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TROPOS
WI-FI HOTZONE EQUIPMENT TESTED AT METEOR CRATER |
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Tropos Networks, Inc., Today Announced That Its Tropos
5110 Wi-Fi Cells Were Successfully Tested By NASA at Its On-Site
Field Trial at Meteor Crater in Arizona as Part of NASA’s
Multi-Center, Human-Robotic Exploration Research. |
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SAN MATEO, CA, December 10, 2003
Tropos Networks, Inc., today announced that its Tropos
5110 Wi-Fi cells were successfully tested by NASA at its on-site
field trial at Meteor Crater in Arizona as part of NASA’s
multi-center, human-robotic exploration research. The company
said that this is the first time NASA has used outdoor cellular
Wi-Fi technology as the communications network for potential
interplanetary exploration. |
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The Tropos Wi-Fi equipment was selected for
evaluation because it enables quick and economical deployment
of highly reliable, large-scale wireless hot zones. These outdoor
Wi-Fi hot zones compliment and ubiquitously extend the ability
to communicate from traditional Wi-Fi hot spot equipment already
in use within the program. |
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NASA is interested in connecting multiple
nodes in a Wi-Fi mesh network in the future, including: a PC
installed with a Wi-Fi client adaptor embedded in two space
suits, an Extra-Vehicular Activity Robotic Assistant with multiple
computers connected via Wi-Fi, a Science Trailer and Lunar Planetary
Science Module with multiple Wi-Fi nodes, as well as other sensor
webs of cameras, microphones, and other science equipment on
the simulated planet surface. |
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NASA evaluated two and three-node Tropos
Wi-Fi cells covering a one to two square mile hot zone. The
purpose was to simulate the area of an interplanetary exploration
mission with a base camp and operating area surrounding it and
test communications between a base camp server and a mobile
test computer running an 802.11b client. |
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During the demonstration, NASA tested the
network using IPerf performance monitoring tools and conducted
trials using a roaming client device. IPerf is one of several
software tools that provide a “goodput” measurement
of the effective (useful) data throughput between two nodes
through a diverse network. |
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NASA communications engineers measured a
reliable 1 Mbps at a range of 1.3 miles from the base camp using
a simple laptop inside a moving vehicle with no external antenna.
As a result of the successful evaluation of the Tropos cellular
Wi-Fi technology, NASA said that they will pursue the use of
the Tropos equipment in their production network for future
field testing. |
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“The NASA tests are a compelling validation
of the reliability and economics of the Tropos equipment and
approach to building large-scale Wi-Fi hot zones in general
and for missioncritical applications in particular,” said
Dave Hanna, president and CEO of Tropos Networks, Inc. |
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About Tropos Networks, Inc.
Tropos Networks, Inc., is a leading supplier of systems used
to build metro-scale Wi-Fi networks. Tropos products enable
network operators, service providers and government departments
to provide ubiquitous, metro-scale, broadband, wireless data
coverage for users in any locale. Tropos solution creates a
truly wireless network, free from the requirement of per node
wired connectivity associated with Wi-Fi hot spot deployments
using access points. Tropos products enable larger coverage
areas, decreased installation costs and decreased operational
costs. Formerly FHP Wireless, Inc., Tropos Networks is headquartered
in San Mateo, California. For more information, please visit
www.tropos.com,
call 650-286-4250 or write to info@tropos.com.
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Tropos Networks and Tropos are trademarks
of Tropos Networks, Inc. All other brand or product names are
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holder(s).
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