User's Manual

HotPoint 1000R Outdoor Wireless Mesh Router
Page 7
Firetide Wireless Instant Network
Firetide developed the Wireless Instant Network, based on the HotPoint Wireless Mesh Router, to
enable faster, easier and more affordable network deployment. Firetide’s patented mesh
networking technology makes it possible to survey, plan and deploy an entire network in less than
one day rather than weeks. The Firetide network is also portable. Your entire network can be
relocated simply by taking your HotPoint routers with you to your new location.
What is a Firetide Mesh Network?
Firetide mesh networks feature a self-configuring, self-healing, multi-hop topology. Because of
these inherent self-organizing properties, a mesh network requires no manual configuration.
Thus, creating a new network or adding or relocating network equipment is as easy as powering
up new nodes. The network automatically discovers the new nodes and integrates them into the
mesh.
A big advantage of a mesh network is its robustness and ability to heal itself. If a node is
disconnected, congested, or fails to operate, neighboring nodes are notified, and data is routed
around it. There is no need for a network engineer to intervene, troubleshoot, and cure the
problem.
Firetide Mesh Network with Indoor and Outdoor Wireless Mesh Routers
Mesh networking can be compared to the Internet, where data can be rerouted on other paths if
one path becomes disabled or congested. Losing a node or two or a link won’t bring down the
entire mesh network. Unlike other WLAN technologies, a mesh network’s reliability and scalability
can actually improve by adding more nodes and enriching the density of the mesh. More
redundant paths means the network in aggregate can handle far more data traffic, and is
therefore quite scalable. Mesh networks are ideal whenever the network must be reliable,