AIVR Connect – The Hardware Behind Seamless Data Flow

As part of our Hardware Behind AIVR series, we turn the spotlight on the AIVR Connect – the intelligent edge device that forms the backbone of data collection, transmission, and connectivity across the rail network.

The AIVR Platform enables rail professionals to carry out safer and more efficient inspections by analysing video data of critical national infrastructure online. But before data can be visualised and acted upon, it must first be captured, synchronised, and transmitted reliably from onboard the trains. That crucial step depends on dedicated edge hardware: compact, in-house designed devices working continuously in the background. That’s exactly what AIVR Connect is built for.

The Challenge of Data Collection

The railway is a uniquely hostile environment for digital continuity. Trains encounter:

• Connectivity gaps: rural lines, tunnels, and low-signal regions interrupt network coverage Intermittent coverage and creates data backlogs.
• Data bottlenecks: trains generate vast amounts of information every journey. Without intelligent processing at the source, this quickly overwhelms onboard systems and network capacity, creating backlogs and delays in making data available to those who need it.
• Legacy systems: valuable camera feeds sit inaccessible on hard drives – slow to retrieve, out of date by the time it arrives, and inaccessible to those who need it most.

Without a specialised system for managing this, insight becomes delayed, fragmented, and difficult to utilise at scale.

This is where an edge device becomes essential. An edge device refers to computing hardware that sits closer to where data is created – in this case, on the train. Instead of sending overwhelming raw feeds back over the network, AIVR Connect processes, synchronises, and organises them at the source. This approach prevents network overload, ensures continuity during transmission, and delivers intelligence that is ready to access online.

AIVR Connect device

The Solution: AIVR Connect

The clue is in the name. AIVR Connect is an intelligent video edge device at the heart of the AIVR ecosystem. Compact yet powerful, it securely connects all cameras, sensors, and location services on board the train, aligns it with time and location information, processes it onboard, and transmits it automatically to the AIVR Platform for near-time review.

Whether connecting bespoke AIVR camera installations, or integrating directly with existing fleet cameras and systems, AIVR Connect transforms raw feeds into accessible, secure, online intelligence, bringing legacy systems into the digital era.

Installed on a wide range of UK fleets, from passenger trains like the Southeastern Class 707s to specialist vehicles such as the Class 153 Visual Inspection Units (VIUs) and Network Rail’s New Measurement Train (NMT), AIVR Connect has become the trusted hardware for collecting and transmitting critical data of the national rail infrastructure, transforming rolling stock into connected data hubs.

Whether it’s forward facing, thermal, overhead line, structural, line-scanning or track geometry data – without AIVR Connect, synchronising and securely transmitting all of these feeds simply wouldn’t be possible.

AIVR Connect deployment examples

A Real-World Example

Take the Class VIUs (Video Inspection Units). These trains carry multiple specialist systems 

• Forward facing cameras
• Thermal cameras 
• Structural inspection camera 
• Line-scanning units 
• Track geometry sensors, and more.

Synchronising all of these streams – ensuring they are time-aligned, geo-matched, and available digitally online is highly complex. Without a dedicated edge device like AIVR Connect, this intelligence would be fragmented, inconsistent, and hard to access. With AIVR Connect in place, all of this is streamlined and made available on the AIVR Platform almost immediately after capture.

How AIVR Connect Works

AIVR Connect has been designed and built by One Big Circle as a secure, rail compliant edge unit:

• Captures and processes multiple video and sensor inputs simultaneously.
• Synchronises streams with on-train or local location services.
• Uploads automatically to the AIVR Platform using dual-network redundancy (4G/5G).
• Resilient in network blackspots and will not lose data.
• Safeguards uploads against failures with dual connections.
• Configurable and scalable with flexible hardware options, AIVR Connect can be tailored to connect anywhere from one device to 10 per unit, making it adaptable for fleets of all sizes.
• Remote updates and configuration across large fleets, secured with three-level authentication.

AIVR Connect device neatly installed onboard maintenance unit

Compact, flexible, and rail-approved, AIVR Connect transforms rolling stock into connected data hubs. It offers rapid adaptability, seamless integration with both new and legacy systems, and reliability. With secure remote configuration across fleets, AIVR Connect delivers a scalable solution for modern rail operators, ensuring dependable data flows from the network to the cloud.

Benefits of AIVR Connect

• Near-time data access: able to access data in near time
• Reliable data flow: ensuring video and sensor data reach end users in near time
• Enhanced connectivity: dual network paths mitigate coverage gaps
• Scalable deployment: easy to configure across entire fleets
• Enhanced security: with multi-level authentication
• Future-proof flexibility: enables integration with wider AIVR Suite

AIVR Connect is the bridge that links our onboard technology, or existing technology, with the online cloud platform – ensuring captured data is not only stored but made available quickly, securely, and intelligently across the network.

Do you already have devices onboard that you’re struggling to access? Or are you looking to smarten your fleet with new installs? Contact us to see how AIVR Connect can connect your trains to the digital railway.