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BridgeWave reportedly says that the county of Buncombe, North Carolina – seeking reliable and resilient network backup solution for its emergency response facilities – has deployed BridgeWave (News - Alert) Gigabit wireless links.

 

According to the company, the AR80 point-to-point wireless links can provide the county with full-rate gigabit Ethernet backhaul capacity with the strongest data encryption than any other solution.

 

BridgeWave Communications is a supplier of outdoor Gigabit wireless connectivity solutions. The company claims that their point-to-point, wireless fixed solutions are ideally suited for a wide variety of enterprise, service provider, healthcare, education, public safety and government/military network applications.

 

The AR80 E-Band Gigabit Ethernet wireless links are the most affordable E-Band (71-86 GHz) products on the market, the company says, providing highly-available wireless connections at full GigE data rates. These point-to-point links transmit and receive simultaneously at full-rate GigE speeds (1.25Gbps) with very low latency, providing the performance of physical fiber over a highly-secure wireless connection.

 

Buncombe County says that its IT department has over 1,800 employees working in 20 stations spread across 660 sq. miles. Fiber optic links connect the county’s public safety facilities, including the police station, fire department and emergency medical dispatch. The County was looking for a solution that would offer them a reliable network backup for the available fiber based networks and also afford ample bandwidth to support the county’s VoIP 911 call center.

 

The county usually faces harsh winters, which routinely hindered the operations of existing wireless solutions – in turn, disrupting the reliability of those solutions. As public safety is a high priority, the redundant wireless system needed to offer fiber-equivalent service. If primary links were down, the county found out that BridgeWave’s 80 GHz capacity and AdaptRate mode switching offered reliable network connectivity regardless of inclement weather. And now, during heavy downpours, the county’s communications switch from GigE to 100 Mb/s data rates, maintaining a highly available link.  

 

“The safety of Buncombe County employees and residents was our primary concern when evaluating a Gigabit wireless solution,” said Bryan Dillingham, network communications manager for Buncombe County. “BridgeWave’s gigabit wireless links ensured we would never lose network connectivity, which is critical when dealing with emergency assistance calls. The AR80 radios have provided flawless connectivity and offered fiber-equivalent service.”

 

BridgeWave has claimed that their AR80 radios feature small form-factor and easy to install and align one-foot antennas. Combined with the E-Band’s quick and simply lightweight licensing program, clients can get a license and install a link the same day.