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ILLINOIS UTILITY COMPANY USES STRIX WIRELESS MESH NETWORK TO PROVIDE INTERNET ACCESS, PUBLIC SAFETY NETWORK
Strix OWS Offered Rochelle Municipal Utilities Best Performance, Flexibility, and Scalability
CORE NEWS FACTS
Rochelle Municipal Utilities (RMU) of Rochelle, Illinois, (pop. 9,000) has deployed Strix Access/One® Network Outdoor Wireless System (OWS) to provide broadband Internet access service to business and residential customers. Residential customers pay $24.95 a month for service. In addition, RMU offers free Wi-Fi service in downtown Rochelle, will offer public safety communications via the 4.9 GHz band, and will utilize WiMax (802.16) for high-speed backhaul in the near future.
RMU was Rochelle’s incumbent provider for years, but when larger nationwide DSL and cable Internet access providers started offering services, RMU began looking for new ways to compete. The utility decided to build a future-proof wireless network and offer a new set of services to knock out the competition. RMU tested equipment from several other vendors, but nothing matched Strix’s performance, flexibility, or scalability.
A major reason RMU selected the Strix OWS was the flexibility of its multi-radio architecture, which enables the utility to over-build its initial network and then scale as needed. Plus, Strix’s optimized antenna technologies provide the greatest reach and coverage. The utility was able to select the right antennas to use in specific conditions, such as those areas where signal penetration through certain types of mature leafy trees and in downtown areas with high buildings would normally create service holes.
The new Strix network provides reliable, low-cost Internet service throughout Rochelle, giving residential and business customers an upgrade path to faster Wi-Fi access and new mobility options. The network also provides broadband access in rural areas that have no dial-up Internet service. In addition, the company offers free mobile/roaming Internet access in Rochelle’s downtown business district.
RMU plans to employ the 4.9 GHz public safety band to provide connectivity for emergency services personnel. A critical component to the selection criteria was the ability to support video surveillance. IP-based surveillance cameras will allow the city and public safety officials to monitor and record an area where two railway crossings cut the town in half. Strix OWS is used to send video to laptops or other handheld devices at emergency services departments such as police, fire, and ambulance. Today, emergency personnel do not know if a train is in a crossing until they reach it; if a crossing is blocked, they have to take alternate routes to reach the other side of town. The ability to view the crossings will allow personnel to plan their routes from the moment they leave their stations, which could save precious minutes in responding to life-threatening emergencies.
The company has installed 35 OWS nodes to date, including the OWS 3600 Series, which has up to six 802.11a and g radios per node, and the OWS 2400 Series, which has up to four radios per node; both are upgradeable. Because the Strix OWS is highly scalable, RMU can extend the network later as service expansion warrants.
Ryan Alderks, Communications Superintendent, Rochelle Municipal Utilities – “We had been looking for a low-cost broadband solution for some time, and we chose the Strix OWS because its multi-radio architecture gives us the flexibility to over-build. We tested several other platforms from large and small vendors, and Strix blew the competition away. Our municipal wireless mesh network puts us at the cutting edge of the technology marketplace; it’s an amenity for the town, and we expect it will attract business.”
Nan Chen, Vice President of Product Management and Marketing, Strix Systems – “Strix’s solution not only solves RMU’s current competitive situation but also enables it to plan and deliver a multitude of services with a future-proofed network infrastructure. Our award-winning performance and capacity ensure that customers in Rochelle will always have access to the very highest quality service.”
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, WiMAX modules, 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, the greatest scalability for voice applications, and the best mobility/roaming. Strix networks scale to 10 or more wireless hops with near-zero throughput loss and latency. Customers can deliver real-time applications with a minimum of wired connections for a given area, which reduces CapEx and OpEx.
Strix Systems is the proven worldwide leader in wireless mesh networking. Strix’s Access/One products are the industry’s only modular (chassis-based) mesh systems, delivering the highest throughput, lowest latency, greatest capacity and unparalleled 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 the service providers, metro, public safety, government, energy, transportation, hospitality, education, enterprise, and residential markets. For more information about Strix Systems, please visit www.strixsystems.com |
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