This document discusses the advantages of wireless mesh systems for outdoor surveillance projects. It reviews different wireless options and considerations for high-performance wireless networks. Wireless mesh networks can deploy virtually anywhere, extend wired infrastructure, and provide redundancy. However, they require more expertise than point-to-point or point-to-multipoint systems. The document examines wireless frequencies, topologies, throughput capabilities, security aspects, and best practices for planning and deploying a successful wireless mesh network for video surveillance and other applications.

1. To Mesh or Not to Mesh for OSP?
Advantages of Wireless Mesh Systems for OSP Environments
Mike Intag, RCDD, Firetide 1

2. Objectives
Understand wireless options and their
differentiators in OSP environments
Discuss considerations for high-performance
wireless networks
Review mesh applications, design approaches and
best practices
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3. Why High-performance Wireless for OSP?
Property protection/ Mobility of workers &
Security of remote
Vandalism prevention equipment
areas / Access control
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4. Why Wireless Infrastructure?
Deploy virtually anywhere
Portability and mobility
Extend, back-up, or replace
wired infrastructure
Cost savings vs wire
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5. Wireless Challenges
Availability of channels & spectrum
RF interference
Dynamic RF & physical environment
“Trust but verify” attitude required
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6. Wireless Options
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7. Wireless Frequency Bands
Licensed
• Controlled by the FCC or other regulatory agencies
• Can be sold or made commercially available to operators
Unlicensed
• Unregulated frequencies with predefined rules for
hardware to mitigate interference
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8. Wireless Frequency Bands
Licensed? Line of site Advantage Disadvantage
900 MHz Unlicensed Not required Improved street-level Lower throughput
penetration for video compared
to other bands
2.4 GHz Unlicensed Required Better penetration Interference from
compared to 5 GHz consumer devices
4.9 GH Licensed Required Reserved for public Requires frequency
safety; less coordination with
interference other agencies
5 GHz Unlicensed Required Better range and less Lower penetration
interference than 2.4 GHz
compared to 2.4 GHz
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9. Point to Point
Pros
Dedicated connection
Highest bandwidth for backhaul
Cons
Does not scale; no flexibility
Single point of failure
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10. Point-to-Point
Firetide Confidential 10

11. Point to Multi-Point
Pros
May be cost effective if tall assets are available; bandwidth
requirements are low
Cons
Limited scalability: bandwidth divided by # of subscribers
LOS required to each subscriber unit
Base station creates a single point of failure
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12. Point-to-Multi-point
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13. Multi-Point to Multi-Point (Mesh)
Pros
Reach & scalability with multi-hop connections
Flexibility – can be deployed a PtP, PtMP or mesh
Cons
Variable performance from different vendors
More expertise required vs PtP or PtMP
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14. Mesh & Point-to-Point
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15. Why is Redundancy Important?
Radio equipment is very reliable….
…but they are frequently installed
on light poles which aren’t
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16. Not All ‘Wireless Mesh’
Created Equal
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17. Imagine a Traditional Wired Switch
Most efficient mesh utilizes L2 distributed wireless switch architecture
(Wired Ethernet infrastructure)
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18. Now, Give Each Port Wireless Capability
(Wired Ethernet infrastructure)
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19. Separate the Ports…
Bingo, a Virtual Ethernet Switch!
(Wired Ethernet infrastructure)
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20. Key Requirements
Voice Video High-bandwidth
data
High call capacity High throughput
Low latency
Low jitter (variation in latency)
Multicast support
End-to-end QoS & traffic prioritization
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21. Wireless: How Good Is It?
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22. What About Throughput?
Point to point
Up to 1 Gig+
Point to multi-point
WiMAX: 20-30 Mbps total capacity (divided by # of subscribers)
MIMO-based PtMP systems: 100-125 Mbps
Wireless mesh
Up to 250-300 Mbps in PtP mode or 100-150 Mbps sustained
over multiple hops
Varies by vendor: from 10-15 Mbps to 100-150 Mbps per radio
Numbers listed are usable throughput, not theoretical data rate
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23. Is Wireless Secure?
Standards-based Encapsulation w/ Firetide Mesh Routing Protocol
Radio layer encryption
AES WPA2 Encryption
FIPS 140-2 certification
Packet Packet
Propitiatory Filtering Filtering
Encapsulation
Digital certificates &
MAC filtering
VLANs
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24. Wi-Fi Access vs Mesh
Wi-Fi for client access
Useful for live video in Wi-Fi ‘hot spots’
• Laptops, PDAs
• Local and remote viewing
Wi-Fi enabled Radio, AP & Camera
patrol car
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25. Can I Use Low-cost Point-to-Point?
Low-cost PtP has a cost advantage, but:
Only for a few outlying cameras / 1 hop
Disadvantages beyond that:
No scalability
Complex to manage
More real estate required
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26. Limitations of PtP & PtMP Systems
Rigid architecture
Does not allow multi-hop
Requires towers / tall buildings
No infrastructure mobility
Require backhaul for each base
station: high costs of deployments
Quickly run out of usable spectrum
Transition to MIMO 40 MHz channels
creates challenges
Urban canyons a challenge to PtP & PtMP
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27. Key Technology Differentiators
Customer Infrastructure Mesh AP PtP PtMP
Benefit Mesh
Scalability for
video
Security
Infrastructure
Mobility
Backhaul Every 10-15 hops Every 2-3 hops Every link Every base station
requirement
Investment Indoor and outdoor, Indoor and outdoor, Outdoor only, complex Outdoor only,
Protection multiple applications access point based, network management, complex network
(data, video, voice) data support only no scalability management, limited
scalability
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28. Design Considerations
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29. Nested PtMP Mesh Design
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30. Linear Loop Mesh Design
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31. Linear Mesh Design
10 hops in both directions
Multi-application: VoIP, video,
Wi-Fi data
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32. Infrastructure Mesh
Applications
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33. Wireless-Enabled Campus
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34. Industrial Sites
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35. Smart Grid; Utility WAN
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36. Wi-Fi Hotspots
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37. Cellular Base Station Interconnect
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38. Mesh & Mobility
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39. Planning & Deployment
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40. Mesh Best Practices
Combination of topologies
Multi-mesh interconnected by wired or wireless backhaul
Partial, linear or circular mesh with redundant drop-off points
Be aware of trade-offs between redundancy, cost and performance
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41. Planning a Successful System
Business
objectives
Future System
growth requirements
Deployment Site survey
RF/Network
design
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42. Design With Flexibility in Mind
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43. Prepare for a Variety of Conditions
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44. Future Growth
Make sure the network can scale
Evaluate new applications
Cameras technology: ALPR, infrared, HD, megapixel
Other services: Wi-Fi access, VoIP
Mobility: real-time mobile video
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45. Questions?
Mike Intag, Firetide
mintag@firetide.com
partners@firetide.com
www.firetide.com
Presentation is available
on SlideShare; Search
for: Firetide OSP
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