[IP] Just one more, on this interesting Katrina wireless stuff
Begin forwarded message:
From: Gerry Faulhaber <gerry-faulhaber@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: October 18, 2005 3:15:02 PM EDT
To: ron.sege@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: dave@xxxxxxxxxx, dpreed@xxxxxxxx
Subject: Just one more, on this interesting Katrina wireless stuff
Dave [for IP]--
This is great stuff! Thanks much to David and Ron for supplying this
very useful information.
Having said which, I have a few questions:
-are these networks used from trailers/offices or are there
mobile transceivers being carried by field operatives? Sounds like
the former.
- how much traffic are these networks carrying? Peak/Off peak?
-you mention high-power 802.11b/g access points; are these
operating within FCC power limits? If not, did you have to get
special dispensation or did you just do it? If within power limits,
how do you get 1000 ft range when most of us would kill for 100 feet
range?
-WiMax low or high power?
-System sounds like an emergency lash-up (which it no doubt is).
Is it long term stable/maintainable? Scaleable? I know you want to
sell mesh routers, Ron, but give it to us straight.
----- Original Message ----- From: "David Farber" <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ip@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2005 12:07 PM
Subject: [IP] reply from Tropos on 1 more on Limits on wireless le
ave U.S. at risk
_______________ Forward Header _______________
Subject: RE: [IP] more on Limits on wireless leave U.S. at risk
Author: ron.sege@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: 18th October 2005 6:09:16 am
Dave,
Tropos has shipped a couple of hundred of our Tropos 5210 mesh
routers into
MS and LA in the days following the storm, and had a few hundred
installed
in the stricken area previously. These are high-power (36 dBm), high rx
sensitivity (-100 dBm), outdoor-constructed 802.11b/g access points with
embedded mesh routers so they can backhaul wirelessly amongst each
other to
a source of Internet connectivity. Each has a 1,000 ft plus range to an
outdoor Wi-Fi device, emergency vehicle with external antenna or
building
with a window-mounted CPE. So, a couple of hundred nodes represents
10-15
sq mi or so of contiguous coverage in typical configuration. Every 10
nodes
or so are fed with a Motorola Canopy "WiMAX" link, typically shot
from the
roof of an MCI PoP, or from city backhaul locations. These devices,
at these
densities, are non line of sight so can be installed by city workers
with
bucket trucks on street lamps, with power taken from street-light photo
cells. They will self-configure, find their backhaul, optimize
throughput
and route around problems. They can be battery and solar-powered due to
their low wattage (28 watts or so).
Last I have heard, we were in 25 or so FEMA and Red Cross shelters in
NO,
Biloxi, Lamar-Dixon and Baton Rouge. We are around the NO airport and
on a
couple of cruise ships off the gulf that are housing FEMA workers.
We had
200 nodes previously installed in high-crime areas of NO doing video
surveillance. As the power has been restored to the street lights,
these
nodes have come back up on their own and are performing their functions
again. We are now in the process of expanding that network as a "force
multiplier" for the police. Data applications as well as Vonage
phones and
Skype are active on the networks.
The CIO of NO is actually in DC today testifying about the benefits
of Wi-Fi
mesh.
Hope that helps. You can see more on our technology at www.tropos.com
Ron Sege
President and CEO
Tropos Networks
555 Del Rey Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94085
www.tropos.com
408-331-6810 office
650-861-7564 cell
617-407-5000 international cell
408-331-6530 fax
The leading supplier of products for building true metro-scale Wi-Fi
mesh
networks.
-----Original Message-----
From: David P. Reed [mailto:dpreed@xxxxxxxx]
Sent: Monday, October 17, 2005 5:09 PM
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Cc: Ip Ip; ron.sege@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [IP] more on Limits on wireless leave U.S. at risk
Gerry Faulhaber wrote:
Reed claims firms were offering WiMax and WiFi mesh networks for
first responders in the wake of Katrina and Rita. He also mentions
the role of municipal WiFi in this effort. Coulda happened, but it
seems wildly unlikely. Is there any proof of this?
I'm a bit skeptical about Reed Hundt's broad claims, too. However, I
do know that Tropos and others who have such technology were attempting
to demonstrate the value of their systems post-Katrina, so there almost
certainly was some deployment, given the value to the companies of the
opportunity to show their stuff.
I've cc'ed Ron Sege of Tropos, who may have more direct knowledge and
data.
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