How Caltrans and LA Metro Keep California Moving with Enable-IT Ethernet and PoE Extenders
California runs one of the largest transportation networks in the world. Tens of thousands of miles of highway, a growing web of express and toll lanes, and one of the busiest urban rail systems in the country all depend on the same thing: data that arrives on time, every time.
Behind every traffic camera feed, loop detector reading and track switch status is a network connection. And most of those connections live in the hardest places to wire: miles from the nearest equipment cabinet, on a pole in the desert heat, or deep inside a rail tunnel.
That is where standard Ethernet stops working. Ethernet and Power over Ethernet (PoE) are limited to 100 meters (328 feet) over Cat5e or Cat6 cable. Beyond that, signal degrades and devices go dark. Enable-IT Ethernet Extenders and PoE Extenders solve this by carrying high-speed Ethernet, and power, over long distances on the copper that is already in the ground.
Here is how two of California’s biggest transportation agencies, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro), use Enable-IT to keep their networks online.
Caltrans: Connecting California’s Highways, One Pole at a Time
Caltrans manages the state highway system, and its Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) depend on thousands of edge devices spread along the roadside. Many of those devices sit far beyond Ethernet’s 100-meter limit from the nearest switch or controller cabinet.
Roadside sensors
Vehicle detection stations, weather stations, count stations and ramp meter sensors feed the data Caltrans uses to manage congestion and respond to incidents. These sensors are often placed hundreds or thousands of feet from a controller cabinet.
Enable-IT Ethernet Extenders carry sensor data over existing twisted-pair copper, so crews can bring legacy sites onto an IP network without trenching new fiber. That means faster upgrades, less lane closure time and lower project cost.
Traffic cameras
Caltrans traffic management centers rely on live camera feeds to verify incidents, dispatch crews and inform drivers. Modern IP pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras need both bandwidth and power, and they are usually mounted high on poles, gantries and overpasses.
Enable-IT PoE Extenders deliver data and PoE power to the camera over a single cable run, far past the 100-meter limit. Outdoor-rated models such as the Enable-IT 865W PRO Outdoor PoE Extender are built for pole-mount and cabinet installs in heat, cold and dust. One cable, no local power supply at the camera, and fewer things to fail on the side of a highway.
Toll road and express lane cameras
California’s toll bridges, toll roads and express lanes depend on license plate recognition cameras and tag readers that must capture every vehicle, 24/7. A dropped connection means lost revenue and enforcement gaps.
Enable-IT extenders provide stable, low-latency links between gantry-mounted cameras and roadside equipment cabinets. Because they run over copper, they also offer a practical path when fiber is damaged, unavailable or too costly to pull to a single gantry.
The result for Caltrans: more devices online, faster deployments on existing infrastructure, and reliable feeds from the edge of the network to the traffic management center.
LA Metro: Reliable Ethernet from the Trackside to the Passenger Seat
LA Metro operates light rail and subway lines across Los Angeles County, serving stations from the San Fernando Valley to Long Beach. Rail is a demanding environment for networking: long track runs, tunnels, vibration, electrical noise and equipment that must never go offline.
Track sensors
Track circuits, axle counters, rail temperature sensors and intrusion detection systems report conditions that keep trains running safely. These sensors are spread along the right-of-way, often well beyond Ethernet’s reach from the nearest station or wayside cabinet.
Enable-IT Ethernet Extenders link these sensors back to station networks over existing copper pairs. Maintenance teams gain real-time visibility without new cable pulls along active track.
Track switching
Switch machines and their position indicators must report status accurately and instantly. Enable-IT extenders provide dependable, low-latency Ethernet links between wayside switch controllers and station or control center equipment, supporting monitoring and control across long distances.
In-cab and onboard internet
Riders expect to stay connected, and operators need data too. Onboard Wi-Fi access points, passenger information displays, CCTV cameras and operator cab systems all need network links and, often, PoE power inside the vehicle.
Enable-IT PoE Extenders deliver data and power to onboard access points and cameras over the vehicle’s existing wiring, which saves space and weight and simplifies retrofits on cars already in service.
Connectivity between passenger carriages
Every car in a train needs to share one network for CCTV, passenger information and onboard Wi-Fi. The link between cars is the hardest part: it has to cross couplers and jumper cables with a limited number of copper conductors.
Enable-IT Ethernet Extenders carry full Ethernet across these inter-car connections using just a few copper wires. The result is one continuous network from the lead cab to the last car, without replacing couplers or rewiring the fleet.
The result for LA Metro: safer operations through better trackside visibility, a connected rider experience, and a fleet-wide network built on the copper already in place.
Why Transportation Agencies Choose Enable-IT
- Made in the USA. Enable-IT has designed and manufactured Ethernet and PoE Extenders in the United States since 1999, a key requirement for many public infrastructure projects.
- Aerospace-grade quality. AS9100D certification means the same quality system trusted for aerospace applications, including deployments with NASA on the International Space Station.
- Built for government. Enable-IT holds a GSA Schedule contract and has supported US Government networks since 1997, making procurement simpler for public agencies.
- Use the copper you already have. Extend Ethernet and PoE over existing twisted pair, coax or phone-grade wiring, avoiding costly trenching and lane or track closures.
- Hardened for the field. Outdoor and industrial models are designed for pole-mount cabinets, roadside enclosures and rail environments.
- Patented technology. Enable-IT’s USPTO-patented designs deliver long-distance performance other extenders cannot match.
Keep Your Network Moving
From highway cameras in the Central Valley to subway cars under downtown Los Angeles, California’s transportation network depends on connections that simply work. Enable-IT Ethernet and PoE Extenders make those connections possible, over longer distances, on existing copper, with American-made reliability.
Planning a traffic, tolling or rail network project? Contact Enable-IT to talk with an engineer about the right extender for your deployment, or explore our Ethernet Extenders and PoE Extenders.
