The solution reinforces Firetide’s position in fast-growing government, transportation and commercial markets for advanced fixed and mobile wireless infrastructure solutions. The new Firetide Mobility Controller appliance and HotPort 7000-900 MHz wireless infrastructure mesh, completing Firetide’s HotPort 7000 wireless infrastructure platform. With the addition of these products, the 7000 series provides customers with a complete, robust and flexible wireless mesh platform that allow users to add more functionality, performance and new applications as needed.
· Single-platform infrastructure mesh for a variety of fixed and mobile applications
With the HotPort 7000 series, Firetide customers now have a complete ‘pay-as-you-go’ wireless infrastructure solution to meet a variety of needs in fixed and mobile environments. For example, customers can use 900 MHz links for non-line-of-sight communications and line-of-sight (2.4, 4.9 and 5 GHz) MIMO mesh for highest-capacity backhaul, then add mobility later on. In fact, about 95% of Firetide projects involve an infrastructure mobility application, if not today, then in the near future.
“These new capabilities contribute to the performance and economic advantages of using Firetide technology in metro-wide wireless infrastructure for a variety of applications on a single network,” said Bo Larsson, chief executive officer of Firetide. “Firetide infrastructure mesh is the solution for large-scale, multi-service municipal, transportation and utility networks.”
· Transportation networks for real-time video, voice and data
The new Firetide Mobility Controller (FMC-2050) is an all-inclusive, easy-to-use and high-capacity solution for advanced wireless infrastructure mobility. With the mobility controller functionality, Ethernet-enabled devices such as IP video cameras, Wi-Fi access points, RFID readers, and laptops can maintain network connectivity while traveling at high speeds across multiple Firetide mesh networks. Large-scale projects for Seoul Subway and Mumbai Metro are already being deployed with Firetide mobility controller technology for mobile, real-time video.
“Transportation is one of the fastest growing end-user industries in the video surveillance market. Furthermore, video surveillance cameras are increasingly being installed on school buses, transit buses, trains and police vehicles,” said Niall Jenkins, senior research analyst at IMS Research. Historically, these video streams are recorded onto a mobile DVR, located on the vehicle. However, as wireless infrastructure penetrates the video surveillance industry, real-time video streaming from mobile cameras will become a viable option for more and more transit agencies and police departments.” Infrastructure mobility architecture enables a variety of real-time applications not possible with fixed wireless networks. These applications include:
o Continuous video surveillance for mobile vehicles such as police cruisers, fire trucks, buses and trains;
o Uninterrupted, high-capacity Wi-Fi access on public transit;
o Portable and mobile network services on public transportation, first responder vehicles, fork lifts and cranes;
o Mobile command centers for emergency personnel.
· Non-line-of-site mesh for utility and Smart Grid networks
The new HotPort 7000-900 non-line-of-sight wireless ‘Smart Adaptive’ infrastructure mesh solution operates in a 900 MHz spectrum to enable high bandwidth applications in challenging environments. It addresses the need for non line-of-sight applications in Firetide’s core public safety, transportation and industrial markets as well as utilities.
Municipal and private utilities have communications and physical security requirements that are often challenging to address. Interconnecting multiple sites at wire-like speeds is a daunting proposition for many, when fiber or leased lines are too costly or impractical. The needs are pressing, with a single act of theft or vandalism potentially costing six figures to mitigate.
“Our business is exclusively with utility customers who face challenging conditions in their projects, including remote facilities, vegetation, obstructions, and limited mounting and power options,” said Ken VandeVeer, sales manager at Sage Designs Inc. “Most of our Firetide projects include a combination of 900 MHz links for non-line-of-sight or partially obstructed locations and line-of-sight links at 5 GHz or 4.9 GHz, all the way to MIMO links for high-capacity backhaul at 100 Mbps throughput. With the range of capabilities that Firetide delivers, we can provide a solution that meets our customers’ needs, rather than having to limit network coverage or throughput due to environmental conditions. A single HotPort 7000 platform also simplifies specification, design and deployment.”
· Configuration and Availability
Firetide FMC-2050 consists of mobility controller software housed in a compact appliance, eliminating a requirement for a 3rd party server. FMC-2050 brings in support for MIMO mesh technology and offers management of up to 50 mesh nodes. FMC-2050 is available in Q1 2011.
Firetide HotPort 7000-900 is a dual-radio mesh node operating in the 900 MHz spectrum on one of the radios, and in the 2.4 GHz, 4.9 or 5 GHz frequency bands on the other. The solution is available in Q4 2010 in both indoor and outdoor configurations.
