ORLANDO, Fla — Looking to change the way wireless networks are set up in congested environments, MeshNetworks Inc. (Maitland, Fla.) is pitching a methodology where any piece of equipment on a high-speed wireless network can serve as a network access point.
The company is building IC technology and systems that will allow operators to set up ad hoc mesh networks in congested environments, according to Rick Rotondo, director of disruptive technology at MeshNetworks. The intent is to build a network that clients can connect to via routers, access points, or other client devices.
The mesh architecture does not require a client to interface with a central or remote piece of the infrastructure to access the network, Rotondo said. Rather, the client only needs to see one device on the network — either a client unit or an access point — to establish connectivity. In this way, every piece of equipment can serve as a node for accessing the network, Rotondo said.
MeshNetworks' approach is designed to solve access problems faced in urban and other congested environments. Carriers currently push 2.5/3G wireless technologies or wireless LAN solutions to provide data connectivity, but these approaches require a great deal of equipment, Rotondo said. By allowing clients to serve as an access point, the mesh architecture reduces the amount of equipment and lowers the cost of establishing a network, he said.
MeshNetworks' mesh architecture, which utilizes patented multihopping techniques, also tackles the distance vs. throughput conundrum faced by operators. To achieve high data rates, operators currently rely on equipment that operates over short distances, thus contributing to the equipment-heavy network. On the flip side, operators can rollout equipment with a wider footprint, but a slower data rate.
The MeshNetworks approach allows users to access a network using 6-Mbit/second data links, Rotondo said. "Since we keep the distance short, we can increase bandwidth," he said.
MeshNetworks has developed a proprietary digital modem IC that incorporates firewall capabilities to achieve this level of functionality. Fabricated by Fujitsu, the chip is employed in all components in the mesh network. In addition, the chip can bolt on to physical-layer protocol, such as 802.11, GPRS, or wideband CDMA. "You pick a modulation scheme, and we can mesh it," said Peter Stanforth, chief technology officer of MeshNetworks.
MeshNetworks is building access cards, routers, access points and other equipment using its proprietary modem IC, which is priced roughly the same level as current WLAN solutions, Rotondo said. In time, the company will focus on supplying the modem to outside card manufacturers, equipment developers, and other system houses, rather than building these systems internally. In this way, MeshNetworks will increase the acceptance of the mesh networking approach, Rotondo said.
The company has received an experimental license from the Federal Communications Commission to test its mesh networking approach in both the 2.4-GHz and 5.7-GHz bands, and plans to run trials in the Orlando, Washington, Denver and Dallas areas. The company displayed the technology this past week at the CTIA Wireless 2002 show.
