Fixed Wireless Equipment

Proxim Tests the A.I.R.

The company's Tsunami Multipoint system adds VOIP support and new Active Interference Rejection technology that helps overcome signal quality problems.

by Eric Griffith Managing Editor of Wi-Fi Planet [December 6, 2002]

WISPs looking for more security in their wireless last-mile connections take note. The Tsunami Multipoint system, which Proxim has had shipping for some time, has a new edition featuring a technology they call Active Interference Rejection or A.I.R., as well as an upgrade for supporting Voice over IP (VoIP).

Tsunami Multipoint uses the unlicensed and (so far) uncrowded 5.8 GHz band to get throughput up to 20 Mbps at 6 miles distance and 60 Mbps at 3 miles for point-to-multipoint connections. There is a smaller base station for the subscriber end, and a larger base for the carrier end, with all the necessary components built in to the weather proof, roof- or building-mountable case that are easily wired back to the main network. The products are aimed squarely at ISPs looking to go wireless, and also at campus or enterprise deployments.

The freshly patented A.I.R. is improves signals by nullifying horizontal and vertically linear polarized signals. Most products in this category feature linear polarization of signals, both horizontal and vertical—to avoid problems you sometime just spin an antenna to another axis. The Tsunami Multipoint with A.I.R. uses a combination of horizontal, vertical, and left-hand circular polarization of signals to minimize multipath signals.

Each carrier side base station can support a 60 degree sector for signals, with up to 1,023 potential subscriber station units in that beam. If interference is detected, the carrier side can shut down a 2- to 3-degree slice where that interference exists. While this is happening, the Tsunami Multipoints are continuously scanning for new sources of interference during the gaps in time between information processing.

The Tsunami Multipath with A.I.R. is not an upgrade to existing versions. The technology requires an all new base station on the carrier end.

Ken Haase, director of product marketing and business development for Proxim, spoke to us at the 80211 Planet Conference & Expo, calling the A.I.R. technology "investment protection" for operators because the products can "eliminate 99.5 percent to 99.9 percent of an interfering signal."

The VoIP support, a new feature for the entire Tsunami Multipoint line, means offices or campes can now share voice traffic as well as data by interconnecting multiple PBX systems. The Tsunami Multipoint will prioritize voice traffic when needed.

Pricing and availability
Prices of the new Tsunami Multipoint with A.I.R. product line start at $7,495 for the 20 Mbps version and go to $13,995 for the 60 Mbps. The Tsunami Multipoint without A.I.R. product line is still available for $4,995 (20 Mbps) and $9,995 (60 Mbps).

Proxim expects to begin volume production of the new A.I.R. versions by the middle of December, with approval for overseas shipments in the first quarter of 2003.

—End