The diagram above shows six Mesh Routers in a building and two additional outdoor units (to the right) providing a link from the building to an outdoor Hot Zone (perhaps an atrium in the office complex) and to a remote security camera (and, of course, there could be a Mesh Router on multiple light poles and throughout the parking structure!) Essentially, the Mesh Routers form their own "cloud" of connectivity. You'll notice that a printer, a server, an Internet Gateway (a router), some IP cameras, and Wi-Fi access points are connected to various Mesh Routers. Now, there's no limitation for "one Mesh Router = one Ethernet device". Quite the contrary. The diagram is simplified. In fact, you could have an Ethernet switch connected to each Mesh Router and that switch would be the hub for an entire floor of the building.

Data, voice, and streaming video traffic that enters a particular Mesh Router is encapsulated in a tunneling protocol (IP GRE), encrypted, and forwarded to the next-hop Mesh Router on the path towards the intended destination.

Consider the diagram above. There are two notebook computers communicating to an access point at the top of the diagram. Let's assume these two computers are going to connect to the Server in the lower left. Although the transmitted traffic (from the top Mesh Router) would be seen by the next two Mesh Routers down (the printer on the left and the workstation on the right) only the left-hand Mesh Router would forward the traffic onwards. The notebook computer traffic would never be transmitted out to the outdoor units.

If the Mesh Router attached to the printer were to fail, however, the routing algorithm would adjust and traffic could continue to be forwarded between the client notebook computers and the Server - it would simply take the right-hand path down the building, instead of the left-hand path.

About FireTide, Inc.

Launched in 2003, FireTide, Inc. is a privately held company that provides equipment for quickly, easily, and affordably deploying large Wireless Instant Networks FireTide solutions support existing public "hotspots" and the company is developing instant networking technology that will deliver everywhere, all-the-time wireless data communication services to hotzones and hotregions.

Growing interest in wireless access to the Internet is stimulating the development of hotspots, hotzones, and next, hotregions. A hotspot is a public area where people can use wireless client devices-laptops or personal digital assistants (PDAs)-to connect to the Internet. Hotspots have been in the news as companies such as Starbucks are installing wireless local-area networks (WLANs) that enable customers on the premises to connect wirelessly to Internet-based services.

Hotzones expand wireless access capabilities to larger areas such as airports, convention centers, housing complexes, hotels, and downtown areas. Industry players envision the eventual creation of entire hotregions that offer seamless wireless connectivity throughout major metropolitan and wider geographical regions. Hot spots, zones, and regions will ultimately allow people to have Internet access anywhere, similar to today's cell phone calling capabilities.

FireTide's approach to WLANs is based on advanced wireless mesh routing technologies. HotPoint Wireless Mesh Routers replace Ethernet cabling and form a Wireless Instant Network, which eliminates costly and time-consuming provisioning.

FireTide technology is based on a $50M project originally developed and tested by SRI for the US military. FireTide has invested considerable intellectual property to develop the technology into products and the company has filed patents for technologies that allow self-configuration, self-healing, and advanced security capabilities within the network.

Target Markets and Applications

FireTide's customers are distributors, value-added resellers, and system integrators who deliver solutions to vertical markets including hotels, airports, convention centers, institutions of higher education, warehousing, healthcare facilities, military installations, and wireless cities. Applications for FireTide Wireless Instant Networks include temporary venues, public access in wireless cities, and wireless multimedia.

HotPoint Wireless Mesh Router Product Description

FireTide HotPoint wireless mesh routers enable instant deployment of wireless networks and provide a simple and reliable alternative to standard LAN cabling. In addition to enabling wireless connectivity for standard networking devices such as computers, printers, and Ethernet hubs, HotPoint routers also eliminate costly backhaul wiring for wireless access points and hotspots. Because they form automatically without wires, FireTide mesh networks do not require elaborate site surveys or physical modifications to buildings and workspaces. Network installation costs will drop dramatically because time-consuming wiring between offices, walls, floors and different buildings is no longer needed. Provisioning is also easy and fast because special drivers, setup, interfaces and configurations are not required for equipment to connect to a FireTide instant mesh network.

Robust Mesh Networking Technology

FireTide's broadband radio mesh HotPoint Network (HPN) is an IP network supporting multi-hop, point-to-point and multi-cast routing. HotPoint routers use a FireTide-enhanced version of the Topology Broadcast based on Reverse-Path Forwarding (TBRPF) routing protocol to manage the unique and dynamic environment of the mesh network. A patented technology allows the HotPoint routers to find each other automatically and form a mesh network. Adding HotPoint mesh routers to the network is as simple as plugging them into an AC power source. Multi-hop routing allows the network to extend to any distance. You can add, remove, or relocate HotPoint routers whenever you wish without disrupting the rest of the network or rebooting the system. If a HotPoint router is moved to a different location or is removed completely, the network will automatically heal itself and reroute packets accordingly.

Hardware Description

HotPoint wireless mesh routers include two standard 10/100 Ethernet ports for connecting both access points and non-wireless devices to the wireless network. These connectors can also be used to provide the network with an upstream connection from an existing wired LAN or an Internet source such as a DSL or cable modem. The unit can operate freestanding or mounted to a wall or countertop. An external transformer supplies power from a standard 120 volt AC outlet . Typically, one wireless mesh router will be connected to a switch that also has an Internet NAT Gateway Router and one or more access points plugged into it. At other locations, a wireless mesh router, switch, and other access points provide local Wi-Fi connectivity. Of course, there is no need to have any access points or client Wi-Fi with a wireless mesh router. They could just as well have Ethernet-attached PCs attached to the switch into which the wireless mesh router connects.

Powerful Security

FireTide HotPoint networks can be configured for private or public operation with triple DES encryption in both modes. For additional protection, all HotPoint routers use unique digital certificates to authenticate each other on the network. The network also supports any third party encryption that can be added to the user data. Essentially, there is an encrypted data "pipe" between any two wireless mesh routers. No changes are necessary in the Ethernet client machines communicating across the mesh. The wireless mesh is completely transparent to the Ethernet communicators while, at the same time, completely securing their private data.