Emergency response
Immediate alerts so maintenance teams can react faster.
Reference architectures
Monitoring telecom chambers and splice closures
Cable chambers, inspection manholes and fibre splice closures are the way into telecommunications networks. DigitalWan sensors detect every opening in real time and send the alert to the monitoring platform, over LTE-M or LoRaWAN.
- Shared ducts
- Operator-owned ducts
- LoRaWAN / LTE-M
What is at stake
Why detect openings on telecom infrastructure
Uncontrolled openings, vandalism, mechanical failures or unauthorised work: every undetected access weakens service continuity. Real-time detection helps local authorities and network operators anticipate incidents and plan maintenance better.
Access management
Real-time tracking of technicians working on the network.
Proactive management
Sharper network monitoring, to anticipate incidents.
Reduced risk
Less damage to infrastructure thanks to early detection.
Network integrity
Service continuity maintained in day-to-day operations.
Protection
Protection against vandalism and malicious acts.
Reference architectures
Three architectures for shared and operator-owned ducts
Each architecture adapts to the available radio coverage, the number of access points to monitor and the installation constraints.
Architecture 1 · Splice closures in shared ducts
One sensor per closure, reporting directly over LTE-M
One MSU-XD7 standalone unit per closure reports directly to the monitoring platform over LTE-M, with no gateway and no master unit.
Cable chamber in shared ducts
- Fibre splice closureMSU-XD7Detection · LTE-M
- Fibre splice closureMSU-XD7Detection · LTE-M
LTE-M
Operator mast
Sends sensor data straight to the application
IP
DigitalWan monitoring
Statuses, events, closure openings and alarms in one place
- Deployment logic
- One standalone unit per closure or per point to monitor. This architecture relies on the LTE-M coverage available at the chamber.
- Installation
- The sensor goes inside the closure or is strapped around it with two cable ties.
Architecture 2 · Splice closures in shared ducts
Ultra-flat sensors with local aggregation by a master unit
SU-CD7 sensors monitor closure openings and transmit over LoRaWAN to an MSU-MD7 master unit, which aggregates the data and forwards it over LTE-M.
Cable chamber in shared ducts
- Fibre splice closureSU-CD7Detection
- Fibre splice closureSU-CD7Detection
LoRaWAN
MSU-MD7 master
Collects the data and handles transmission
LTE-M
Operator mast
Sends sensor data straight to the application
IP
DigitalWan monitoring
Closure alarms, openings, movement and chamber events
- SU-CD7
- Monitors the closure being opened and transmits the information over LoRaWAN.
- MSU-MD7 master
- Collects the data and transmits it over the LTE-M link.
- Benefit
- Very compact, the SU-CD7 clips behind a splice tray.
Architecture 3 · Operator-owned ducts
A modular configuration
Depending on the number of covers and closures, the MSU-MD7 master unit sits inside the chamber or nearby, while the slave sensors monitor the access points. Data reaches the monitoring platform over LTE-M.
A
L6T chamber, 4 covers
- Master unit
- Inside the chamber
- Sensors
- Slaves on the covers
- Network
- LTE-M + LoRaWAN
B
Access through one cover
- Master unit
- Inside the chamber
- Sensors
- Chamber monitored by the master unit
- Network
- LTE-M + LoRaWAN
C
Remote master unit
- Master unit
- On a mast or bracket
- Sensors
- Slave inside the chamber
- Network
- LoRaWAN, then LTE-M
D
Two closures in the same chamber
- Master unit
- Remote
- Sensors
- Chamber and covers
- Network
- LoRaWAN, then LTE-M
Shared principle: size the slave sensors according to the access points to monitor, then place the master unit inside the chamber or nearby, depending on radio quality and installation constraints.
Detection modes
Two detection modes running at the same time
Depending on the configuration, each sensor runs two of the following detection modes.
Inclination
Change of orientation on three axes compared with a reference position.
Movement
Movement of the sensor, measured by the built-in accelerometer.
Vibration
Vibrations detected by the built-in accelerometer.
Infrared presence
Presence detection using infrared.
Change in light
Change in light or lighting conditions, for example when a cover is opened.
H2S gas
Detection of hydrogen sulphide.
Cable drum unwinding
Geolocated tracking of fibre optic cable deployment, metre by metre.
Also deployed indata centrestechnical sheltersconfined spacestechnical buildingswarehouses
Products used
The sensors behind telecom architectures
One standalone unit or slave sensor per access point to monitor, and a master unit when data needs to be aggregated locally.
Standalone unit
Multi-sensor standalone unit
MSU-XD7
Direct transmission, with no intermediate equipment
- Battery life
- Up to 10 years
- Network
- LTE-M
- Enclosure
- IP68
Slave unit
Ultra-flat slave sensor
SU-CD7
Smaller than a bank card
- Thickness
- 15 mm
- Network
- LoRaWAN
- Battery life
- Up to 10 years
Master unit
Multi-sensor master unit
MSU-MD7
The heart of your sensor network
- Battery life
- Up to 10 years
- Network
- LoRaWAN · LTE-M
- Slaves
- Up to 5
Slave unit
Multi-sensor slave unit
MSU-SD7
Add as many measurement points as you need
- Battery life
- Up to 10 years
- Network
- LoRa · LoRaWAN
- Enclosure
- IP68
Glossary
Telecom civil works terminology
The terms worth knowing when preparing a chamber and closure monitoring project.
- Fibre splice closure
- A sealed box that protects the splices between optical fibres. It is usually installed in a telecom chamber.
- Cable chamber
- An underground telecom structure closed by one or more covers, used to pull cables through and to reach the closures.
- Shared optical local loop ducts (GC BLO)
- The French shared duct infrastructure: Orange ducts and chambers made available to operators for fibre roll-out.
- Operator-owned ducts
- Civil works owned by the operator or the network manager itself.
- Chamber cover
- The lid, usually cast iron, that closes access to a chamber or a manhole.
- Inspection manhole
- An access point to a buried network, used for maintenance and monitoring.
Frequently asked questions
Monitoring a telecom network
Answers to the most common questions before starting a deployment.
How do you detect a telecom chamber or splice closure being opened?
By fitting a DigitalWan sensor on the splice closure or on the access covers. Depending on the configuration it combines two detection modes, for example movement and change in light, and sends a real-time alert to the monitoring platform.
Is a gateway needed to monitor a telecom chamber?
No, if LTE-M coverage reaches the chamber: one MSU-XD7 standalone unit per point to monitor reports directly to the monitoring platform. Otherwise an MSU-MD7 master unit placed nearby, on a mast or a bracket, collects the sensors over LoRaWAN and forwards the data over LTE-M.
Where should the sensor be fitted on a splice closure?
The MSU-SD7 goes inside the closure or is strapped around it with two cable ties. The very compact SU-CD7 clips behind a splice tray.
How many sensors should be planned per chamber?
The number of slave sensors follows the access points to monitor (covers, closures); the master unit is then placed inside the chamber or nearby, depending on radio quality and installation constraints. An MSU-MD7 master unit handles up to 5 slaves.
Which other sites can be monitored?
Data centres, technical shelters, confined spaces, technical buildings and warehouses, as well as wastewater structures and district heating networks.
A telecom network to monitor?
Tell us the type of civil works, the number of chambers and the access points to monitor: we will suggest the right architecture.