BridgeWave Extends Reach of 'Four-Nines' Gigabit Wireless

BridgeWave offers high-speed point-to-point wireless systems that operate in the 60-GHz and 80-GHz bands, both of which can be used without a license in the United States and Canada. By using this spectrum, enterprises can achieve extremely high data rates and avoid the potential for interference within the more heavily used 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands. However, these higher-frequency bands historically have severely limited the distance between devices and these high-frequency transmissions have been subject to rain fade. BridgeWave's AR80X offering includes highly directional antennas that increase transmission distance to more than 2 miles while providing 99.99 percent reliability. All this power comes at a cost. The latest offerings will set you back around $40,000. The emergence of cost-effective metro Ethernet services makes point-to-point wireless somewhat less appealing than it once was, but for those situations where a wired solution is not available or is too costly, BridgeWave provides a viable alternative. Dave Molta NWC Contributing Editor

BridgeWave this week introduced a new family of gigabit wireless systems that it says can deliver high-availability wireless links over distances of up to 2 miles.

The point-to-point wireless producsts, called the 80-GHz Extended Range (GE80X) and AdaptRate 80-GHz Extended Range (AR80X) systems, use extended-range antennas to deliver point-to-point gigabit speed wireless over unlicensed outdoor spectrum. BridgeWave says the new systems deliver "four-nines" availability, making the wireless systems a good alternative to wired leased-line setups.

New two-foot antennas on the systems reach 40 percent farther than previous BridgeWave products, making them suitable for enterprise connectivity as well as network operator access applications, BridgeWave said.