The Most Successful Carrier class Wi-Fi Solution

WiFi no longer an idle speculation but an evolution of last mile wireless technology operating in the unlicensed frequency spectrum. To say that WiFi technology is unable to achieve large scale coverage, Quality-of-Service (QoS) and therefore limited in providing mobility as depicted by traditional APs (SOHO WiFi Equipment) is a thing of the past. Altai carrier class equipment can operate in the same class as the GSM cellular base stations which can perform in harsh outdoor weather conditions.

The Altai carrier class equipment has a larger uplink gain (>16 db) thus giving it much better ability to listen to low powered client devices. This last mile carrier class equipment has characteristics that make it retain system robustness, scalability, performance in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (2.4GHz Access and 5.8GHz Backhaul), large scale coverage because of backhaul switching and client association switching as well as its ability to be managed. Therefore it is befitting to classify the Altai equipment as a WiFi Cellular System.

Comparatively, WiFi is the readily available technology for wireless connectivity unlike WiMAX which is expected to take some time to become popular especially in client devices. WiFi has high penetration into client devices and is commonly found in just about every notebook computer, PDAs, and mobile phones released in the last Three years. It can deliver true broadband connectivity with the 802.11g standard which provides data rates up to 54Mbps. However the WiMAX (often regarded as the fourth generation network (4G)) can provide a backbone network for WiFi city wide networks.

City Wide Network Requirements

The typical usual city wide WiFi networks requirements are:
• To build a city wide network that maximizes use of roof tops of schools, churches, and other city based non profit organizations.
• To cover typically 70% of 4 square Kilometers in the sub-urban residential area and provide 802.11 b/g wireless services for over 30,000 residents.
• Support triple play WiFi applications and bandwidth including VoIP, video streaming and other interactive applications.
• Minimize the total investment costs

Advantages

The Altai carrier class equipment is developed based on the micro cellular coverage urban area user capacity, Quality of Service to support real time applications and using AWMS to simplify operations and maintenance of the WiFi network.

The ratio of an A8 Super WiFi to a standard AP is 1:6 for the same coverage area e.g. In a 6 storey building where 6 standard APs would be required only one A8 BST would be appropriate. Thus reducing coverage cost per floor, installation and consequently labour and time costs are reduced. In addition the A8 can be configured to have up to 16 VAPs (Virtual Access Points) and priorities can be set on each VAP for different services (Video, Voice & Data). In this manner you can create 16 different networks without compromising QoS.

With the A8 being carrier class equipment operating in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, physical design (sectorial aerials and lightweight BST) and its co-location capabilities brings about reduction in CAPEX and installation cost. Its flexible mounting allows seamless relocation since it can be mounted on street light poles, existing masts etc. This equipment does not only cater for carriers but also for SMEs and SMMEs who would like to provide WiFi based services.

Limitation on WiFi Coverage

As with all wireless systems, the coverage with WiFi is affected by the environment.

The transmitted power, or more precisely the Electrical Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) is restricted by regulatory authorities in different countries, e.g. the FCC in the US restricts the EIRP to a maximum of 36dBm whereas the EIRP restriction in the cellular network world is about 55dBm. Generally speaking the coverage of a WiFi base station will be less than the cellular base station. Another critical point is WiFi operates at a higher frequency band than cellular networks, and therefore the penetration capabilities of WiFi by its nature will be lower than a cellular network.

Safety

With the use of very conservative estimations (i.e. over-estimating the amount of RF energy) it is calculated that for the general public the minimum safe distance from the Altai A8 base station antenna is 18 cm. As a conservative rule of thumb, it is recommended that installations are deployed such that the general public will not be within 25 cm of an installed system. In order to provide further safety margin, it is recommended in our FCC certification that the antennas should provide a separation of at least 45 cm from anyone and should not be collocated or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter. The influence of an Altai cellular base station to the general public’s health is the lowest amongst other wireless devices, and is much lower than the maximum permissible exposure value as set by the ICNIRP.