The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) got underway this week in Orlando with a packed schedule, keynote speakers, and exhibitions with announcements by Cisco, and others promoting rugged computers and 4.9 GHz networking.

PacketHop today announced the PacketHop Communication System 2.0, which adds support for the 4.9 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum and simultaneous cellular data network access. PacketHop claims it is “the most advanced data communications system for public safety available on the market”.

Version 2.0 of the PacketHop Communication System enables first responders to take advantage of the licensed 4.9 GHz public safety band, dynamically linking Wi-Fi nodes, access points, and mobile devices into a self-healing network. It isn’t dependent on a central management point, but can move and adapt as the situation changes.

PacketHop is a founding member of the 4.9GHz Open Standards Coalition, along with Cisco and Nortel. “There is not a mesh-enabled Wi-Fi access point or wireless router out there that works with any other vendors’ wireless access point or wireless router,” says Motorola’s Rick Rotondo (who utilizes their own brand of mesh).

The coalition lobbied the FCC to change rulings so 802.11 networks using 5GHz 802.11a technology would be usable by emergency personnel by “re-banding” any 11a signal from a laptop down to 4.9GHz. The Coalition promotes the use of 802.11 standards-based technologies for the 4.9 GHz band, rather than proprietary solutions. For example, Ubiquiti’s SuperRange4 is based on the Atheros AR5414 chipset and can output 400mW in 5/10/20 MHZ transmission bandwidth options with full FCC modular approval in the 4.9 GHz band.

Supporting cellular data networks enables first responders to simultaneously connect with - and send multimedia information to - remotely located first responders when cellular data networks are available. However, with PacketHop, first responders can continue to communicate and share information amongst each other even if cellular connections are unavailable.

Interoperability between different mesh “standards” is always a problem, of course. Other proprietary mesh protocols include:

• Motorola’s Mesh Networking Group, formed from the acquisition of MeshNetworks in 2004, combines its previous-generation — Mesh Enabled Architecture (MEA), a proprietary mesh network, that relays signals through Motorola’s MEA radios.Motorola’s MotoMesh consists of three devices: an Intelligent Access Point, which includes either a wired or wireless backhaul (like Motorola’s Canopy); wireless routers; and the (optional) MEA radios. Each IAP contains four radios: two each on the 2.4-GHz and 4.9-GHz bands, permitting communications in the unlicensed and licensed spectrum. One of the radios in each spectrum is configured to use Wi-Fi, while one uses the MEA protocol.

  Motorola envisions a Motomesh deployment supporting Motorola’s proprietary MEA radios and 802.11-standard-based radios on separate 4.9 GHz bands. On the 2.4 GHz side, one network could be used for public access, and the other could be dedicated to public works personnel.

  Motorola’s WiFi Mesh, on the other hand, is designed for public access metropolitan WiFi networks. It features two Wi-Fi based radios.

• Cisco’s Internet Protocol Interoperability and Communications System (IPICS) integrates disparate push-to-talk radio, or two-way voice communications with other voice, video, and data networks. The initial focus of the technology is on voice. Eventually IPICS will be expanded to include voice, data, and video. Cisco IPICS Server Software provides voice communications interoperability, real-time information sharing, and effective operations management for enterprise safety and security, emergency management personnel. It could tie together the radio communications used by different emergency and rescue teams to create a coherent network.
• BelAir has added 4.9GHz to its products. A BelAir multi-radio node can be used with Wi-Fi and 4.9GHz, while also providing a backhaul mesh network (using 5.8 GHz). BelAir now has products with a single radio (50C), dual radios (100), four radios (200) and the new six-radio BelAir300 that can include cellular, Wi-Fi and wireless mesh.
• In Motion’s trunk-mounted radios connect to SkyPilot’s TriBand 4.9 GHz nodes and cellular data networks.

Extreme Tech has a review of recent developments in mesh standards. Officially, the IEEE 802.11s group (for mesh standards), has set a timeline to publish an initial draft specification in July 2007, and publish the final spec by July 2008. The Intel-and Firetide-led SEE Mesh draft and Nortel’s Wi-Mesh Alliance, resolved their differences and moved forward with a joint proposal for a draft 802.11s mesh standard, that could be approved by early next year by the IEEE, according to Electronic Engineering Times.

Strix and BelAir both have said that 802.11s may not cover outdoor mesh networking effectively. Tropos, the mesh market leader, uses a single radio with their patented Predictive Wireless Routing Protocol (PWRP) and may not feel compelled to jump in bed with the first mesh standard that comes down the pike.

DailyWireless has more on Coming Soon: Mesh Standards?, Smart APs Get a Standard, Community Mesh Developments, Motorola’s MeshConnect, $100 Laptop, Srix Expands Mesh, Big City WiFi Clouds, Mesh Standards?, Mesh Standards Proposed, Mesh Standards, Taipei’s Mesh Cloud, Scaling City-wide Mesh, NASA/Nortel Mesh Shuttle Coverage, Securing the Cloud, Hotels Get Meshed, Mesh Projects & Gear, MetroFi Goes Long, Mesh: Baton Rouge Et Al Citywide Mesh, Mesh Goes Downtown, Aiirnet & Telerama, Strix and Air Magnet, San Jose Free Cloud, Meshing at Intel, Meshed Roofnets, Mesh ISP, City Mesh, Intel’s 802.11s for Home Mesh, Portland Chooses MetroFi, San Francisco Chooses Earthlink/Google, MetroFi Goes Free, and Rio Rancho Goes Free.

Posted by Sam Churchill on Tuesday, August 8th, 2006 at 6:37 am.