Wireless is increasingly filling the performance gap between copper and fiber optics for building-to-building communications. A key development in 2003 was the emergence of products adapting wireless LAN technology to high-speed, non-line-of-sight applications.
Wireless is increasingly filling the performance gap between copper and fiber optics for building-to-building communications. A key development in 2003 was the emergence of products adapting wireless LAN technology to high-speed, non-line-of-sight applications.
Vast sums of money were invested during the 1990s in wireless solutions requiring line-of-sight access. Unfortunately, the line-of-sight requirement disqualifies many applications. Others disqualify themselves over time as new construction and even foliage transform line of sight into obstructed access.
Orthogon Systems employs the latest wireless advances to harness unlicensed spectrum in near-line-of-sight and even non-line-of-sight applications. For a one-time expenditure of just less than $12,000, the firm’s OS-Gemini can establish a 23M bit/sec link at up to 6 miles with non-line-of-sight access, and much farther with true line of sight.
This is a big deal. The local telco would probably charge thousands of dollars per month for that speed (roughly equivalent to 15 T-1 channels) and distance (which could easily translate to 10 to 20 miles in telco circuit length). And it could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to pull new fiber that distance. Brian Napier of Mobilcom Wireless in Alberta was not only able to establish a high-speed link over 5 miles with buildings in the way — he told us the system operated reliably at -30 degrees Fahrenheit.
