After successful completion of the PA contract, the company investigated the possibility of designing and developing its own product line. The products considered were boat navigation equipment which was to use an electro-luminescent display, and a car monitoring system to allow the police to recover stolen cars on the road.

The chosen product line was an innovative high security (cryptographic) access control system integrated with process control. An excellent recommendation by the ‘Centre d’innovation industrielle de Montréal’ (CIIM) allowed the company to finance the development of the product line.

 The first product was the CELSAT™ Access and Process Control System. CELSAT™ (short for Cellular Satellites) is registered in the USA as a trade mark of Microway Systems.

The system consists of a central controller unit, which communicates on a single wire, using time multiplex technique, to a distributed intelligent ‘Satellite’ up to 2,000 feet away from the controller. The Satellites are dedicated to specific functions and each is controlled by a dedicated, on-board micro controller. One special type of satellite unit is the Microway exclusive cryptographic lock which was ‘patent pending’. Other satellite units include sensors and alarm capabilities, as well as remote control functions, all are real-time programmable by the user. The controller is in turn controlled by menus on any type of IBM PC compatible computer through software.  The over all system can thus be regarded as a distributed security or as a control system, or as both according to custom design and selection of satellites by the user.

Developed by Microway Systems Inc., Celsat™ is a fully integrated Process and Access Control System. Celsat features a unique double encryption/decryption Cryptographic lock. The system has a Controller Unit which communicates on a single wire to the distributed intelligent Satellite Units. These Satellites Units are dedicated to one of a number of specific functions and each is controlled by its own dedicated onboard microcontroller.

 Cryptographic Lock

A stand-alone cryptographic lock was developed, that is one that is not under the control of a central computer.

Cryptographic Sensor

A very successful product was the cryptographic sensor. This sensor uses the same cryptographic algorithms developed for CELSAT and the stand alone cryptographic lock. Miniaturised microprocessor modules generate random data and encrypt them using user-specific keys (entered with a “fill gun” device by the user) as well as incorporating a number of time-dependant parameters within the encrypted message itself.

Today, seventeen Microway Systems Cryptographic Sensors protect the vault of the Bank of Canada. These installations were done by Honeywell.

The Ottawa building of the Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS) is protected by 80 Cryptographic Sensors by Microway (the first 20 were installed by United Marine representing Microway and the other 60 were installed by Microway Systems itself).

Safety considerations in the cryptographic line of products

Because these lines of products were meant to be in the high range of security systems, Microway focused its attention to the safety aspect of the CELSAT system.

The architecture of the system was made “fail safe” by using dual redundancy and a parallel back-up system.

A Back-up Controller and/or a second communication line can be added.

In addition, the ‘patent pending’ algorithm developed by Microway system (with double cryptography) ensured a maximum integrity in all communications in the entire line of products.

In the CELSAT network, failure in the prime system triggers a switch over to the secondary system. This is flagged as an alarm so that servicing can be done while the system is operating on the redundant hardware / software.

The stand alone Lock Mechanism was also designed with dual redundant solenoids.