameras at Kïlauea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes, Hawaiÿi

described above, and scrupulously sealing all exposed connectors. We also replaced the charge controller. 

We applied the lessons learned on the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō branch 

to the design and construction of the Mauna Loa branch. As 

of this writing, the Mauna Loa branch has been in service 

for eight months and has not yet experienced a failure, 

despite an unusually long period of wet, cold, often freezing, 

weather.

The Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō branch—composed of two 10 km telemetry legs—has a bandwidth of about 24 Mbps. The Mauna Loa 

branch—composed of a 37 km leg and a 45 km leg—has a 

bandwidth of about 5 to 6 Mbps. 

Security

Motivated by security concerns, the Department of the 

Interior issued OCIO Directive 2004-018 on April 8, 2004. 

This Directive prohibits the use of any wireless LAN or 

802.11 wireless appliances on government furnished computers or computing devices. Waivers to this prohibition may be 

granted for networks involving law enforcement, fire operations or systems involved with the protection of life or property. The HVO wireless LAN was granted a waiver to operate 

the system described in this report.

On January 12, 2005, the USGS was given Delegation of 

Authority to OCIO Directive 2004-18 for wireless LAN waivers. The USGS was the only DOI bureau that was delegated 

this authority. As of February 15, 2006, the following requirements apply to USGS employees.

1. The installation must conform to the Wireless Security 

Technical Implementation Guide. 

2. All wireless devices accessing USGS information 

systems must have supervisory approval.

3. Wireless access points must be formally approved, in 

accordance with Delegation of Approval granted to the 

USGS on January 12, 2005.

4. Wireless devices accessing an approved wireless 

access point must be approved and inventoried by the 

local Security Point of Contact.

References Cited

Furukawa, B.T., Murray, T.L., and McGee, K.A., 1992, Video 

surveillance of active volcanoes using slow-scan television, in Ewert, J.W. and Swanson, D.A., eds., Monitoring 

volcanoes—techniques and strategies used by the staff of 

the Cascades Volcano Observatory, 1980-1990: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1966, p. 189–194. 

Miller, C.D., and Hoblitt, R.P., 1981, Volcano monitoring by 

closed-circuit television, in Lipman, P.W., and Mullineaux, 

D.R., eds., The 1980 eruptions of Mount. St. Helens, Washington: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1250, p. 

335–341. 

Orr, Tim R. and Hoblitt, Richard P., 2008, A Versatile TimeLapse Camera System Developed by the Hawaiian Volcano 

Observatory for Use at Kïlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i: U.S. 

Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2008-

5117, 8 p.

Thornber, C.R., 1997, HVO/RVTS-1—A prototype remote 

video telemetry system for monitoring the Kïlauea east rift 

zone eruption, 1997: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File 

Report 97-0537, 18 p.
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16 Remote-Controlled Pan, Tilt, Zoom Cameras at Kïlauea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes, Hawai

ÿi

Hoblitt and others—Remote-Controlled Pan, Tilt, Zoom Cameras at Kïlauea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes, Hawaiÿi—Scientific Investigations Report 2008–5129