News
Lucent Technologies Unveils Outdoor Wireless Networking
- By Scott Bekker
- January 04, 2000
Lucent Technologies has introduced its new WaveAccess high-speed, point-to-point and point-to-multipoint outdoor wireless networking systems for large corporate networks. WaveAccess provides 11 Mbit/s connectivity and a range of up to ten miles with 64-bit or 128-bit encryption.
WaveAccess provides both IP routing and bandwidth management that enables network managers to control their wireless networks and to add wireless technology to their network infrastructure. By using IP routing, multiple local area networks in different buildings can be connected using independent IP-subnets. This allows managers to set up secure, separate interconnected wireless networks. Bandwidth management allows the network manager to allocate bandwidth to users as deemed necessary. Thus, large offices with many users would be allocated more bandwidth while smaller offices with fewer users would be allocated less.
The point-to-multipoint WaveAccess system consists of a central office (CO) router that can connect up to 16 WaveAccess remote office routers and associated networks, or 32 WaveAccess PC card radios per channel, each running the Internet client software. By installing WaveAccess Internet client software on the WaveAccess radio card, ISPs can provide wireless Internet access to their residential customers' Windows 9.x, or NT/2000 equipped desktop or laptop computers. In addition, a networked remote office router can be connected to yet another CO router, thereby creating an additional set of point-to-multipoint links.
The point-to-point WaveAccess system consists of WaveAccess remote office routers used to establish a high-speed, wireless link between two buildings and their interior networks. WaveAccess office routers are based on Lucent Technologies' (www.lucent.com) WavePoint II standard, which also supports wired Ethernet and wireless WaveLAN indoor networks via dual slot architecture. One slot holds a WaveAccess radio card connected to an outdoor antenna. The other slot can act as a link to a third building. A wired network can be connected via Ethernet to the remote office router as well.
Existing WaveAccess and WaveLAN users can upgrade their WavePoint II to WaveAccess office routers by installing WaveAccess central or remote office router software and using a new 11 Mbit/s WaveAccess radio card in an available radio slot. WaveAccess remote office routers can also be converted to WaveAccess CO routers via a software upgrade. -- Isaac Slepner
About the Author
Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.