Wireless access points give 40km coverage

Paul Boughton

A new range of industrial wireless access points (bridges) is being launched that extends wireless coverage for long-range wireless networks. The devices are therefore useful for a diverse range of companies that are looking to extend their industrial wireless signal coverage. Korenix UK's new Jetwave 2600 series of wireless access points have integrated Intel TDMA technology, enabling the devices to communicate over distances of at least 40km with high transmission performance.

There are three main models in the Korenix Jetwave 2600 range. The Jetwave 2610 and the Jetwave 2620 are built on the IEEE 802.11a standard for wireless transmission networks and use the 5GHz bandwidth as their operating frequency. The Jetwave 2640 adopts dual-band IEEE 802.11a and 802.11g standards technology. All Jetwave devices support base station (AP), CPE, relay, point-to-point and point-to-multipoint modes of operation. Comprehensive wireless security is ensured by using WEP (wired equivalent privacy), WPA and WPA2 (Wi-Fi protected access versions 1 and 2) technology. These provide a level of security equivalent to that of a hard-wired LAN.

For outdoor installations, the Jetwave 2600 series is protected to IP67, with operating temperatures between -30 to 70 degrees C. The system is waterproof and rugged, and withstands high winds (level 17 Beaufort Scale).

The Jetwave series can be powered by PoE (Power-over-Ethernet) technology, including Korenix's own industrial PoE switches, the JetPoE and Jetrock series. For installations that require a combination of Jetwave, JetPoE and Jetrock devices, Korenix provides a complete end-to-end communication system. Typical customers include operators of railways, motorway networks and infrastructure, mining companies, dams, ports, oil and gas companies, wind energy farms, water treatment plants, energy and power distribution companies.

The Jetwave 2600 series is claimed to be unique in that it supports different types of wireless multiple access technologies, including CSMA (carrier sense multiple access) and Intel TDMA. CSMA has seen widespread adoption in WLAN applications; however, its performance reduces significantly as the transmission distance increases. For this reason, Korenix has ensured the high performance of its Jetwave 2600 series by implementing Intel's advanced TDMA technology for longer-range wireless networks, without compromising the bandwidth. Using the Jetwave 2600 series' standard 23dbi panel antenna, the transmission quality is guaranteed up to at least 40km.

As Andy Cross, sales manager at Korenix UK, explains: "IEEE 802.11b/g is the most common standards technology for domestic and enterprise wireless access, which operates at a frequency of 2.4GHz. However, this often results in overcrowded networks and frequent transmission interference. By adopting IEEE 802.11a and TDMA technology, the Jetwave 2610 extends the wireless transmission range without sacrificing transmission quality. This means that customers can choose either CSMA or Intel TDMA according to their application requirements."

By using dual-band, IEEE 802.11a modules on the Jetwave 2620, customers can either aggregate the radios to double the throughput of point-to-point wireless applications, or relay traffic from one direction to another without any degradation in performance.

For even greater flexibility, the Jetwave 2640 is equipped with one IEEE 802.11a module and one 802.11b/g module. This enables easier integration of local area 2.4GHz networks with backhaul 5GHz networks.

For more information, visit www.korenix.co.uk