Fidelity Comtech, a startup based in Bolder Colorado, specializes in innovative solutions for Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISP’s) and Hotspot providers.
Their Phocus Array System incorporates dynamic beamsteering with a variable range from a high gain of 43 degrees to a full 360 degree omnidirectional pattern (pdf). By focusing the antenna beam towards an intended recipient, the signal range increases up to 4 times, says Comtech, while reducing interference and limits the opportunity for eavesdropping.
IonSKY (now WhisperTEL), a Boulder-based Wireless Network Service Provider, provided the access points used in the demonstration. It claims to deliver the flexibility of traditional Wi-Fi with the capability to dynamically “beam steering and shaping”, with 15dBi gain, while deriving directional and distance information about the client.
The single board computer is Xscale-based, although the first prototype was Soekris-based. It has eight, Minipci radios with a custom RF front-end. No word on prices or availability.
The consumer-oriented Ruckus MetroFlex DZ can also dynamically shape a beam, using 63 different software-controllable antenna configurations. The $150 Ruckus box provides up to 5 dB gain and up to 20dbi rejection of interference. Ruckus says that provides a more stable signal. Ruckus says their “smart antenna” delivers better price/performance than multiple radio (MIMO) solutions.
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