Wireless System extends OWS mesh to indoor devices.
Press Release Summary:
Edge Wireless System (EWS) 100 CPE makes Outdoor Wireless System (OWS) mesh network available to multiple in-house devices, enabling connectivity to WLANs and LANs with automatic WEP encryption. Plug-and-play product also provides seamless roaming for voice and data between inside and outside. Product incorporates 2 radios, 802.11g and 802.11a, and offers configuration option for indoor coverage that provides wired connection through built-in Ethernet port.
Original Press Release:
Strix Systems Introduces Edge Wireless System that Extends Access/One Outdoor Wireless Mesh to Indoor Wireless Devices
Zero-Configuration Strix Solution Enables Seamless Indoor/Outdoor Connectivity and Roaming for Voice and Data; Software Licenses Available to CPE Vendors
CALABASAS, Calif., May 22 -- Strix Systems, the leader in high-performance wireless mesh networking, today announced its Edge Wireless System (EWS 100), high-speed CPE that extends the reach and mobility of the Strix Outdoor Wireless System (OWS) mesh network to the indoors, enabling connectivity to WLANs, LANs, wireless-enabled laptops, VoIP phones and other devices. With the introduction of the EWS 100, Strix now provides a complete end-to-end wireless experience for residential users and small businesses. The simple "plug and play" product connects multiple in-house devices to the mesh and provides seamless roaming for voice and data between inside and outside.
"Our service-provider customers rely on Strix to deliver products that meet their needs and those of their end users. We're thus excited to introduce the EWS-100, which we developed as a result of service-provider feedback," said Nan Chen, Vice President of Marketing and Product Management at Strix Systems. "The EWS-100 is truly unique; its dual-radio design extends our high-performance wireless mesh networks into homes and businesses, and it is the first commercially available CPE to provide seamless roaming for VoIP."
Service providers can customize the EWS 100 by loading it with their own integration files and can track each customer's unit by recording its MAC address. In addition to distributing CPE, Strix will license its software, which is powered by the Strix Dynamic Mesh Architecture, and provide reference designs to other CPE vendors, thus enabling service providers to offer their customers a variety of connectivity options.
"The EWS 100 is an important factor in our ability to offer our customers a high-quality wireless mesh networking service," said Frank McCarthy, president of Citi Wifi Networks. "Strix realizes that for users who want to get the best performance on the mesh network from their homes or businesses, having a bridge to the indoors is essential."
Seamless Service Extension
The EWS 100 seamlessly extends the reach of the OWS into homes and small businesses, enabling end users to connect their existing equipment to municipal mesh networks. The RF signals of mesh networks can penetrate houses, but WLANs, wireless-enabled laptops, VoIP phones and other wireless user devices frequently do not have a signal strong enough to communicate with the network, resulting in poor performance. The EWS 100 improves signal strength, relaying the signal back and forth between the mesh and devices in the house.
The EWS 100, which measures 6" x 8" x 1.5", incorporates two radios, an 802.11g and an 802.11a; one of them can provide indoor wireless coverage, while the other connects the unit to Strix's outdoor mesh network. An alternate configuration option for indoor coverage is to provide a wired connection through the unit's built-in Ethernet port, just like a cable or DSL modem.
On the client side, Layer 2 Network Address Translation (NAT) allows the unit to support multiple PCs and enables an Ethernet client bridge to the mesh network. In addition, the EWS 100 provides automatic Wireless Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption. Provider-side features include local/remote management and Telnet/CLI. The EWS 100 is future proof; service providers can manage automatic upgrades to new features from a remote location or a Network Operation Center (NOC). In addition, the unit offers authentication management.
"I've been advocating for the addition of a CPE product to mesh architectures for some time," said Craig Mathias, a Principal with the wireless and mobile advisory firm Farpoint Group (Ashland, MA). "Strix is to be commended for making its new product as a full member of its product family, the logical extension of the mesh into the residence. Edge functionality will improve performance, reliability, management, and the overall user experience."
Price and Availability
The EWS 100 is priced at $179; packages of ten are available to service providers at a bulk rate. The product is available for order now.
About Strix Systems
Strix Systems is the technology leader in wireless mesh networking. Strix's Access/One(TM) products are the industry's only modular (chassis-based) mesh systems, delivering the largest capacity, highest throughput, and lowest latency. This new generation of products provides the broadband mobility and reach to support voice, video, and data applications. Sold globally by a network of first-class distributors and integrators, Access/One(TM) solutions have been deployed in hundreds of networks worldwide, outdoor and indoor, for the metro, public safety, government, energy, transportation, hospitality, education, enterprise, residential, and carrier access markets. For more information about Strix Systems, please visit www.strixsystems.com.
NOTE: Strix Systems and Access/One Network are trademarks or registered trademarks, in the United States and certain other countries, of Strix Systems. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the individual companies and are respectfully acknowledged.
CONTACT: Jeannette Bitz of Engage PR, +1-510-748-8200 ext. 207, jbitz@engagepr.com, for Strix Systems; or Nan Chen of Strix Systems, +1-818-251-1077, nan@strixsystems.com
