Minetec Pty Ltd

TROPOS METROMESH OS

At Tropos®, we're huge fans of smart software. In fact, we understand the reality that you simply cannot build scalable, reliable, high performance networks without software purpose-built for the metro wireless environment. That's why we've got some of the world's best software and routing engineers working on our solutions. They've done such an exceptional job of putting together the most intelligent mesh systems on the planet that we've got patents on the stuff.

In fact, with 33 patents issued or pending, Tropos MetroMesh™ OS provides the industry's most sophisticated mesh networking intelligence. Tropos MetroMesh OS is the key to delivering the ultimate scalability, high capacity at low cost and great user experience demanded by carriers, municipalities and network users. If it doesn't say Tropos MetroMesh on the carton, it's just a bunch of hardware running some recycled wireline routing technology. Would you really build a wireless network supporting millions of users with some variation on Spanning Tree? We sure wouldn't.

Tropos MetroMesh OS is composed of three elements:

Predictive Wireless Routing Protocol (PWRP®)

PWRP forms a wireless mesh, dynamically routing traffic along the highest throughput path to the Internet, providing maximum spectral efficiency. This intelligent routing negates effects of radio frequency (RF) interference, wired backhaul failure and mesh router failure. It scales to thousands of nodes with the lowest routing overhead in the industry, not exceeding 5% of available bandwidth regardless of network size. PWRP is the industry's only purpose-built mesh routing protocol built on the important principle of optimizing client-server throughput.

PWRP also enables, without need for special client hardware or software, session-persistent client mobility across a metro-scale Wi-Fi mesh network, maintaining user sessions as clients move throughput the coverage area.

The result: high performance, reliable networks with incredible resiliency.

Adaptive Mesh Connectivity Engine (AMCE™)

AMCE is a breakthrough software innovation, embedded in the MetroMesh OS (which, of course, is embedded in every mesh router that we ship), that automatically detects and compensates for the unique characteristics of Wi-Fi client devices. It makes these adjustments without any modification, either hardware or software, to the client devices. So, no fiddling with the customer's PDA, no self-install disks for the consumer's laptop, no endless support calls. This means more predictable, reliable connections to the MetroMesh network, which means a much greater user experience, which of course means much higher consumer satisfaction.

Based on all the things we've learned while deploying the largest metro Wi-Fi customer base worldwide, AMCE provides adaptive tuning on each Tropos MetroMesh router that dynamically detects and compensates for the unique characteristics of attached Wi-Fi clients. It creates more reliable client connections to metro-scale Wi-Fi networks.

AMCE uses per-packet transmission power and timing control to compensate for low power client devices. This enables clients to make better decisions about which MetroMesh router offers the best connection to the Wi-Fi network and the data rate that should be used for the connection.

AMCE intelligently mitigates local interference, improving packet reception. It includes network-level optimizations to improve user connections in high user-density settings. AMCE dynamically adjusts Wi-Fi transmission parameters to further improve client connection reliability and throughput.

The result: high performance, reliable networks with unprecedented consumer satisfaction.

Multi-service infrastructure

The multi-service infrastructure allows many different and segregated user communities to each have their own private network running over a single metro-scale Wi-Fi mesh infrastructure. Each virtual network offers its own address space, classes of service and security settings.

For example, a network could be provisioned mainly for public access and residential broadband service while various municipal departments such as police, fire, emergency services, building inspections and public works could each have its own private network on the same wireless infrastructure. Each user group would be assured that their data would be isolated from other user groups.

As a service provider, each user community you put on the MetroMesh infrastructure represents a quicker return on investment, with a subscriber base that likely will churn at a rate lower than is typical for consumer subscriptions. Multi-use networks leverage the infrastructure investment and fixed costs across the highest possible number of users.

The multi-service infrastructure integrates seamless mobility into the centralized authentication systems used by large network operators. Tropos' innovative use of GRE tunneling and BGP routing makes the core routers used by network operators mobility aware. User traffic is securely tunneled through the Internet to a centralized access control and authentication system. Subscribers can move seamlessly within and between networks with session-persistence. These capabilities enable carriers to roll out profitable nationwide or international metro-scale Wi-Fi mesh systems supporting millions of users.

The result: increased potential subscriber base, reduced churn, quicker return on investment, and more profitable networks.

TROPOS METROMESH ANALYSIS AND CONTROL TOOLS

The Tropos® MetroMesh™ analysis and control tools, designed to give network operators centralized visibility into all aspects of network performance…allowing analysis, optimization and control of highly dispersed, wide area mesh systems. Without these types of tools, it'd be impossible to operate a network without committing to astronomical operating costs…not too many smart business people out there willing to do that.

Tropos Control

Tropos Control is an incredibly powerful element manager. It enables network operators to perform a plethora of important functions, including over the air configuration and updates of Tropos MetroMesh routers, whole network performance monitoring and statistical capture…all from the comfort of the network operations center.

The result: high performance, reliable networks without the hassle and cost of truck rolls.

Tropos Insight

Tropos Insight is an advanced MetroMesh network analyzer and optimizer. It gives you unprecedented visibility into network-wide performance statistics, real-time. Not just mesh performance, but mesh-to-PoP performance and mesh-to-client performance as well. Tropos Insight incorporates an advanced statistical package that correlates data from across a MetroMesh network and presents the collected information in a customizable dashboard view. You can even drill down deeper into the information, utilizing any of more than 70 reports that Tropos Insight delivers.

Want more details? Tropos Insight retrieves data from the MetroMesh OS instrumentation embedded in each MetroMesh router. It provides system-wide data correlation and identifies opportunities for performance optimization. This tool enables you to keep up with the dynamic RF environment and changing demands of your user base quickly and at low cost.

The result: high performance, reliable networks with unprecedented customer satisfaction.

Tropos Drive

Tropos Drive is a purpose-built metro drive-test appliance. It quickly and easily determines block-by-block metro-scale network coverage and throughput.

The appliance can be configured to emulate the characteristics of pretty much any Wi-Fi client device. Want to know what user experience your network can deliver to, say, a Dell laptop with an internal Centrino chip? Simply configure the appliance to emulate the transmit power, receive sensitivity and antenna gain of that particular client device and start driving. Tropos Drive, utilizing integrated GPS technology, accurately plots both coverage and throughput on widely available graphical maps. It gives a simple to understand and digest view of real-world network performance, allowing you to tweak the network for maximum optimization.

The result: real-world assessment of expected end-user performance, increasing customer satisfaction and reducing support calls.

SignalMX

EDX Wireless' SignalMX is a sophisticated network planning tool, customized for use in MetroMesh deployments. It increases the accuracy and eliminates the guesswork in the MetroMesh planning cycle.

SignalMX is a mesh-specific add-on module to the basic network design tool EDX SignalPro®. It delivers accurate coverage and performance estimates and provides data transfer capabilities to and from Tropos Control. With innovative capabilities such as three-dimensional clutter carving, this tool addresses all aspects of planning city-wide deployments of mesh networks, from dense urban to suburban and even rural environments.

The result: quicker time to market, reduced guesswork and more predictable subscriber experience on network go-live.

The centralized visibility, analysis and control capabilities of Tropos MetroMesh analysis and control tools minimize the time, personnel and truck rolls required to operate far-flung wireless mesh networks while facilitating an outstanding user experience.

TROPOS METROMESH ROUTERS

Tropos® MetroMesh™ routers combine the industry's most sophisticated mesh networking intelligence with purpose-built hardware platforms. We're not just talking about radios in a weatherproof enclosure here...these things are truly carrier-class. Each MetroMesh router is based on open-standard Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) technology, and includes all of the robust features of the MetroMesh OS. Other mesh vendors throw a bunch of radios in a box, in effect creating a really expensive access point...the Tropos MetroMesh routers are each a mesh system in themselves.

Sporting the industry's best Wi-Fi receive sensitivity, MetroMesh routers can be deployed in the industry's lowest node density for any given level of performance and coverage. Bottom line, you need fewer MetroMesh routers to achieve carrier-class performance…which means a much more attractive business model. Each MetroMesh router provides highly reliable connectivity to standard 802.11b/g clients and quickly extends the coverage area of the metro-scale Wi-Fi network.

The MetroMesh OS, the industry's most scalable mesh software, powers the Tropos 5210 outdoor MetroMesh router, Tropos 4210 mobile MetroMesh router and Tropos 3210 indoor MetroMesh router. Tropos MetroMesh OS is the key to delivering the ultimate scalability, high capacity at low cost and great user experience demanded by carriers, municipalities and network users. If it doesn't say Tropos MetroMesh on the carton, it's just a bunch of hardware running some recycled wireline routing technology. Would you really build a wireless network intended to support millions of users with some variation on Spanning Tree? We sure wouldn't.

The ruggedized and weatherized Tropos 5210 is NRTL certified for outdoor installation. It can be mounted on external structures such as buildings or lampposts in less than 15 minutes by a trade-level in a bucket truck wielding a single screwdriver. No link-by-link engineering, no antenna aiming, no hardwiring...no expensive labor. The Tropos 5210 runs on a wide range of power options and is available with an optional, factory-installed battery backup system, so your network still works even if the power doesn't.

With the same high-power radios and peerless link budget as the outdoor MetroMesh routers, Tropos 4210 Mobile MetroMesh routers are designed for vehicular applications. The mobile MetroMesh router seamlessly meshes with the fixed mesh routers. It quickly extends network coverage, establishes tactical response networks and provides Wi-Fi access in a high-speed environment such as commuter trains and buses. And since each Tropos 4210 router provides the same adaptive connectivity to standard Wi-Fi clients, your mobile workforce won't have to find the nearest hot spot...they'll be taking the hot spot with them wherever they go. Think Wi-Fi on the fly.

The Tropos 3210 extends the metro-scale Wi-Fi coverage area indoors. It provides the same high performance, scalability, metro-scale mobility and multi-use network capability as the Tropos 5210 to hard-to-wire indoor environments. This thing blows the walls out of your enterprise WLAN.