Firetide™ HotPort™ wireless mesh nodes make it possible for anyone to deploy an Instant Mesh Network anywhere – outdoors and indoors. The Firetide solution is truly plug-and-play. Quite literally, plug in the HotPort mesh node (both the power cord and, at the edge, the Ethernet connection), and the installation is complete. That’s it. Done. There is no “Step 2” required, which makes the implementation of a wireless mesh network as painless as it is instantaneous. And changing the network to improve performance or expand coverage is just as simple and straightforward.

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 and delays are minimized because wiring between offices, guest rooms, floors and different buildings is no longer required. Extending Ethernet connectivity for Wi-Fi APs, surveillance cameras and other devices to outdoor venues such as marina docks, campgrounds, and downtown areas is trouble-free and cost effective. Provisioning is also quick and easy because no special drivers, setup, interfaces or configurations are required for equipment to connect via Ethernet to a Firetide Instant Mesh Network.

HotPort mesh nodes can be configured to operate in either the 5 GHz spectrum or the 2.4 GHz spectrum.  The HotPort 5 GHz configuration, with high capacity and low interference, is ideal for high bandwidth applications in outdoor and indoor environments, such as video surveillance networks and for environments congested with existing 2.4 GHz traffic. When configured to operate in the 2.4 GHz spectrum, the HotPort units can provide better radio performance in terms of overall range and in dealing with obstacles such as walls and solid building materials. In addition, 5 GHz mesh and 2.4 GHz HotPort mesh networks can co-exist to form resilient networks that scale, while still being part of one network.

The HotPort wireless mesh nodes are both rugged and robust. Because it functions as a virtual Ethernet switch, a Hotport mesh node is fully compatible and interoperable with the existing LAN/MAN infrastructure. The powerful radios and omni-directional antennas allow for extended ranges among nodes and enhance resiliency by increasing the number of neighbors each node can have. The power supply is quite tolerant of fluctuations in voltage and frequency, which allows HotPort mesh nodes to be deployed in locations with a marginal or even substandard power source. All communications within the mesh are secured with strong 256-bit encryption, and seamlessly communicates with external networks accommodates VLANs, VPNs, IPv6 and other security provisions. Finally, a per-hop latency of under 4 milliseconds allows the mesh to handle VoIP traffic or other demanding applications.