Motorola Unveils New High-Speed, Extended Distance Wireless Ethernet Bridge
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — June 28, 1993 — Motorola's Wireless Data Group Monday announced availability of Altair VistaPoint LR, an extended distance high-speed wireless system for reliable inter- and intra-building Ethernet transmission.
Based on Motorola's proven Altair wireless Ethernet LAN technology, Altair VistaPoint LR is designed as a cost-effective alternative to leased telephone lines and conventional microwave technology. It eliminates the monthly recurring charges associated with T1/E1 telephone facilities and delays involved with licensing and site construction of conventional microwave equipment.
Operating as a wireless bridge with a maximum throughput of 5.3 Mbps, both Altair VistaPoint LR and standard Altair VistaPoint (which enables communication among LAN segments up to 500 feet) are viable solutions for LAN applications that need fractional to full T1/E1 performance to interconnect multiple buildings. The actual throughput of the system varies based on packet size and protocols. Altair VistaPoint products are even more attractive for situations where buildings are separated by Rights of Way (such as highways and railroads), natural obstacles (such as rivers), or where there is a need to dig trenches and lay cables.
In addition to the aforementioned applications, Altair VistaPoint products are ideal solutions for disaster recovery to keep mission-critical applications running in the event of a severed network cable. With additional hardware, the primary wired facilities can automatically switch over to the Altair VistaPoint system to avoid loss of critical data when disaster occurs. Altair VistaPoint products can also be used to interconnect networks on separate floors of a leased building or for companies that need to temporarily link networks. While Motorola's previously announced Altair Plus II wireless LAN system is an excellent solution for automating the factory or warehouse floor, Altair VistaPoint products are well suited to linking those environments with the rest of a company's office network. Because the system operates at 18 GHz, the LANs wireless communications are immune to factory-generated noise.
"The Altair 18 GHz technology incorporated in Altair VistaPoint LR was designed to protect a customer's network investment with a licensed frequency that is managed by Motorola to deliver secure and interference-free communication," said Alex Alavi, worldwide marketing manager for Motorola's Altair Product Operations.
"Delivery and installation of Altair VistaPoint LR is quick and easy," Alavi added. "Users can receive their systems typically within one week in the U.S. and upon delivery, simply connect modules to an Ethernet LAN, mount the provided antennas and point the antennas at each other, even through non-metallic windows. The system can be up and running within minutes and if the LAN needs to be moved, the system can be disassembled and reassembled just as quickly and easily. With its extended operating range, ease and economy of installation, and high performance, Altair VistaPoint LR offers LAN managers and resellers of LAN/WAN equipment a viable solution to serve their clients, immediately."
The Altair VistaPoint LR system consists of two modules: a main module (MM) and a remote module (RM). The MM connects to an Ethernet server or network (wired or wireless) and the RM connects to a remote LAN segment, located either in a different building or a different region within the same building.
The system is fully compliant with IEEE Ethernet 802.3 and supports all Ethernet-compatible network operating systems and protocols. Dynamically updated 1,000 entry filter tables in both MMs and RMs, minimize traffic load through the wireless link by keeping local Ethernet packets local, rather than sending them to the remote side of the link.
In the U.S., standard Altair VistaPoint operates at distances up to 500 feet (150 meters), while Altair VistaPoint LR links buildings up to 3,940 feet (1.2 kilometers). In most other countries, Altair VistaPoint LR can transmit up to 6,900 feet (2.1 kilometers).
Available today, the suggested U.S. list prices for fully-equipped Altair VistaPoint and Altair VistaPoint LR systems are $11,500 and $15,000, respectively.
Motorola Inc., headquartered in Schaumburg, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of electronic equipment, systems and components for worldwide markets. Additional products include two-way radios, cellular telephones and systems, integrated circuits and discrete semiconductors, defense and aerospace electronics, automotive and industrial electronic equipment, and information processing and handling equipment. Revenues in 1992 were $13.3 billion.
Motorola's Paging and Wireless Data Group (PWDG) incorporates the company's business activities involved in the design, manufacturing and distribution of paging and wireless data communications products, systems and services for the computer companies, carriers and end users. PWDG also manages Motorola's share of ARDIS, the data network jointly owned with IBM.
CONTACT:
Motorola Wireless Data Group
David Kurt, 708/632-7211
Edelman Technology Communications
Beth Johnson, 415/968-4033