Digital wireless solutions today give users a difficult choice: voice only connections that work in most environments or high speed data connections that only work reliably outside of cities. Nomadio’s Assured Wireless Ethernet (AWE) is a digital wireless platform that simultaneously delivers high-speed voice, video and data networking in demanding situations where other wireless solutions cannot operate, from the jungle to urban environments.
AWE makes it simple to integrate existing equipment onto the AWE reliable wireless backbone. Through Ethernet and standard Wi-Fi, existing devices can be connected as easily as they can to a standard local area network. No configuration is needed for most applications.
The AWE family of frequency agile routers offers the best performance for urban, jungle and vehicle based networking.
Frequency Agile OFDM
Frequency agile radios are able to shift radio frequencies in order to find the optimal frequency for any situation: low UHF frequencies for penetrating into buildings and dense jungle, ISM frequencies for compatibility with off the shelf radios, and high frequencies to avoid jammers and other sources of interference. By utilizing low radio frequencies for long range, and integrating video and control processing directly into the mesh routers, Nomadio’s technology provides uniquely high performance.
Mesh Technology
The AWE’s mesh technology allows the radios to automatically act as repeaters for each other in order to extend range, and share uplinks via internet connection or satellite uplink. AWE’s fast handoffs allow moving vehicles to change how their network is routed on the fly as they move, without dropping connections. The software is made simple to integrate, allowing any TCP/IP enabled computer to get on the mesh without special software or drivers.
Case Study: EOD Robotics
The AWE was born out of the severe communications problems that robots were having operating in cities and forests. Today, most of the robots used in the field operate with high-power 2.4 GHz radios, which offer good line-of-sight range, but little ability to control the robot when the robot is obstructed (which greatly limits their value). The problems that robot operators were facing were not unique to them: first responders, security cameras, anyone entering a building, sensor networks and facility security operations all face the same difficulties.
The satellite photo on the right is a clear example of the AWE’s superior performance. For the test, two robots were used: an iRobot Packbot with the standard, iRobot 2.4 GHz robot and a Bombot with an AWE radio (limited to run at the same power levels as the Packbot’s internal radio). The test was run at the Volkstone training facility in Camp Dawson, West Virginia. This facility is an old manganese plant, made of concrete and steel where the Army trains for urban missions.
The Packbot, shown as the red line, operated line of sight and was even able to enter a cinderblock building but lost link immediately when a silo came into its path. The AWE-enabled robot, however, was able to navigate its way all the way through the factory, out the other side, and did not lose link until it navigated into the trees on the other side of the factory.