Firetide Delivers World’s First Permanent Outdoor Wireless Mobility Test Track Dedicated to Testing and Developing New Mobile Communications Infrastructures

A Joint Project with California State University at Monterey Bay, Firetide’s Mobility Test Track Facility is Purpose Built for Testing Wireless Communications Infrastructures for Mass Transportation, Industrial Transport Systems, and Public Safety

LOS GATOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Firetide, Inc., the leading provider of high-performance wireless infrastructure mesh networks, today announced that they have designed and installed the world’s first permanent outdoor wireless mesh networking facility dedicated to the research, development, and testing of new mobile communications infrastructures. The Firetide Mobility Test Track (FMTT) includes a wireless mesh network operating as a high-speed backhaul for the entire facility plus a separate wireless mesh network for testing a variety of mobile infrastructure designs and concepts for mass transportation, industrial transport systems, and public safety vehicles.

“The test track in Monterey is yet another example of how Firetide continues to innovate and deliver services and solutions the market demands”

Mutual Relationship

The FMTT is part of an industry and academic partnership between California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) and Firetide in which the university granted Firetide the rights to deploy the FMTT on university land; and in return, Firetide provides the university’s Computer Science and Information Technology (CSIT) students access to the wireless test track to conduct research and perform specifically assigned testing projects. They also receive expert training and mentoring from Firetide’s engineering staff.

The on-campus FMTT provides students working to complete their required senior capstone projects with a unique, hands-on opportunity to work on a state-of-the-art wireless mesh infrastructure using technology that has been successfully deployed in public safety and transportation applications across the globe.

Unique Mobility Test Track

The 1.5 mile long test track is located at CSUMB on a public two-way road that is easily accessible and capable of supporting and testing vehicles moving at high speeds. The FMTT consists of 22 Firetide HotPort 7020 wireless mesh nodes mounted on 11 existing street light poles located 200 meters apart from each other.

The FMTT includes two parallel 11-node wireless mesh networks that span the length of the track. One mesh network acts as a dedicated high-speed backhaul for the entire test facility and is responsible for relaying testing data back to the command center located a few blocks away. The second mesh network provides connectivity for a wide variety of moving vehicles and is capable of supporting a full range of test scenarios and custom mobility configurations.

All mesh nodes work in concert with Firetide’s HotView Pro network management software and Firetide’s award-winning Mobility Controller. With the Firetide Mobility Controller, Ethernet enabled devices such as network video cameras, Wi-Fi access points, RFID readers, and laptop computers can maintain network connectivity while traveling at high speeds with seamless roaming across multiple HotPort mesh networks and IP domains.

Examples of mobility testing that can be conducted at the FMTT include:

• General mobility testing for free roaming vehicles such as police cars, buses, and emergency response vehicles
• Linear mobility testing for fixed route and fixed rail vehicles such as subways and trains
• Mobile link redundancy testing
• Intramesh and intermesh mobility testing
• Interoperability testing among multi-generation mobile mesh nodes
• Antenna qualification testing

“The test track in Monterey is yet another example of how Firetide continues to innovate and deliver services and solutions the market demands,” said Duane Zitzner, chief executive officer of Firetide. “With the newly opened mobility testing facility we have turned the difficult and expensive task of conducting mobile communication infrastructure testing and design into an affordable and easily repeatable process within a tightly-controlled outdoor environment.”

Open For Testing and Live Demonstrations

The FMTT is now open for individualized proof-of-concept and performance testing of custom mobility infrastructure designs and configurations. Please contact your Firetide sales representative for more information or email [e-mail]. Tours and live demonstrations of the FMTT are also available for parties interested in seeing this unique network first-hand and for gathering information on a variety of possible testing scenarios and methodologies that will benefit the development of new wireless mobility projects. To arrange a private tour and live demonstration of the FMTT, please email your request to [e-mail].

More information is also available on the Firetide web site www.firetide.com/fmtt.aspx.

About Firetide Inc.

Firetide is the leading provider of wireless infrastructure mesh networks that enable concurrent video, voice, and data applications for municipal, public safety, government, transportation, and industrial customers worldwide. Firetide is unmatched in providing reliable, high-performance wireless infrastructure mesh and access solutions for video surveillance, Internet access, public safety, and temporary networks wherever rapid deployment, mobility, and ease of installation are required. Headquartered in Los Gatos, Calif., Firetide is a privately held company with thousands of customers in more than 40 countries across the globe. For more information about the company check out www.firetide.com and follow us on twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/firetide).