STRIX SYSTEMS ACCESS/ONE PRODUCTS PROVEN FOR RAILROAD INDUSTRY WIRELESS SOLUTION

Study Performed by University of Nebraska Proves Strix Access/One Wireless Mesh Network Solution Meets and Exceeds Expectations

CALABASAS, Calif., September 12, 2007

Strix Systems, the market and technology leader in high-performance wireless mesh networking, today announced the Advanced Telecommunications Engineering Laboratory (TEL) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been conducting a WiFi testing program for the railway industry and is recommending Strix Access/One® for future WiFi deployments alongside railroad tracks for its superb performance and manageability.

Funded by the Federal Railway Administration (FRA), BNSF and Union Pacific railroads, and headed by Dr. Hamid Sharif, director of the University’s Advanced Telecommunications Engineering Laboratory and an industry expert on wireless networking for railways, this unique and comprehensive study was performed using a test bed equipped with Strix Access/One® equipment to analyze the performance of WiFi for railroad industries.  

“I see a huge potential for wireless mesh networks in the rail industry.  Our findings will help railroads decide what types of wireless networks to install in their yards and along their tracks to improve the safety, security, and operational effectiveness of railroads,” said Dr. Sharif. “The results we have achieved with the Strix OWS are outstanding.”

A comprehensive and extremely realistic simulation system has been developed by TEL to perform exhaustive computer-aided testing and analysis, which looks at environmental interference signal loss, bit error rate, compares wireless with terrestrial communications, and the impact of mobility on system throughput, latency and high-speed roaming.

The test bed, located along 3.5 miles of track owned by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF), passes through varied terrain—including curves, hills, and heavily wooded areas. Strix OWS nodes are installed on poles along the track. At one end of the test bed, the OWS connects to BNSF’s wire-line infrastructure and connects to its wireless infrastructure at the other end of the test bed.

Real-life testing of streaming video and voice (VoIP) resulted in predictable performance, zero loss, and perfect roaming hand-off as the engine passed from one node to the next. Strix’s OWS achieved the maximum throughput and lowest latency, which was above and beyond the test’s expectations. The exceptional performance of the OWS allowed the researchers to achieve reliable communication up to an impressive 1400 meters.

“Strix sees railways rapid adoption of wireless mesh networks in mobile applications, and the work of Professor Sharif and his team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will be crucial in helping establish the kind of performance that customers should expect,” said Tom Mooreland, Vice President of Sales. “Strix’s industry-leading throughput, latency and high-speed mobility, combined with our multi-radio, multi-channel, and multi-RF capabilities, make the Strix OWS an ideal choice for railroads and others in the transportation sector that require high-quality, real-time mobile networking.”
 
    * Link to information about TEL work at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
      (http://www.tel.unomaha.edu/Pages/Main/projects.html?focus=fraproject)
    * Federal Railway Administration
      (http://www.fra.dot.gov/)
    * Strix Access/One Network Outdoor Wireless System (OWS) (http://www.strixsystems.com/product-detail.aspx?look=1)
    * Strix Access/One Network Indoor Wireless System (IWS) (http://strixsystems.com/product-detail.aspx?look=2)
    * Strix Wireless Mesh Network Solutions      (http://www.strixsystems.com/solutions.aspx)
    * Strix Wireless Mesh Ready Certification
      (http://www.strixsystems.com/certification)

The Strix Access/One OWS and IWS modular mesh products deliver the largest capacity (up to six radios and 768 users per node, three to six times the norm), highest throughput (five times the norm at 35 Mbps), and best scalability (users can add more radio boards or new technologies). An independent wireless mesh test, sponsored by Light Reading and completed in June 2006, found Strix’s OWS 2400-30 delivers the best throughput and capacity and the greatest scalability for voice applications and mobility/roaming. Strix networks scale to 10 or more wireless hops with near-zero throughput loss and latency, enabling customers to deliver real-time applications with a minimum of wired connections for a given area, which reduces CapEx and OpEx.
Strix Systems is the worldwide leader in wireless mesh networking. Strix’s Access/One products are the industry’s only modular (chassis-based) mesh systems, delivering the largest capacity, highest throughput and best scalability. 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 solutions have been deployed in hundreds of networks worldwide, outdoor and indoor, for service providers, metros, public safety, government, energy, transportation, hospitality, education, enterprises, and residential markets. For more information about Strix Systems, please visit www.strixsystems.com