Metro Wi-Fi just isn’t going to go away. Zhone Technologies says its new SkyZhone products that get mounted on utility poles and the sides of buildings will really work, unlike traditional Wi-Fi gear that came up so short over the last few years.
In the middle of 2007, the company said, hundreds of municipalities worldwide were planning public Wi-Fi projects. Poor network performance and lack of reliability combined with the costs of building and managing metro-wide Wi-Fi networks caused those projects to be halted.
New and improved technologies the company is using in SkyZhone are:
– The new draft 802.11 n Wi-Fi rather than the less robust prior Wi-Fi versions.
– Telcos’ existing copper wires are used to connect (backhaul) to the Internet instead of less reliable Wi-Fi.
– The pole mounted SkyZhone uses electrical power in the telcos’ copper wires, just like the good old, always ready telephone, rather than AC, although an AC version of SkyZhone is available.
– Dual radios.
– An all MIMO (multiple in, multiple out) antenna architecture.
– Users can access it with any Wi-Fi version – b, a, g and n.
An indoor repeater is available where needed. It wirelessly connects to SkyZhone and to Wi-Fi devices such as a PC or iPhone. Only AC is required for the repeater.
SkyZhone has an Ethernet connection for optional accessories such as surveillance cameras, which can also use the line powering.
Zhone Technologies’ VP of marketing and product management Steven Glapa said the company addressed the problems head on with SkyZhone, which will give muni Wi-Fi network operators the means to offer a “truly capable and reliable multi-service network.”
Speeds up to 22 Mbps are promised for each SkyZhone by using existing copper wires to connect to the internet. The unit supports separate access networks on the same SkyZhone such as for public safety, municipal government usage and consumers. It’s designed to serve both licensed public safety and unlicensed general-purpose applications, the company said.
SkyZhone provides coverage of areas up to 100% greater than off the shelf Wi-Fi gear, according to the company and uses industry standards-based technologies.
SkyZhone’s integrated DSL backhaul equipment connects to the Net via existing DSLAM gear in the telcos’ central office. The unit has integrated line powering of each radio so AC is not needed for the SkyZhone. SkyZhone has primary and secondary lightning protection plus surge protection.
The same market demand exists for public Wi-Fi networks that existed before Wi-Fi was found to be lacking:
– Municipal governments’ need for wireless connectivity for city employees such as meter readers.
– Wireless has proven to be a more available network after a disaster than wired networks – think Katrina and the recent floods in the UK and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
– The digital divide – the broadband affordability gap that exists between the affluent and low- and no-income.
– The allure of being always connected via broadband.
– Public video and audio surveillance.
– Resorts and educational or business campuses.
SkyZhone is in trials or already deployed in more than 10 locations in the US and the Middle East, according to the company.
The only announced installations are the ones that ACD.net, mid-Michigan’s largest independent phone and broadband service provider, has installed with some help from funding by the cities. It used SkyZhone to build networks in Lansing and Springfield, Michigan.
ACD.net CEO Kevin Schoen said SkyZhone “renewed the viability of Wi-Fi” as a municipal network that could also serve consumers.
The company says that in almost every case, there is interest in three uses for muni Wi-Fi:
– Municipal applications for out and about city employees to use such as law enforcement and building inspectors.
– 24/7 security with surveillance cameras.
– Internet connections in areas where broadband is not available or affordable (the digital divide).
Why, we ask, in 2008 should any child in the US, Canada, Europe and a number of Asian/Pacific countries be deprived of broadband Internet access at home? And, what with PC prices dropping and businesses discarding still working PCs, why should every home with a child not have an Internet-connected computer? Pray tell.
Zhone Technologies says its new SkyZhone can help make it happen this time around.