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Cancer remains one of the most feared diagnoses because outcomes often depend on how early it is found. The earlier cancer is detected, the better the chance of treating it before it spreads.
To achieve early diagnosis, a multitude of strategies are in place across the United Kingdom. Some are driven by the NHS, and others are run by charitable organisations working in close collaboration with the NHS. The latter is the case of Action Cancer, a Belfast-based charity that offers cancer screening in Northern Ireland at its Belfast location and on the road aboard the “Big Bus”.
The Big Bus is Action Cancer’s bespoke mobile unit. The primary function of the Big Bus is to bring our services to the local community where we run breast screening, skin cancer detection, and health checks onboard,
explains Hugh Blair, ICT Manager at Action Cancer.
To promote early cancer detection, Action Cancer’s Big Bus travels across the country to bring services to people who might not otherwise have access. On the Bus, the Action Cancer team uses state-of-the-art technology to detect breast and skin cancer, with referral to the NHS for those who require further assessment of suspected cancer.
Naturally, this comes with technical challenges. Firstly, the Big Bus must travel to some of the most isolated areas of Northern Ireland. Secondly, data is accessed, generated, and transmitted back to Head Office.
When we launched our 'Big Bus' in 2006, we sent digital images over satellite back to head office. It was very challenging but unique and a first of its kind anywhere in the world,
says Blair. We then progressed to 3G/4G with one carrier, and now we are on 5G with a static IP SIM on multiple carriers.
Aboard the Big Bus, two separate routers are connected to the firewall giving two individual 5G service connections. One 5G service connection is used for admin equipment while the Perle IRG Cellular Router has a dedicated IP SIM which is used to establish a secure remote connection back to Head Office. The Perle router plays an important part to allow us to operate our mammography and skin cancer screening devices,
comments Blair.
Before choosing Perle’s IRG Cellular Router, Action Cancer used several other commercial-grade routers, but they kept failing. The cellular signal was weak, and they required regular SIM card changes or constant troubleshooting that the non-tech staff aboard the bus could not complete. Some routers failed so often that, at one point, they installed two identical devices so one could serve as a failover.
Blair had invested significant time and money in troubleshooting and replacing these routers over several years. When the decision was made to choose a new, durable solution, he remembered that a local company had recommended Perle. Although slightly more expensive than commercial models, the Perle IRG Cellular Routers offered secure data transmission with industrial-grade specifications, saving time and money while providing peace of mind.
Our service quality is very important to us, and our mobile unit is a crucial part to allow us to deliver services to the local community,
says Blair. IT is a major component in ensuring that proximity services, such as the Big Bus, can continue to function. Reliable hardware is key. I think the biggest benefit is that we now have confidence in the hardware, and we have more control over what the cellular router does. Signal strength has improved, and we are seeing connections in locations we would have struggled with before. This, in turn, gives us faster transmission speeds due to the better connection.
And it doesn’t hurt that the IRG Cellular Router packs so many useful features into the most compact box, ideal for installation in a bus full of technical and medical equipment, where every square inch is used for something.
Data protection and cyber security are top priorities for us. The Perle IRG Cellular Router gives us more control.
Data protection and cyber security are top priorities for us. The Perle IRG Cellular Router gives us more control, and we feel it adds an important layer of security to our overall infrastructure. The donation of a router helps make sure our network service is the best it can be and provides much-needed access to our systems to serve the community. Without this help from Perle, we would still be operating with a substandard product, but now we have mitigated this risk, and it is one area we have full confidence in.
If he had to rethink this project, the choice would be obvious: We regularly get inquiries from other organisations that are trying to set up small mobile units for various reasons, and they would ask about our current setup and things to avoid. I can say that throughout the troubleshooting journey, the most important part to deliver a high-quality signal is to have the right cellular router in place, so I would highly recommend Perle as that solution.
Perle is proud to support Action Cancer in their fight for early cancer detection and treatment, one secure, reliable connection at a time!
