Hi Mike,
I have used, engineered, and recommended i-r systems in the past with great success. Most recently, I was able to save a struggling community college some big bucks and much grief by recommending and spec'ing in a 100/155 Mb/s link between their main building and an annex, spanning a major truck route that was near impossible to trench.
I haven't any concerns about the intrinsic viability of free space systems in appropriate situations. Note, I stated appropriate situations, but I didn't state that they would be appropriate in a universal sense.
Today I saw mentioned in several other places that the TB plan calls for using window shots as opposed to roof-mounted transceivers. Some curious things happen when you shine a beam through a window for this purpose. Most notably, for this discussion:
Most office buildings now use tinted glass windows, which usually means that a high level of metallic content is present in the glass. This tends to exacerbate transmission somewhat, adding attenuation to an already inferior condition due to the reflective and absorptive qualities of the metallic content... which adds to the reflection caused by the surface of the window, itself.
All of which has the effect of reducing distances, potentially drastically, depending on the angle of incidence from the transmitter site. This is not a show stopper by any means, but just another minor issue that these folks will have to contend with. I can also envisage certain customers being locked into time of day blackouts, due to path alignments with the sun in the morning or during the late afternoon.
If the solution to this and other areas of concern is "simply" to ensure that there are more cell sites located closer to one another, then that is fine, too. But at what cost, and at what sacrifice to data security?
There are many more issues which I'm sure the company is aware of and most like finding solutions to, so I will not go on unprovoked because I don't like spooking this thing any more than I already inadvertently have.
That wasn't my intent, but as long as this is topical we may as well air some of the more salient issues. Like I said on the TB thread, I wish them luck.
FAC
ps - some related stocks that could benefit? How about some large glaziery outfit that provides specially tinted replacement panels that don't have aluminum and lead inside? |
