Wireless Broadband using mesh networks is a method of taking broadband Internet services to the places where ADSL via telephone lines will not go! Most people think that once their local exchange is enabled for ADSL, all people using that exchange will be able to get the service; unfortunately this is not the case. Whilst copper telephone lines are perfectly capable of supporting voice messaging they are not ideal for digital traffic, and as the distance between the exchange and the subscriber increases, the signal degrades and the broadband slows down to a point where it really isn’t broadband anymore!

Wireless Broadband bridges the gap! We install a wireless “gateway” at premises with a very good ADSL capability (generally close to the exchange) and then use a “mesh” system of wireless “nodes” to broadcast the signal to subscribers who then get fast Broadband access. It is called a mesh system because all the nodes link not only to the gateway, but also to each other, and thus if one fails the signal finds a way through by automatic rerouting via other mesh nodes.

Installation involves the location of one, two, or sometimes more premises who can obtain good ADSL at 2Mbps. At these premises we install the gateway mesh boxes and antennas and a 2Mbps business class ADSL feed. [enter pic of proto here}.

At other strategic points throughout the area to be covered we install“repeater” nodes which receive the signal from the gateway nodes, and broadcast it on further into the mesh system.

Clustered around the gateway and repeater nodes we install subscribers premises with a small panel type antenna and “wireless access point” which is connected to their PC via a cat 5 Ethernet cable, or wirelessly if required. Subscribers within direct sight of a gateway or repeater usually do not need an external antenna, and can use the wireless access points own internal antenna by placing the access point on a window sill.

When the installation is complete it looks something like this,[enter pic of mesh system] People living or working at the gateway or repeater node premises get their internet feed direct from the gateway or repeater node. All other subscribers get their feed via a wireless access point (WAP).

The best thing about a mesh system, unlike other competing systems, is that we can manage, repair and test the system from a computer terminal anywhere in the world! If a node breaks down, it tells us, and we can restart it! If a subscriber is having a problem our helpline can send a signal (called a ping) right through to the subscribers computer, checking all the equipment on the way to find the fault, and if all else fails, we have “real people” who will come to your premises to sort out your problems! In practice we will usually know about a fault before you do, and of course thanks to the self healing nature of the mesh system, if one node fails, the signal reroutes automatically. We can also monitor all the “vital statistics” of the mesh system and modify the way the network operates to obtain maximum reliability and efficiency. As the available speed of internet access increases, older and longer phone lines will be less able to cope with increased traffic and high speeds, whereas wireless systems can be simply upgraded at each node to increase speed and throughput.

One day all internet access will be wireless!