Persistent Systems: Wave Relay™

FAQ's

• Hardware/Integration

• Power

• Capability Limits

• Sensor Networks

• Configuration

• General

• Customer Premise (CPE)

Hardware/ Integration

• I already have a hardware platform, is it possible to run Wave Relay™ software on my platform?
• I am already running some other wireless access system, is there a way I can integrate Wave Relay™ into the existing system?
• Is it possible to purchase just the Wave Relay™ radio board to integrate into a device/enclosure that I already have?
• Is it possible to connect a GPS to a Wave Relay™ router? Can I track the router's location?

Power

• Can a Wave Relay™ router be solar powered?
• Can a Wave Relay™ device be battery powered for mobile operation?
• Can the Wave Relay™ device be installed in a vehicle, and can it run from a DC power source?

Capability Limits

• Is there any hard limit on how many wireless hops can exist in the system?
• Is there a limit on how many devices can be connected to a Wave Relay™ system?

Sensor Networks

• What is the difference between a sensor network and a mobile ad hoc network?
• Can Wave Relay™ be used to connect sensor network gateways into a larger network?

Configuration/ Management

• If your network runs at layer 2 then what prevents a random user from running a DHCP server and
misconfiguring the whole network? Is there a way to prevent this problem?
• How do I manage a Wave Relay™ network? Does it come with management tools?
• Does the Wave Relay™ device come with an antenna?

General

• Is the Wave Relay™ router for industrial installations the same device that would be used for an ISP
application?

Customer Premise (CPE)

• Other hardware manufacturers make CPE devices for competitor's mesh networks? What makes your
   CPE better?
• Can CPE devices developed by third party manufacturers be used as clients to the Wave Relay™
   system?
• You describe Wave Relay™ as being a Mobile Ad hoc Network; can it provide the same capabilities as the
   Mesh Networks that municipalities are currently deploying?
• Can Wave Relay™ route traffic that is not running the Internet Protocol (IP)?
• You claim that your Wave Relay™ device supports 900, 2.4, and 5 GHz frequencies; can a single radio
   operate on all of those different bands? Or do you use a different radio in the router for each band?

Hardware/Integration:

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I already have a hardware platform, is it possible to run Wave Relay™ software on my platform?

A:	The Wave Relay™ software is able to run on a large variety of hardware platforms. It has been successfully tested on x86, PowerPC, ARM, and MIPS. If you would like to license Wave Relay™ for your specific device or hardware platform, please feel free to contact us for more information.

I am already running some other wireless access system, is there a way I can integrate Wave Relay™ into the existing system?

Wave Relay™ can easily integrate with existing systems. It runs at layer 2, providing the equivalent of a multi-hop virtual wire (at an abstract level). Even if you already have a large wireless deployment, Wave Relay™ can be integrated and used to further extend the system. Wave Relay™ behaves nicely with other systems and will not cause any routing/bridging loops, even if your existing systems are already doing bridging at layer 2.

Is it possible to purchase just the Wave Relay™ radio board to integrate into a device/enclosure that I already have?

A:	If you would like to purchase just the radio board, please contact us for more information.

Is it possible to connect a GPS to a Wave Relay™ router? Can I track the router's location?

A:	It is possible to utilize a GPS device with Wave Relay™. And Wave Relay™ can be used to provide mobile tracking. If you have a specific tracking requirement or wish to utilize a GPS system with Wave Relay™, please contact us for more information.

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Power:

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Can a Wave Relay™ router be solar powered?

The Wave Relay™ device can easily be solar powered. We do not provide solar systems, but it should be easy to use an off the shelf solar power system with Wave Relay™. The Wave Relay™ device consumes only a few watts of power and accepts a wide range of DC input voltage, making it an extremely flexible device for solar operation.

Can a Wave Relay™ device be battery powered for mobile operation?

At Persistent Systems, we frequently use external battery packs for testing mobile operation. We generally use lithium ion battery packs since they are lightweight and high energy density. Any external battery pack that operates within the voltage requirements of the Wave Relay™ device should work fine. If you intend to run a quad radio device on battery power, we recommend using a battery that operates at a minimum of 20V.

Can the Wave Relay™ device be installed in a vehicle, and can it run from a DC power source?

A Wave Relay™ device can be powered from a vehicle. An inverter can be used with the standard power over Ethernet AC/DC supply, or the device can be powered directly from the vehicle's DC power source. Since we recommend using a minimum of 20V for quad radio routers, the inverter + power supply would be the best option. For single radio routers, the 12V DC vehicle power should be sufficient.

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Capability Limits:

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Is there any hard limit on how many wireless hops can exist in the system?

There is no hard limit on how many wireless hops can exist in the system. If the system is engineered well, meaning it is configured with multiple radios operating on different channels, then you should be able to provide bandwidth across a large number of hops. If only single radio devices are used, then the available bandwidth will be decreased. Regardless of performance, there is no inherent system limitation on how many hops can exist.

Is there a limit on how many devices can be connected to a Wave Relay™ system?

A:	There is no system-imposed limit on how many devices can be bridged into a Wave Relay™ system.

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Sensor Networks:

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What is the difference between a sensor network and a mobile ad hoc network?

A sensor network is generally a collection of extremely low power, battery operated, low cost, wireless devices that have built-in sensors. Depending on the type of sensor, they can sense temperature, voltage, light, magnetism, and vibration. Sensor networks are generally not mobile and are generally designed only to transport data for their sensing applications. They are not designed to bridge devices or networks. Wave Relay™ is not a sensor network product.

Can Wave Relay™ be used to connect sensor network gateways into a larger network?

Sensor networks generally report sensed information to a sensor collector. The sensor collector generally has an Ethernet port allowing it to be attached to a standard Ethernet network. Sensors generally have low power radios, and although some of them can multi-hop they are not designed to transmit data over large geographic distances. By connecting the sensor collector device to a Wave Relay™ router, sensor networks can be deployed over a vast geographic area and can all be tied into a larger wireless system. Wave Relay™ is an ideal solution for bridging sensor network gateways.

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Configuration/Management:

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If your network runs at layer 2 then what prevents a random user from running a DHCP server and misconfiguring the whole network? Is there a way to prevent this problem?

Wave Relay™ has a special configuration setting which allows you to control which segments of your network are able to run DHCP servers. Wave Relay™ allows your DHCP servers to operate properly while blocking any rogue DHCP servers that may exist in your network. We realized that some users were having a problem with rogue DHCP servers, and we specifically addressed this problem in our management tools.

How do I manage a Wave Relay™ network? Does it come with management tools?

Wave Relay™ provides a number of different tools for performing network management. The system has an integrated web interface, which allows you to configure each device and manage the network as a whole. Since the system is designed to support a large number of nodes, we had to design the management tools to make it simple to manage all of the nodes. In addition to providing a web interface, the system provides support for the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). The Wave Relay™ system also integrates seamlessly with the Google Earth application, allowing you to view all of the connectivity of your network in a full visualization. The Google Earth integration provides an extremely powerful tool for network monitoring and visualization.

Does the Wave Relay™ device come with an antenna?

The Wave Relay™ device does not come with an antenna. The Wave Relay™ router has standard N-Type antenna connectors, allowing it to be paired with the appropriate antenna for a specific deployment situation. Wave Relay™ has been deployed with omni directional, sector, parabolic, grid, and yagi antennas. It is important to make sure that you select the appropriate antenna for your specific application and that your antenna/radio combination is within the FCC limits. Please contact us for antenna recommendations or questions regarding antennas and power limits.

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General:

Is the Wave Relay™ router for industrial installations the same device that would be used for an ISP application?

While anyone can purchase and use any of our products as they choose, our industrial products incorporate components that are tested and certified for industrial operation. These components are significantly more expensive than similar non-certified components. We have lower-cost devices available for the WISP market that do not carry the same industrial temperature ratings as some of our other products. We also have lower-cost single radio devices that can be used as multi-hop CPE's for municipal and wireless ISP deployments.

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Customer Premise Equipment (CPE):

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Other hardware manufacturers make CPE devices for competitor's mesh networks? What makes your CPE better?

Most CPE devices used with mesh deployments are simply 802.11b/g clients to the mesh access points. The client devices do not provide any of the routing and multi-hop mesh capabilities. This means that client devices cannot be used to extend connectivity, and the clients cannot route through each other to improve connectivity and coverage. This limitation plagues current mesh deployments and makes it almost impossible for them to provide reliable indoor coverage. Wave Relay™ provides the scalability that allows the mesh to extend all the way to the client. This increases end user performance, decreases fixed infrastructure costs, and simplifies deployment. As more users join the system the connectivity actually gets stronger, and the system becomes more reliable.

Can CPE devices developed by third party manufacturers be used as clients to the Wave Relay™ system?

Since Wave Relay™ devices are able to simultaneously function as 802.11 access points, technically any third party 802.11 client device could be used to connect to the system. However, these devices would not provide the same multi-hop connectivity as a Wave Relay™ client device, which would result in reduced performance. In general, though, they should work just fine.

You describe Wave Relay™ as being a Mobile Ad hoc Network; can it provide the same capabilities as the Mesh Networks that municipalities are currently deploying?

Wave Relay™ can provide all of the same capabilities as existing mesh networks, but it also provides additional capabilities such as peer-to-peer (any-to-any) optimized routing and excellent performance under mobility. A mesh network is just a simplified version of the more sophisticated Mobile Ad hoc Network concept.

Can Wave Relay™ route traffic that is not running the Internet Protocol (IP)?

Wave Relay™ runs at layer 2 (like an Ethernet switch), so it can carry ANY protocol that runs over standard Ethernet. There are a number of non-IP industrial protocols that take advantage of this capability. This also means that all of your legacy IPX traffic will still be bridged through the Wave Relay™ network. This is particularly important for businesses that use Wave Relay™ to bridge offices together. Wave Relay™ appears to the network like a wireless wire. If you ran an Ethernet cable between your buildings to tie two switches together, Wave Relay™ would provide the same functionality.

You claim that your Wave Relay™ device supports 900, 2.4, and 5 GHz frequencies; can a single radio operate on all of those different bands? Or do you use a different radio in the router for each band?

A:	The Wave Relay™ router can be equipped with a number of different radios that operate in different frequencies. When ordering your routers please specify the radio configuration that you require. Standard configuration will also be available for lower quantity purchases.

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