Overview
A major coal mining operation in Huainan China needed to upgrade its underground personnel positioning system to meet modern safety and real-time monitoring requirements. Due to the nature of the underground environment—long tunnel distances and limited cable conduits—the project team sought a robust data transmission solution that could operate reliably over legacy 2-wire infrastructure.
After evaluating multiple technologies, the integrator selected the Ourten VDSL2 Ethernet Extender (model: OT-L-DSL-N) as the preferred solution, citing its ability to deliver long-distance, high-speed network communication using existing cables in harsh environments.
Long Transmission Distance Required:
Personnel tracking devices needed to communicate reliably from underground tunnels back to the central control room, often exceeding 500 meters in distance.
Restricted Cable Deployment Conditions:
The existing shaft and tunnel pathways had limited space, making it difficult and expensive to deploy new fiber optic or Ethernet cabling.
System Stability and Safety Requirements:
The positioning system had to remain stable 24/7, as any interruption could affect real-time personnel safety monitoring and emergency response.
The project adopted Ourten's VDSL2 Ethernet Extender OT-L-DSL-N (use PCB only), which demonstrated outstanding adaptability to the coal mine environment:
Long-Distance Transmission over 2-Wire Cable:
Supports up to 3,000 meters of stable 10–100Mbps Ethernet transmission over existing 2-wire or telephone cables.
No Need for New Cable Deployment:
Enabled complete reuse of the existing twisted-pair infrastructure, significantly reducing cabling and labor costs by over 50%.
Plug-and-Play Deployment:
Simple installation process helped the engineering team meet tight construction timelines and ensured quick integration with the existing network.
The deployment of Ourten OT-L-DSL-N VDSL2 Ethernet Extenders in the coal mine's underground personnel positioning system achieved the following outcomes:
● Reduced installation cost by over 50% compared to fiber optic solutions.
● Completed deployment 30% ahead of schedule, minimizing production downtime.
● Maintained stable and uninterrupted communication between underground positioning devices and the central monitoring platform.
● Improved emergency response and safety monitoring by ensuring accurate, real-time location tracking of all underground personnel.
The project was highly praised by both the coal mine's safety management team and system integrator, marking a successful benchmark for industrial grade VDSL2 transmission in critical underground applications.
