Wireless Mesh Networks

Many cities and municipalities nationwide are embracing WiFi and mesh networking technologies as an access alternative and less costly means for providing enhanced online services to the community.

Wireless mesh networks have emerged as the extension to many organizations infrastructure
WLAN deployments are becoming more prominent in public and private outdoor installations such as large academic and corporate campuses, municipalities, city downtown areas, and, to some extent, multi-unit apartment and residential complexes.

Mesh networks have been deployed with both multi-radio and single-radio solutions. Single-radio
mesh solutions use a single radio device, or transceiver, to provide wireless access to the end
user and connectivity on the backhaul mesh network. The single-radio solutions, while benefiting
from a simpler design, typically suffer from significantly diminished overall throughput that limits
the scalability of the overall network. Usage of these devices typically results in either smaller
coverage areas and/or lower available bandwidth to users compared to mesh networks built
around multi-radio devices.

In contrast, the more popular multi-radio mesh designs allow separation of the user access and mesh backhaul operations of the wireless network, resulting in greater capacity for both network layers. This allows better scaling performance for the overall mesh network. Two radios per mesh node (routers) is typically sufficient to realize the benefits of separation of the user access and mesh planes, with more radios providing marginal performance gains and additional per-unit cost.

One of the major component of wireless mesh technology is the mechanism for forwarding data packets over the mesh multihop topology. This forwarding may be accomplished at OSI layer 3, an
approach first used in Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks (MANETs), in which case units of information
forwarded across the network would be IP packets. The data forwarding may also be accomplished at layer 2, in which case the units of forwarded data would take the form of 802.11
frames. In either situation a path/route determination is used. The design of this routing algorithm
is one of the major variants in the mesh solution and can prove cost effective for many organizations.

The portion of the network which is commonly referred  to as the injection layer is comprised of point-to-point or point-to-multipoint high speed wireless links capable of connecting the mesh elements, or mesh neighborhoods, to wired backbones, points of presence or in some cases networkoperations control centers.

The key qualities of the injection layer are high throughput, long range, and the ability to penetrate medium to high density foliage found in typical urban and suburban environments. The injection layer candidate technologies typically use fixed access mechanisms such as TDMA/FDMA, and require significant configuration of individual modules.

There are a number of commercial products the have recently emerged and enjoyed significant popularity as injection layer components.

Originally posted 2009-08-27 09:37:17. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Wireless mesh architecture is a first step towards providing high-bandwidth network over a specific coverage or geographical area. Wireless mesh architecture’s infrastructure is, in effect, a router network minus the cabling between nodes.

It’s built of peer radio devices that don’t have to be cabled to a wired port like traditional WLAN access points (AP) do. Mesh architecture sustains signal strength by breaking long distances into a series of shorter hops therefore by passing some of the traditional wired network limitations. Intermediate nodes not only boost the network signal, but also cooperatively make forwarding decisions based on their knowledge of the network, i.e. performs routing. Such architecture may with careful design provide high bandwidth, spectral efficiency, and economic advantage over the coverage area.

Here’s a few example of  wireless mesh networks:

Infrastructure wireless mesh networks:
Mesh routers form an infrastructure for clients.

Client wireless mesh networks:
Client nodes constitute the actual network to perform routing and configuration functionalities.

Hybrid wireless mesh networks:
Mesh clients can perform mesh functions with other mesh clients as well as accessing the network.
Wireless mesh network have a relatively stable topology except for the occasional failure of nodes or addition of new nodes. The traffic, being aggregated from a large number of end users, changes infrequently. Practically all the traffic in an infrastructure mesh network is either forwarded to or from a gateway, while in ad hoc networks or client mesh networks the traffic flows between arbitrary pairs of nodes.

Major Benefits:
Mesh networks are self-healing: the network can still operate even when a node breaks down or a connection goes bad. As a result, this network is very reliable. This concept is applicable to wireless networks, wired networks, and software interaction.

A fully connected network is a mesh network in which each of the nodes is connected to each other. A fully connected network doesn’t need to use switching nor broadcasting. A mesh network is reliable and offers redundancy.

History:
Wireless mesh networks are the most topical application of mesh architectures. Wireless mesh was originally developed for military applications but has undergone significant evolution in the past decade. As the cost of radios plummeted, single radio products evolved to support more radios per mesh node with the additional radios providing specific functions- such as client access, backhaul service or scanning radios for high speed handover in mobility applications. The mesh node design also became more modular – one box could support multiple radio cards – each operating at a different frequency.

Current Application Examples:
U.S. military forces are now using wireless mesh networking to connect their computers, mainly ruggedized laptops, in field operations. It enables troops to know the locations and status of every soldier or marine, and to coordinate their activities without much direction from central command.

Electric meters now being deployed on residences transfer their readings from one to another and eventually to the central office for billing without the need for human meter readers or the need to connect the meters with cables.

The laptops in the one laptop per child program use wireless mesh networking to enable students to exchange files and get on the Internet even though they lack wired or cell phone or other physical connections in their area.

* Download The Basics Of Mesh Networks In PDF Format

For more information about implementing these innovative solutions into your organization please leave a comment to schedule a no obligation consultation…

Originally posted 2009-07-20 06:55:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

There is no doubt that wireless networks are becoming more and more appealing. The question becomes, why are they so appealing?

Here’s a few things to consider:

• Wireless provides redundancy…
• Wireless Networks provide cost savings…
• Wireless Networks can be deployed virtually anywhere…
• Wireless Networks allow expandable mobility…
• You can easily extend or back-up an existing wired network infrastructure with Wireless nodes…

Another thing to consider with respect to these networks is the fact that Wireless Mesh Networks are self healing due to the nature of the redundancy itself. Multiple paths can overcome point of sight limitations that can be problematic for other types of configurations.

Many organizations are also using wireless networks to replace point to point circuits and point to multi-point circuits. This is a common practice to reduce recurring monthly connectivity cost.

Originally posted 2009-11-18 14:19:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Wireless Internet Service Provider Challenge
Provide cost-effective wireless Internet access to downtown area of Isla Vista, California

Solution
A network backbone was needed to connect all of the wireless access points that were planned for the downtown area Hot- Spots. Installing a wired backbone was too cost-prohibitive and invasive to neighborhood streets and buildings. Wireless point-to-point and point-to multipoint backbones could not provide the broad coverage needed without adding very complex management and interference problems. The Firetide Instant Mesh Network provided a simple, reliable, and affordable wireless network backbone that quickly covered the entire area with a self-forming-self-healing wireless mesh.

Most are students of the University or other local educational institutions, and as such, the town is heavily populated with users of laptop computers and other mobile information devices. However, Isla Vista had no public wireless Internet access. Until, that is, Incipient Technologies found a way to cost-effectively deploy free wireless Internet access throughout the town while leveraging a new Firetide™ wireless instant mesh network to build revenue-generating, location-specific information services. Creating a Potential Showcase Isla Vista is an interesting little town within a city. One of the most densely populated communities in California, it accommodates over 20,000 people within 2.1 square miles, most of whom are students attending the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB). Downtown, a range of businesses provide services targeted to a student population—restaurants, coffee shops, quick print, and entertainment—but none provided wireless Internet access for their tech-savvy customers. “Here, students tend to go to coffee shops, libraries and other public locations to get work done,” explained Steve LeBoeuf, vice president of operations for Incipient Technologies, Inc.

Incipient provides wireless services and solutions nationwide.As a member of the Wi-Fi Alliance, the company adheres firmly to industry standards to ensure high service quality.

“Students need wireless Internet access,” he continued, “and we viewed this as an opportunity to serve the community with free quality Internet service, and to provide a foundation for delivering location-specific paying services in the future.” Through the process of defining the project scope, LeBoeuf and his team evaluated several alternatives for delivering this service. Instead of limiting Internet access to only one or two locations in town, surveys indicated that expanding coverage to numerous locations would better serve the target population. The town configuration lent itself to installing wireless access points on the building exteriors. However, the costs of equipment, cabling, and recurring broadband connection charges associated with traditional point-to-point or point-tomultipoint wireless access implementations were prohibitive.

In addition, LeBoeuf found that to achieve the range or output required, point-to-point solutions frequently required that dual radios and antennas be installed next to each other, which created interference issues. Other point-to-multipoint solutions either lacked range or power or were exceedingly complex to install and manage. “We also wanted to purchase only one broadband connection to minimize recurring costs,” says LeBoeuf. “We met with representatives from Firetide and found that we could costeffectively
use a mesh topology to cover our area without the expense of a traditional wired backbone.”

An Instant Network LeBoeuf and his team chose a Firetide Instant Mesh Network to enable fast deployment of the wireless network. The Firetide mesh provides standard Ethernet connectivity to any location over a wireless backbone. This eliminates costly backhaul wiring for wireless access points and HotSpots and even allows other networking devices such as computers, printers, surveillance cameras, and Ethernet switches to operate on the wireless backbone. The Incipient team installed a weatherproof Firetide outdoor mesh node on the town’s tallest building. The outdoor mesh node features a NEMA enclosure, two weatherproof Ethernet ports, and a high gain antenna capable of spanning the entire downtown area. The team then mounted three additional Firetide mesh nodes to three downtown buildings. Upon power up, all four mesh nodes automatically discovered each other, instantly forming a wireless mesh network that blanketed the entire downtown area.

Incipient engineers then connected third-party access points to the Firetide mesh nodes to provide Wi-Fi coverage throughout the area and inside key buildings. “The Firetide mesh network allowed us to effectively cover 26 businesses and three parks— almost ten acres of commercial downtown area,” said LeBoeuf. “With Firetide we simply put the equipment together and turned it on—the configuration was quick and easy. Case Study : The Town of Isla Vista Management and operations are much easier than point-to-point or point-to-multipoint solutions, implementation costs were low, and the Firetide wireless mesh network provides a solid, resilient network our customers can rely on.” Internet To Go The new Isla Vista network was turned on in February 2005. After initial testing and refining specific coverage areas, the service was officially launched at the end of March 2005. For users, connecting to the service is as easy as opening a web browser, and an increasing number of users are discovering and actively using the service. For Incipient, the network provides solid proof of the company’s ability to provide wireless data services across wide areas and diverse locales—libraries, parks, harbors, coffee shops, and downtown areas. Future plans include
launching local information services that can be highly targeted to an area’s specific demographics. Businesses can purchase advertising with assurance that their messages are reaching the desired audience. In addition to the free Isla Vista service, Incipient also delivers successful pay Wi-Fi services in southern California and Hawaii. “With Firetide, we can now offer cost-effective solutions to a much greater range of clients who want to offer wireless capabilities,” said LeBoeuf. “Firetide is our first choice for locations where we must cover a wide area and don’t want to dig trenches, disturb historic sites, or cut through building interiors to run cable.”

Originally posted 2009-10-04 08:39:17. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Challenge

Provide WiFi service to all hotel rooms in a hotel with a structure built out of 22” thick block wall and only has outside entrances to each hotel room, in other words no internal hallways.

Solution
Firetide Access Points with the proper high gain antenna selection positioned in strategic locations around the building to ensure that the WiFi signal would enter each room through the windows and doors. This allowed the Engineering Team to install only 3 Access Points versus the 13 that were proposed by a competitor.

Antenna selection was critical in this solution as there were no poles, rooftops, structures etc. to mount these antennas and the Access Points still had to be connected to the internet drops. During the site-survey our team discovered that there were storage and utility rooms available to install the access points.

By installing the access points inside these climate controlled rooms on the 1st and 2nd floors enabled our engineering team to propose less costly indoor access points.

Our engineering team selected the TerraWave 12 dbi outdoor antenna unit to insure that the WiFi signal provided a high range in output.

By customizing the cable connection access point to antenna, the team was able to install the antennas on the ceiling of what is the walkway of the floor above. This put the antenna unit on the outside transmitting a high quality signal that was so far reaching, a hotel 1/4 mile away was getting the WiFi signal.

The true test was to sign-on to the captive portal with our own laptops at the furthest point deep from the antennas inside the room to experience the same connectivity that a guest would experience.

Success
Success, even the furthest room was able to receive a strong WiFi signal at top speed. For more information on WiFi, Wireless Surveillance Cameras, or just Security Camera Configurations contact the Sales Department at Cyber Network Solutions.

We will provide you with a consultation visit to discuss your needs and requirements.

Originally posted 2009-09-09 07:33:03. Republished by Blog Post Promoter