Wireless Rides The Waves

Proxim, a wireless networking vendor based in Sunnyvale, Calif., is set to release Tuesday a new 802.11a-based outdoor wireless solution for point-to-point and point-to-multi-point last-mile connectivity.

The Tsunami MP.11a is designed to provide an economical high-performance WLAN extension solution for NLOS applications in enterprise and service provider networks. The Tsunami MP.11a features Orthogonal FDM (frequency division multiplexing), a technology with a spread spectrum technique that distributes data over a large number of carriers that are spaced apart at precise frequencies.

"What we're able to do is provide 54 Mbps of data rate at price points that are only 20 percent higher than an MP.11 or [802.11]b-based product, and move it into the 5GHz range that's not nearly as crowded as the 2.4GHz," said Ken Haase, director of product marketing and business development at Proxim.

Proxim is offering three versions of the Tsunami MP.11a solution: a base station unit priced at $1,295, a subscriber unit priced at $695, and a residential unit priced at $495.

Meanwhile, Orthogon Systems, encouraged by early reseller test success with its wireless Ethernet bridge aimed at navigating even the most obstructed WLAN, is ramping up its efforts to recruit channel partners.

Orthogon, a wireless Ethernet bridge vendor based in Ashburton, U.K., and Waltham, Mass., recently unveiled its OS-Gemini solution. The OS-Gemini offers non-802.11 NLOS coverage in the 5.8GHz radio band and includes OFDM features. List price for a complete OS-Gemini solution is $11,995.

The OS-Gemini is targeted toward a range of applications, including backhaul and building-to-building connectivity, as a WLAN extension or a multisite mesh network, according to Orthogon.

Phil Bolt, CEO of Orthogon, said for now Orthogon is selling to partners through distributors such as Electro-comm, Denver, but continues to work closely with solution providers.

"Three-quarters of my sales team is working directly with solution providers and getting traction," Bolt said. "And now we are working to launch a new solution provider recruiting campaign."

Brian Napier, director of market development at MobilCom Wireless, an Alberta, Canada-based wireless broadband service provider, said two test deployments with OS-Gemini, including an internal deployment at MobilCom, have been rock steady.

The internal deployment for MobilCom, said Napier, stretches about 4 kilometers across a river, through a couple of hills, a couple of 20-story buildings and an eight-story church in an urban area of Alberta.

The solution "shines for obstructed or ugly paths," Napier said.