Best of the ISP-Lists

Fixed Wireless Technology

100 Mbps Wireless

As WISPs grow, they need to adopt more advanced technology or add to the power of what they're already using. Here's a case in point.

[February 13, 2007]

On the ISP-Wireless list in February, RD asked

"I need to install a full duplex—100Mbps wireless link. The distance is going to be around 4 blocks with full line of sight. Any suggestions? I was thinking of a 532A [MikroTik] router board with 2 wireless cards(802.11a) running in turbo mode and Nstreme 2. One antenna would be horizontal and the other would be vertical polarized with 300Mhz of separation. Some of the talk I've seen on the [MikroTik]forum says that the 532A won't handle 100Mbps much less an RB112."

Some suggested that RD needed more expensive gear.

[BB replied] "For 100Mbps FDX you'll need to be looking at Dragonwave, Bridgewave, DMC, Ceragon, Fibeair, etc. Free Space Optics is another option for you, considering the short distance."

[DM agreed] "Run wires or get a Dragonwave pair. There are other boxes out there, but they are not going to be $1000 products."

[CB agreed] "The cheapest you are going to find for a link like this is around $10,000. You could use FSO or 60GHz for this."

Others suggested that MikroTik could be sufficient.

[LJ suggested] "maybe you could do it with a couple of MT RB532 in each side. The MikroTik guys in the last MUM made a ~360Mbps wireless link by using 4 RB532 and a P4 machine in each side. Please check this link: http://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Super_wireless_test"

[JS noted] "The TT5800 do 108MBps in Super Turbo mode....You can use the 5.3Ghz band if there is not enough room in the 5.8Ghz ...used lots of [bandwidth] but at 4 blocks, you can probably get away with it."

[TJ argued] "That's not the same as "full duplex—100Mbps wireless link". This would require something like a Dragonwave AirPair 100."

[JS replied] "True, but with 4 TT-5800's it would still way under $2000.00. I would use 4 APs to support all kinds of traffic, VLANed , bonded, etc. A licensed link is always a good choice given the right circumstances."

[TJ disagreed] "Two 5.8 GHz radios using 40Mhz each just chewed up the entire 5.8 GHz band on both towers. :-("

Finally, GV suggested:

Orthogon Spectra

We pointed to "Big Fat Freakin' Backhauls," in Related articles, below.

—End