WI-VOD : How It's Done

• How It's Done

For many miles along the interstate highways, emergency and first responders lack broadband connectivity and the security applications enabled by broadband. Even worse, for long stretches of highway phone service is unavailable or offers poor connectivity. This current situation, the lack of even basic telecom resources, negatively impacts on the ability of many first responders to adequately perform their assigned tasks. Compounding the problem for Emergency personnel is the general lack of broadband communications for civilian populations along the most interstates. Truckers and travelers along the highways are often without the benefits of cellular phone communications or related data communications. This lack of ability to communicate results in delayed flow of critical information – from emergency response situations, to coordination of freight and commerce, to critical communication between citizens.

Utilizing strategically placed 802.11 technologies, WI-VOD'S rural users (including law enforcement, first responders, or civilians) access broadband connectivity within the coverage areas even while mobile. Such connectivity requires higher power and more focused dispersion and collection of the 802.11x signal, as well as a better security envelope around the connection.

Our network design follows the general characteristics found in the sample diagram below:

With the combination of partner technologies, our metropolitan Wi-Fi networks can provide multi-storey, blanket, near ubiquitous, Wi-Fi coverage and connectivity both indoors and outdoors in inner city, campuses and dense commercial / residential environments. Anywhere inside the network area (from 0.5 square kilometers to over 100 square kilometers) end users can enjoy a mobile broadband connection. Our configuration also is one of very few solutions that support mobile VoIP due to the very low latency, built-in redundancy, high signal availability, and seamless handoff between our network nodes. The solution is also suitable as for Wi-Fi compatible close circuit television (CCTV) cameras thereby avoiding the need to cable each individual CCTV camera.

Our Wi-Fi solution is a cost-effective and efficient delivery alternative for Telco-grade broadband service.

Building from the foundation of Cisco's proprietary Infrastructure-Mesh design, WI-VOD'S network is specifically configured and combined with other partner technologies to maximize WI-FI deployments in complex environments providing:

Low latency
High levels of redundancy
Seamless roaming
Fast hand-off
Support for mobile VoIP
Multiple paths for routing of data traffic, and the
Ability to easily Expand Network Size and Capacity.

As part of our deployment methodology we try to leverage the use of appropriate existing facilities for placement our network nodes, including:

Electrical poles (hydro) servicing buildings and street lighting
Water towers and/or other municipal tower construction (RF towers, traffic monitoring camera poles, weather sensor poles, etc)
Municipal buildings (of a height equal or greater than neighboring buildings)
Tall Traffic or community notification signs (with existing power feeds)

The Infrastructure-Mesh architecture is flexible and network dimensioning takes into account: the number of end-users; the likely location of end users; the required bandwidth during peak times in relation to coverage and backhaul links; as well as the applications being utilized (i.e. data and VoIP traffic requirements). As end user demand grows in an area, or as service deliverables such as individual end user bandwidth increases over time, additional nodes are added to the high demand areas to provide additional coverage. WI-VOD's methodology maximizes on the interoperability with future grids, supporting end user roaming into other WI-VOD networks. This provides almost unlimited horizontal expansion to each community network that is deployed as they grow in terms of their individual coverage areas and in the number of communities that are covered.