Tropos Networks Introduces Family of MetroMesh Routers

Tropos Networks (Booth 59), a developer of metro-scale wireless mesh network systems, has announced a new family of Tropos MetroMesh routers to provide smart routing for multiband metro-scale wireless mesh networks. The new product family extends the benefits of the Tropos MetroMesh architecture, which includes the Predictive Wireless Routing Protocol (PWRP), Adaptive Mesh Connectivity Engine (AMCE) and Tropos Insight.

The first member of this new product family is the Tropos 5320 outdoor MetroMesh router, a dual-band Wi-Fi mesh router. The Tropos 5320 offers both 802.11a and 802.11b/g radios and allows both radios to be used simultaneously to form both client and mesh connections. The Tropos 5320 is completely interoperable with the entire family of Tropos MetroMesh routers.

Tropos says it has significantly enhanced its MetroMesh OS, which is embedded in every Tropos MetroMesh router, now providing the ability to identify dynamically the combination of links within the mesh that forms the highest performing end-to-end data path from clients to the wired connection to the Internet, even if those links are in different frequency bands. This allows service providers and municipalities to use spectrum in the 5GHz band with the flexibility of shifting to the 2.4GHz band for mesh connections in areas where there is poor 5GHz propagation.

“Mesh vendors without significant outdoor deployment experience throw a bunch of radios in a box and think they’re done,” said Saar Gillai, vice president of engineering for Tropos Networks. “Providing affordable capacity in wireless mesh networks is less about the number of radios in the system and more about the efficiency with which the system uses the spectrum those radios access. That’s why Tropos has focused, and continues to focus, on enhancing our mesh protocols to make the most efficient use of spectrum, no matter how many radios are in the system.”

The MetroMesh OS manages multiple radio interfaces similar to the way a wireline router accommodates multiple Ethernet, token ring, WAN and other interfaces. The interfaces provide the Tropos PWRP with additional paths from which it can choose when maximizing end-to-end, client-server throughput. Using this radio-independent approach, Tropos will quickly follow the introduction of the Tropos 5320 with additional multiradio MetroMesh routers combining Wi-Fi, MIMO, WiMAX, 4.9GHz, 3G/4G cellular and other unlicensed and licensed radio technologies.

The Tropos 5320 begins shipping in October 2006. Tropos Network will roll out additional multiband MetroMesh routers during the coming year.

In related news, Tropos Networks also announced the Tropos Metro Wireless Development program, which enables carriers, service providers, spectrum license holders and others to add custom radio interfaces to Tropos MetroMesh routers.

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