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Case Study: Cloudforests – CCTV and Starlink

  • Netcelero Product: i-spi
  • Client: Cloudforests
  • Sector: Environmental Service
  • Location: County Clare, Ireland
  • Customer Since: 2021
Netcelero supports Cloudforests’ mission to help cool the planet, by providing a static IP on a superfast Starlink satellite connection.
About Cloudforests

Cloudforests are a social enterprise focused on climate change. They create unique forests along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way and use video technology for live streaming, timelapse and biodiversity monitoring.

Netcelero were contracted to provide a secure communications path for an extremely remote location on the West Coast of Ireland, to meet the connectivity needs of Cloudforests, an amazing social enterprise focused on sustainability. Fast, secure, and always available were all key requirements and Netcelero’s i-spi met these needs seamlessly.

The Challenge

Cloudforests have a number of unique forests at beautiful locations along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. They were keen to harness and embrace the newest and most innovative technology in their mission to “Make Planet Earth Cooler”. Using the most technologically advanced CCTV systems, Cloudforests needed a strong communications path to the rural location so they could remotely monitor the site’s biodiversity.  

Their first challenge was finding a superfast affordable internet connection for the remote location, as there was no connectivity available. They decided on a fast satellite internet connection from Starlink. This meant that they had local connectivity, however with no static IP available on a Starlink connection, they would not be able integrate the latest and greatest technology solutions, as they could not remotely connect to the cameras. A disaster.

The Solution

Netcelero i-spi, a plug and play solution which simplifies secure connectivity, was installed at the remote West of Ireland location. All that the Cloudforests team had to do was plug the Starlink connection in to their i-spi device, and instantly they had access to a Netcelero static IP on this high speed, low latency, satellite internet connection. And with four port forwards, the System Integrator was able to configure secure remote access to the CCTV system so they could remotely monitor the whole site. They were amazed at just how “plug and play” the i-spi is.

Netcelero’s powerful web-based analytics dashboard also provides the Cloudforests technical teams with invaluable insight to their on-site hardware. In the event of a camera dropping connection for example, this event will immediately be detected, logged, and alerted to the Cloudforests team.

Our intelligent software will rapidly diagnose where the issue lies and notify the Cloud Forests team, who can log in to their MFA portal to enjoy full visibility of the site, its key performance indicators and connected hardware. Cloudforests technical team can then access their secure communications path to the site, to connect to their hardware remotely, via the i-spi’s secure VPN, to complete any configuration changes or reboots.

The Impact

Netcelero’s secure communications path has enabled Cloudforests to combine HD CCTV technology with Starlink’s high speed internet connectivity. Data logging and accurate real time data obtained from Cloudforests have shown that there has been no emergency maintenance visits to the site since the i-spi was installed. This has resulted in lower operating costs, in-depth biodiversity monitoring, and importantly has minimized the impact on the environment by reducing unnecessary travel.

Live streaming HD footage enables Cloudforests to share and amplify their mission to their passionate cool partners, and beyond to the wider global community via YouTube.  Crystal clear remote viewing technology from such a remote location is making a real living difference.  Live high-definition video streaming allows virtual visits of the wildlife the Cloudforests team are nurturing within them, from miniature bat caves to bird nesting boxes. And with Netcelero securing and optimizing the communication path 24/7/365 days a year, we are very proud to be part of the Cloudforests mission to help save the planet, by creating 100 Cloudforests along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way.