Gigabit wireless solutions provider BridgeWave Communications unveiled AdaptPath technology to seamlessly integrate its AdaptRate Gigabit Ethernet wireless links with secondary connections using complementary wired or wireless technologies. The resulting dual technology solution provides unprecedented GigE wireless link availability and range, stated BridgeWave.

According to BridgeWave, AdaptPath link switching creates an all-weather, dual-path data connection by pairing a BridgeWave 60 GHz or 80 GHz GigE wireless bridge with a lower speed, highly rain-tolerant secondary path. This path can be a leased-line wired connection, a license-free 5.x GHz radio bridge or a licensed-band 6 or 11GHz link. When a momentarily severe rain downpour occurs, the AdaptPath feature automatically switches data traffic from the primary GigE link to the secondary path before the link would start to experience data errors.

According to Gregg Levin, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for BridgeWave, the AdaptPath feature offers customers the best of both worlds—gigabit data rates and superior link availability at longer distances. "AdaptPath is the next step in BridgeWave's strategy to offer enterprises, government entities and network operators greater flexibility in meeting their network capacity, range and uptime requirements," he added.

For Roadstar Internet, a leading broadband services provider based in Loudoun County, Va., located 25 miles outside Washington, D.C., BridgeWave's AR80X gigabit links with AdaptPath and AdaptRate features are accelerating the rollout of high-capacity, reliable Internet services to area businesses. "Our state-of-the-art GigE wireless backbone enables us to be first to deliver next-generation access services in this fast-growing region," stated Marty Dougherty, CEO and founder of Roadstar. "The combination of BridgeWave's AdaptRate and AdaptPath features takes us well beyond what's currently available in the industry."

Roadstar worked with BridgeWave to determine rain fade calculations for its region, factoring in summer periods when thunderstorms are common. The solution was designed to operate at full GigE speeds the vast majority of the time. When exceptional rain events occur, AdaptRate first switches from GigE to a 100 Mbps data rate; then, if needed, the AdaptPath capability switches traffic to a secondary, highly rain tolerant 40 Mbps 5 GHz bridge. As the storm cell passes, the link immediately returns to full GigE speed.

Roadstar plans to connect hundreds of buildings to its new INET Loudoun network using BridgeWave's AR80X gigabit wireless links over the next 18-to-24 months.

For existing AdaptRate link customers, the new AdaptPath feature is available as a no-cost software upgrade. Meanwhile, BridgeWave is also working with leading lower-frequency microwave radio vendors to certify that their RF bridges operate correctly as AdaptPath secondary links.

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