Using the iPad dock connector to connect cameras - airplane mode - no WiFi

At my work we need to connect to a few IP cameras but it can not be wireless as the iPad must be in airplane mode, we must use the 30 pin dock connector and a wired cable.

We are installing cameras in the cabin on an aircraft and need to view it on the iPads on the flight deck. But certification rules will not allow us to use WiFi for this.

We are open to becoming enterprise developers because the software will be on a couple of thousand iPads.

Is this possible?

Solution 1:

Using the iPad camera connector with the USB port seems to work with certain items (headsets, etc.) that aren't cameras, leading me to believe that there is a full USB hardware implementation in there but there simply aren't any drivers. If this is true, you could get a USB Ethernet dongle, write iPad drivers for it in your camera-viewing app, and use Ethernet to connect to your cameras. I doubt that would get on the App Store, but that's not a problem, given that you will be using the Enterprise distribution method. This might also preclude charging the iPad while it is connected, so you may have to design and manufacture your own power-and-ethernet dongle.