At the edge of the grid where there is no 4G signal, no static IP, and the nearest engineer is a half-day drive away PowerBack uses RapidLink, an industrial 4G router, by Permaconn to maintain full remote access to its most critical off-grid solar installations.
"Sites that were previously 'black boxes' between visits now have continuous connectivity"
Andrew Simpson, Head of Engineering, PowerBack
PowerBack specialises in off-grid solar installations across remote Australia. Their sites are not on the fringe of the network, many are completely outside it. In locations throughout the Northern Territory and beyond, there is no 4G signal at all. Starlink is the only option forgetting data in or out.
But Starlink alone does not solve the connectivity problem for field engineers. Accessing equipment on a local area network such as lithium-ion battery management systems, generator controllers, large-scale BESS containers, requires more than an internet connection. It requires a reliable, secure tunnel back into the site'snetwork from anywhere in the world.
Traditional VPN solutions depend on a static public IP address at eachend of the connection. Starlink operates on carrier-grade NAT, effectively a ‘DHCP behind a DHCP behind a DHCP’, making static public IPs virtually impossible to obtain. The connectivity problem, for PowerBack's most remote sites, had no obvious solution.
"With RapidLink, I can configure a VPN connection into any IP address on that particular local area network with just a coupleof minutes work. Any bit of gear on that network which can be configured in a browser you've got the VPN address, you can access the configuration on that device just like you can if you're actually connected up into the local area network."
Andrew Simpson, Head of Engineering, PowerBack
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PowerBack connects RapidLink to the WAN port of the Starlink terminal at sites with no 4G coverage. Rather than requiring a static public IP at the site, RapidLink uses an OpenVPN architecture that connects outbound to a Permaconn-hosted VPN server.
Andrew then connects back through that server using OpenVPN onhis computer. The Starlink carrier-grade NAT issue disappearsentirely.
Within a couple of minutes, Andrew has a secure tunnel into any IP address on the local area network. Battery management systems,generator controllers, BESS containers with any device configurable via a browser is now fully accessible, exactly as though Andrew were physically connected on site.
At a large BESS installation two hours out of Alice Springs, this means real-time, granular visibility into system performance without a single site visit.
The combination of Starlink and RapidLink has effectively extended the boundary of what is remotely serviceable. Sites that were previously 'black boxes' between visits now have continuous connectivity, full LAN access, and the same portal based control that PowerBack's other sites enjoy.
The 4G Router that comes with triple network capabilities (Dual SIM + IP) to deliver unmatched reliability with 99.99% uptime. Control and manage devices remotely through our portal unlocking the ability to troubleshoot or reboot from a far. Better yet, with pre provisioned dual SIMs installed, RapidLink can be installed in under 10 minutes.
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The 4G Router that comes with triple network capabilities (Dual SIM + IP) to deliver unmatched reliability with 99.99% uptime. Control and manage devices remotely through our portal unlocking the ability to troubleshoot or reboot from a far. Better yet, with pre provisioned dual SIMs installed, RapidLink can be installed in under 10 minutes.
