Date: 07/04/2011

Outdoor wireless mesh optimized for Video from Aruba Networks

Aruba Networks, Inc. has unveiled the Aruba AirMesh outdoor wireless solutions portfolio. Aruba says the Layer-3 routing capabilities of all AirMesh products and the quad-radio architecture of the new flagship MSR4000 clearly differentiate it from other outdoor mesh solutions.

"Layer-3 routing capability, which greatly improves scalability, will be increasingly critical for large mesh networks of the type that serve municipalities and large outdoor industrial installations," said Rohit Mehra, Director, Enterprise Communications Infrastructure, IDC. "Users should also look to the elimination of wired or overlay backhaul systems enabled by quad-radio architectures. This helps them minimize the cost of expensive cabling, and eases both installation and management."

Aruba says its AirMesh portfolio was designed from the ground up to be deployed in a wide variety of outdoor network scenarios, including delivery of data, voice and high-definition (HD) video at oil and gas fields, mining operations, utility management and transportation facilities. Local government uses include municipal wireless deployments and public safety applications such as video surveillance, mobile data transmission and disaster recovery. Its intelligent multi-radio design, with dual- and quad-radio 802.11n MIMO platforms, enables massive capacity, interference mitigation and sustained throughput over multiple network hops, adds Aruba.

At the port of Yokohama, Japan, traffic from IP cameras, weather sensors, Z-Wave and other Wi-Fi enabled devices is transferred by Aruba's AirMesh network to the iPhones and iPads used by workers and security at the port. United Communication Services, Inc. (Unicom), which specializes in wireless and mobile technology, acted as the system integrator for the project.

"Providing network connectivity in outdoor environments is often challenging due to the cost and disruption of running fiber to each location," said Nobuharu Suzuki, Corporate Officer and General Manager of the Engineering Department for Unicom. "Most wireless mesh networks deployed today simply cannot scale to cover large areas and provide multi-service capabilities due to a legacy Layer-2 mesh switching architecture. With its Layer-3 routing architecture and quad-radio-enabled backhaul capabilities, Aruba AirMesh enables us to meet all of our outdoor networking needs, regardless of the number of hops or the type of application being delivered."

The Aruba AirMesh portfolio of products features Aruba MeshOS, with Adaptive Wireless Routing (AWR), providing RF-aware, Layer-3 network intelligence to optimize traffic flow, reduce latency and ensure resiliency. Active Video Transport (AVT) optimizes and prioritizes video traffic, significantly improving video quality by reducing packet loss and jitter. AVT can identify video frames at 30 fps, a critical capability in delivery of HD video over multiple hops. Aruba's MobileMatrix technology enables reliable roaming between mesh routers in less than 50ms.

"The clarity of the HD-quality video and reliability of the Aruba wireless mesh network allows Seattle police to protect the public without requiring a costly wired infrastructure," said Monty Moss, a detective with the Seattle Police Department. "The particular system that we designed is also incredibly flexible. Cameras, wireless mesh routers and antennas can be moved and repositioned anywhere in the city to ensure public safety at specific events."

The Aruba AirMesh family includes ruggedized single, dual and quad radio platforms that deliver fiber-like capacity - up to 300 Mbps per radio. Each software-configurable radio can function as a mesh backhaul link or access point (AP) that operates in multiple frequencies for optimal performance and sustained throughput over multiple hops. Additionally, long-range directional antennae facilitate data transmission at distances up to 10 kilometers (6 miles).

The Aruba AirMesh portfolio includes the following products:
NEW! MSR4000 - Quad-radio outdoor 802.11n mesh router , software configurable for 2.4, 5 or 4.9 GHz operation
NEW! MST200 - Single-radio outdoor 802.11n mesh router with an integrated antenna for long-range connections
MSR2000 - Dual-radio outdoor 802.11n mesh router, software configurable for 2.4, 5, or 4.9 GHz operation
MSR1200 - Dual-radio indoor 802.11n mesh router
MeshConfig - Enables monitoring and management of multiple mesh networks

Aruba Wireless Mesh Professional (AWMP) Certification Program
IT professionals certified as Aruba Wireless Mesh Professionals (AWMPs) will be able to deploy and manage Aruba AirMesh outdoor wireless mesh networks. The fee-based certification exam is administered on behalf of Aruba Networks at Pearson VUE test centers. Participants in this course will have completed the Aruba Wireless Mesh Networking (AWMN) course. AWMP certification is valid for three years. Recertification requires passing the then-current version of the AWMP exam.