Radwin Extends Wi-Fi Range

Tel Aviv-based Radwin this week said its new wireless system, the WinLink 1000, is generally available. The equipment, says president and founder Sharon Sher, is “a point-to-point solution with a range up to 50 miles, a capacity up to 50Mbps, carrier-class with a T1 interface,” and all for a price of less than $3,000.

The performance promised is akin to what the WiMax/802.16 specification is expected to deliver someday, but the hardware inside is a standard Wi-Fi radio (both 802.11a and 11g) so it operates in the same unlicensed radio frequency bands. However, it uses a proprietary PHY and MAC layer adaptation to “overcome the range, capacity, and quality of service limitations of 802.11,” Sher says.

“Wi-Fi already has the right cost, but has limitations of performance,” says Sher. “We think it’s doable to enhance that performance.”

He also points out the big difference the WinLink has from competing products like Proxim’s high-range point-to-point product which also uses 802.11: Proxim’s only have an Ethernet interface. WinLink has Ethernet and E1/T1 line interfaces.

The company feels the WinLink will let service providers quickly establish metro-sized broadband offerings, and will let cell phone carriers dump their leased E1/T1 lines to save money with wireless.