Accel Technologies, a branch of Accel Networks, is launching a groundbreaking product for fixed wireless connections: the Maestro smart antenna system. Maestro aims to make 3G and 4G fixed wireless broadband a more attractive alternative to pricier business connectivity options like T1, MPLS, VSAT, Frame Relay, and point-to-point microwave services.
What makes Maestro so special? Like other smart devices, Maestro utilizes active technology to enhance performance. In this situation, it improves the performance of a typically passive component: the RF antenna. Antennas are essential for all electronic communication. They can be as basic as a foil trace on a circuit board or as complex as a multi-element Yagi beam antenna. Satellite dishes, long wires used with shortwave radios, and vertical tower arrays for directional AM radio broadcasts are all examples of antennas.
The crucial thing about antennas is that they are the initial point of contact for incoming signals and the final component involved in outgoing signals. An antenna can be any arbitrary length of conductor or a precisely calibrated system. Most antenna designs are “cut” to a specific size that resonates with the frequencies in use. The correct antenna length significantly improves both transmission and reception. Tuning antennas can be achieved by adding other passive components, such as capacitors and inductors. Adding more elements or creating a parabolic reflector (like a satellite dish) increases the antenna’s gain, which acts like amplification, resulting in a stronger signal. However, as a passive device, there’s a trade-off: gain in one direction leads to reduced sensitivity in other directions. For most applications, this is beneficial, as a directional antenna minimizes interference from signals coming from other directions.
Consider the antenna on your wireless router – it’s likely a small, black vertical stick. Its length is specifically chosen for the frequencies it uses, but it isn’t directional. This “whip” antenna transmits and receives equally well in all horizontal directions but not as well vertically. This design is suitable for blanketing an area with reception, such as a WiFi hotspot, as it provides broad coverage for users spread out or on the move.
However, is a basic whip antenna sufficient for connecting to a fixed wireless service? It might be if the signal is very strong. But what if you’re just outside the range of optimal coverage? Smartphones and USB modem aircards are designed for mobility, so they must have universal coverage, even if it means compromising performance. However, with a fixed business location and fixed towers, using an antenna optimized for the transmission path is more efficient.
This is where Maestro comes in. Its high-tech, patent-pending design incorporates eight antennas, three switchable filter banks, and an embedded Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) that adjusts to maintain the best carrier-to-noise ratio for the 3G or 4G service in use. Maestro boasts over 500 distinct setting options for fine-tuning performance.
Why such complexity? Accel Networks specializes in leveraging the widespread availability of cellular broadband service across the US and Canada. While we primarily associate cellular with mobile phone internet, it can also serve as fixed-location broadband. However, it sometimes struggles indoors because the small antennas on USB dongles and MiFi boxes can’t get a strong enough signal. Introducing a quality antenna before the transmitter/receiver results in a robust signal that won’t drop or slow down.
Maestro will launch roughly a month from now. Accel anticipates that its introduction for 3G and 4G fixed wireless broadband will challenge existing solutions businesses use for high-speed internet access, including rooftop VSAT satellite dishes, T1 lines, DSL, cable, frame relay, and even microwave fixed wireless systems. Many businesses, especially small retail stores and offices, don’t need massive bandwidth. They need basic connectivity for credit card processing, email, and website access. 3G or 4G cellular service can provide the necessary bandwidth, reliability, and latency at a significantly lower cost. Accel already has over 6,000 installations demonstrating this, and Maestro will bring these benefits to even more locations.
If your business is in an area with limited or expensive broadband service, explore the availability and pricing of fixed wireless broadband. You might be surprised at its affordability and performance.
