User's Manual

SPEEDLAN 9000 Series Installation and Operation User Guide
1-2 Introduction
Features and Benefits
SPEEDLAN 9000 Series Features
The SPEEDLAN 9000 series offers the network manager unsurpassed flexibility in meeting the
challenges of designing, building and managing today's wireless broadband networks. Because the
9000 series routers support both mesh and star topologies, they provide the network manager
powerful tools with which to build complex networks. This allows wireless broadband networks and
services to be extended on a greater scale, and to more buildings than ever before. The 9000 series
are all remote-mounted 11 Mb routers that are installed on the building’s rooftop which help reduce
signal loss.
In a mesh topology, the SPEEDLAN 9000 series routes around physical limitations, eliminating the
line-of-sight (LOS) issue present in star topology-only networks. This self-healing mesh topology
process enables each router to be heard on the network. By removing LOS issues caused by large
buildings, hills, and other obstructions, service providers can reduce network deployment costs while
maximizing their broadband wireless investment and reach new markets that could otherwise not be
served. Each router in a mesh topology can communicate up to a 1/2 mile with its neighboring
router, or greater depending on its antenna configuration.
In a star topology, the router can act as a polling central base station or as polling Customer
Premise Equipment (CPE). CPE will only transmit when instructed by the base station. This process
helps conserve bandwidth and reduce costs as well. Links in a star topology can reach distances up
to 25 miles, depending on its antenna configuraton.
The SPEEDLAN 9000 series is an all-in-one solution allowing a multitude of network options for the
service provider to offer a variety of network options: stand-alone, point-to-point, point-to-
multipoint, self-healing mesh, or a combination of all. For information on the type of routers
included in the SPEEDLAN 9000 series, see Equipment Features, page 1-4.
ISP Functionality
The SPEEDLAN 9000 series is tailored to fit the needs of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and
Broadband Telecommunications Providers. ISPs currently providing service can increase customer
density in an existing area or in a new area. ISPs looking to service MDU/MTU environments,
universities, corporations and manufacturing campuses (etc.) needing inter-building connectivity can
use the SPEEDLAN 9000 series to overcome line-of-sight (LOS) restrictions between buildings. Also,