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Conway upgrades fiber, expands camera network and plans river and swamp sensors
Summary
City technology staff said the city completed a dark‑fiber upgrade to restore high‑speed connectivity to public safety, expanded the camera network to about 400 cameras, and is pursuing SCDOT permits for five water‑level sensors to monitor storm events.
City technology staff told the Conway City Council on Sept. 15 that the city completed a dark‑fiber project connecting the 378 Complex and the recreation center back to public safety and upgraded that link to a 10‑gigabit connection, and that the city is rapidly expanding its camera network and sensor coverage for storm monitoring.
“We completed the dark fiber project, which connected the 378 Complex and the rec center back to public safety. We upgraded that to a 10 gigabit connection from a 50 meg lease line,” Jeff (Technology Services) told council, summarizing the recent work. Staff said equipment and networks at both locations were upgraded to support the higher capacity.
Technology staff reported the city now has roughly 400 cameras on its citywide network, up about 100 over the previous year, and that the department is expanding coverage downtown, at parks and along the Riverwalk. Staff said the growth rate is about 100 new cameras per year and that the city builds approximately 10 portable camera units annually to provide temporary coverage when police request them.
On environmental and storm monitoring, staff said a project to install five water‑level sensors — one in the Waccamaw River, one at Kingston Lake and three on Crabtree Swamp — is in the SCDOT permit stage. The sensors will provide live data during storm events and the city is partnering with the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA) to share data; SECOORA will provide maintenance on the sensors at no cost to the city, staff said.
Staff discussed technical limits: permanent camera expansion is constrained by wireless backhaul capacity where fiber is not available, and the department currently operates six servers that manage camera feeds. Staff estimated that a roughly 1,000‑camera footprint would be a comprehensive long‑term target to expand citywide coverage, but noted wireless infrastructure and backhaul speed are the limiting factors.
Technology staff also described recent collaborations with Coastal Carolina University’s production department to share live cameras during athletic broadcasts and said the department has added portable cameras and permanent units to cover new downtown projects such as Holiday Alley and the Riverwalk expansion.
What this means
- Public safety and parks will have higher‑capacity links and broader camera coverage, improving situational awareness for events and incidents.
- Water‑level sensors will provide real‑time measurements for decision‑making during storm events; collaboration with a regional observing network covers maintenance.
- Staff said capacity limits (wireless backhaul where fiber is not available) will determine the pace of further camera expansion.
Speakers
- Jeff (Technology Services) — presenter on network, cameras and sensors (City staff) - Various council members asked technical and policy questions during the presentation.
Follow up
Staff will continue sensor permitting with SCDOT, continue staged camera rollouts, build portable camera units at roughly ten per year, and monitor wireless backhaul capacity as the city adds permanent cameras in parks and downtown projects.
