By Claus Hetting, Wi-Fi NOW CEO & Chairman
Earlier this month EnGenius released its new family of outdoor point-to-point and point-to-multipoint radios and the company has packed a tremendous amount of useful technology into their new wireless broadband kit. The EOC655-series represents a bottom-up rethink of unlicensed radio deployment, performance, and operations and is no doubt on track to become a formidable competitor even to larger and more established brands.
EnGenius is well known for robust and affordable Wi-Fi solutions for SMBs but as of this month, the company is expanding its portfolio to include outdoor PtP and PtMP 5 GHz and 6 GHz unlicensed radios. EnGenius’ new EOC655-family delivers up to 2 Gbps of point-to-point data rate over a distance of up to 5 kilometres with an integrated 18 dBi antenna or up to 32 kilometres with an external antenna. EOC655 is capable of connecting up to 16 devices in its point-to-multipoint mode – and all of this at a cost of less than US$ 1,000 per unit, EnGenius says.
But perhaps what is more important is how EnGenius is reshaping the unlicensed broadband radio category with a long list of innovations: The EOC655 radios are super compact (less than 30 cm square) and light, which makes them easy to mount on 2-3 inch diameter poles. The EOC655 has built-in dual 5 GHz radios that can be deployed in PtP and PtMP modes simultaneously. The 2.4 GHz radio is used to facilitate unit configuration and deployment including antenna alignment with the ‘SkyConnect’ app. Once installed, the EOC units continuously scan operating frequencies for interference and signal strength and correct accordingly, EnGenius says.
“We wanted the EOC655 to deliver the most stable and reliable QoS in the business, and that’s why we’ve included features for automatic channel selection and optimised traffic flow, which will prioritise real-time traffic requiring low latency. We’ve even included the ability to isolate traffic streams into separate VLANs and VLAN hierarchies for individual tenants within a building, for example. All of this leads to an excellent overall end-user experience,” says Kishore Gandham, General Manager at EnGenius.
EnGenius has also included GPS receivers into the units so that precise unit locations can be known by the network management system called ‘SkyPoint’. “Assets can be tracked in real-time, which also helps in pinpointing the exact location of a unit for network planning or if troubleshooting is needed. Alarms are initiated if a unit is inadvertently pulled down or removed from its intended location,” Kishore Gandham says.
EnGenius says the solutions is aimed at WISPs and smart cities but will also find applications in industry, public safety, and more. “We’ve packed a lot of innovative technology in this platform while making sure it is easy to deploy and operate, even for clients who may not have a great deal of experience in wireless broadband. As a result, we believe the market for the EOC655 is very broad,” he says.
EOC655 radios are based on Qualcomm Wi-Fi 6 chipsets but use a proprietary, in-house developed MAC optimised for the PtP and PtMP application. EnGenius says dual 5 GHz radios of the EOC will soon evolve into a 5 GHz plus 6 GHz dual radio version supported by AFC services required for outdoor 6 GHz operation. The range of EOC units can be extended to 10 miles or more using high-gain external antennas, EnGenius says. Download the EOC655 brochure here for more information.
/Claus.
