Firetide

Last updated
Firetide
Industry Wireless Networking
Founded1 January 2003  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Headquarters
Key people
Corry Hong, CEO
Parent UNICOM Global
Website www.firetide.com

Firetide is an American, international provider of wireless mesh network technology. It is a division of UNICOM Global. Based in the Silicon Valley, Firetide designs and sells hardware and software for wireless technology.

Contents

Corporate history

Firetide was founded in 2001, under the name Landmark Networks, to provide hardware and software for wireless infrastructure mesh networks. In 2003 the name changed to Firetide, which would "better reflect the company's mission and culture". [1] In 2004, the company moved from Hawaii to Los Gatos, CA. [2]

Firetide, Inc. was acquired by UNICOM Global on May 19, 2014.

Firetide Inc. is currently headquartered in Campbell, CA, CA with a R&D office in Bangalore, India.

Hardware

HotPort 7000 Series. Indoor and outdoor wireless mesh node, equipped with dual 802.11n MIMO radios. The radios are able to operate at 2.4, 4.9 and 5.0 GHz and allows for a throughput of up to 400 Mbit/s.

FWB-200 Series. Indoor and outdoor wireless point-to-point bridges, equipped with dual 802.11n MIMO radios. The point-to-point bridges are used to connect distant, wireless networks to each other.

HotPoint 5000 Series. Indoor and outdoor wireless access points, equipped with dual 802.11n MIMO radios. The access points allow for a wireless Wi-Fi network to be connected to the mesh. Software development stopped in 2015.

HotClient 2000 Series. Indoor and outdoor wireless customer premises equipment. A product that extends the range of a Wi-Fi network.

Firetide FWC 2050 WLAN Controller. A product that can control up to 50 access points and that provides configuration of the access points through central management. It is controlled through a web-interface.

Firetide IVS 100. Integrated video solution[ buzzword ], a combined IP-camera and mesh node. [3]

Software

HotView Pro. Software that centrally manages the mesh nodes and the other Firetide hardware connected to the mesh network.

Firetide Mobility Controller. Software that enables Firetide's mesh to be compatible with mobile units, such as connecting to a moving subway train.

Routing protocol

Firetide use their own, proprietary AutoMesh routing protocol to control the data flow in the mesh.

Notable installations

In 2006, Firetide announced that they were going to supply their technology to Singapore's Wireless@SG project. The project's goal was to install a nationwide network to enable public Wi-Fi as well as video and voice traffic. [4]

In 2007, Firetide installed its wireless mesh technology on the construction site of Burj Khalifa (Burj Dubai) to allow communication between workers via VOIP radio, replacing walkie talkies which presented communication issues at high altitudes. [5]

In 2009, Firetide installed a wireless mesh network in Seoul Metropolitan Subway. The request from the South Korean subway operator for live camera coverage came after a fatal arson in 2003. Firetide technology provided wireless connection to the station and the moving trains. The systems included cameras on the train stations and on the trains. The design aimed to avoid more fatal accidents by distributing real-time video feed both to the train drivers and to the operators in the command central. The installation included 1000 mesh nodes as well as 650 cameras. [6]

January 2009, Firetide installed a system at California State University, Long Beach. [7]

Partnership

In May 2010, Firetide announced an Original Equipment Manufacturer OEM agreement with Netgear. The license agreement enabled for Netgear to use Firetide's WLAN Controller software in their new portfolio of WLAN controllers. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IEEE 802.11</span> Wireless network standard

IEEE 802.11 is part of the IEEE 802 set of local area network (LAN) technical standards, and specifies the set of medium access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) protocols for implementing wireless local area network (WLAN) computer communication. The standard and amendments provide the basis for wireless network products using the Wi-Fi brand and are the world's most widely used wireless computer networking standards. IEEE 802.11 is used in most home and office networks to allow laptops, printers, smartphones, and other devices to communicate with each other and access the Internet without connecting wires. IEEE 802.11 is also a basis for vehicle-based communication networks with IEEE 802.11p.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wireless LAN</span> Computer network that links devices using wireless communication within a limited area

A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a wireless computer network that links two or more devices using wireless communication to form a local area network (LAN) within a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, campus, or office building. This gives users the ability to move around within the area and remain connected to the network. Through a gateway, a WLAN can also provide a connection to the wider Internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wireless network</span> Computer network not fully connected by cables

A wireless network is a computer network that uses wireless data connections between network nodes. Wireless networking allows homes, telecommunications networks and business installations to avoid the costly process of introducing cables into a building, or as a connection between various equipment locations. Admin telecommunications networks are generally implemented and administered using radio communication. This implementation takes place at the physical level (layer) of the OSI model network structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wireless community network</span>

Wireless community networks or wireless community projects or simply community networks, are non-centralized, self-managed and collaborative networks organized in a grassroots fashion by communities, non-governmental organizations and cooperatives in order to provide a viable alternative to municipal wireless networks for consumers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wi-Fi</span> Wireless local area network

Wi-Fi is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio waves. These are the most widely used computer networks, used globally in home and small office networks to link devices and to provide Internet access with wireless routers and wireless access points in public places such as coffee shops, hotels, libraries, and airports to provide visitors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wireless mesh network</span> Radio nodes organized in a mesh topology

A wireless mesh network (WMN) is a communications network made up of radio nodes organized in a mesh topology. It can also be a form of wireless ad hoc network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wireless network interface controller</span> Hardware component that connects a computer to a wireless computer network

A wireless network interface controller (WNIC) is a network interface controller which connects to a wireless network, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or LTE (4G) or 5G rather than a wired network, such as an Ethernet network. A WNIC, just like other NICs, works on the layers 1 and 2 of the OSI model and uses an antenna to communicate via radio waves.

IEEE 802.11n-2009, or 802.11n, is a wireless-networking standard that uses multiple antennas to increase data rates. The Wi-Fi Alliance has also retroactively labelled the technology for the standard as Wi-Fi 4. It standardized support for multiple-input multiple-output, frame aggregation, and security improvements, among other features, and can be used in the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz frequency bands.

Qualcomm Atheros is a developer of semiconductor chips for network communications, particularly wireless chipsets. The company was founded under the name T-Span Systems in 1998 by experts in signal processing and VLSI design from Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, and private industry. The company was renamed Atheros Communications in 2000 and it completed an initial public offering in February 2004, trading on the NASDAQ under the symbol ATHR.

A wide variety of different wireless data technologies exist, some in direct competition with one another, others designed for specific applications. Wireless technologies can be evaluated by a variety of different metrics of which some are described in this entry.

Long-range Wi-Fi is used for low-cost, unregulated point-to-point computer network connections, as an alternative to other fixed wireless, cellular networks or satellite Internet access.

IEEE 802.11a-1999 or 802.11a was an amendment to the IEEE 802.11 wireless local network specifications that defined requirements for an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) communication system. It was originally designed to support wireless communication in the unlicensed national information infrastructure (U-NII) bands as regulated in the United States by the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47, Section 15.407.

Linksys manufactures a series of network routers. Many models are shipped with Linux-based firmware and can run third-party firmware. The first model to support third-party firmware was the very popular Linksys WRT54G series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruckus Networks</span> Networking equipment brand

RUCKUS Networks is a brand of wired and wireless networking equipment and software owned by CommScope. Ruckus offers Switches, Wi-Fi access points, CBRS access points, Controllers, Management systems, Cloud management, AAA/BYOD software, AI and ML analytics software, location software and IoT controller software products to mobile carriers, broadband service providers, and corporate enterprises. As a company, Ruckus invented and has patented wireless voice, video, and data technology, such as adaptive antenna arrays that extend signal range, increase data rates, and avoid interference, providing distribution of delay-sensitive content over standard 802.11 Wi-Fi.

IEEE 802.11ac-2013 or 802.11ac is a wireless networking standard in the IEEE 802.11 set of protocols, providing high-throughput wireless local area networks (WLANs) on the 5 GHz band. The standard has been retroactively labelled as Wi-Fi 5 by Wi-Fi Alliance.

IEEE 802.11s is a wireless local area network (WLAN) standard and an IEEE 802.11 amendment for mesh networking, defining how wireless devices can interconnect to create a wireless LAN mesh network, which may be used for relatively fixed topologies and wireless ad hoc networks. The IEEE 802.11s task group drew upon volunteers from university and industry to provide specifications and possible design solutions for wireless mesh networking. As a standard, the document was iterated and revised many times prior to finalization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meru Networks</span> American networking equipment manufacturer

Meru Networks was a supplier of wireless local area networks (WLANs) to healthcare, enterprise, hospitality, K-12 education, higher education, and other markets. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States, the company made its initial public offering in March 2010, and was acquired by Fortinet in May 2015.

TamoGraph Site Survey is an application for performing Wi-Fi site surveys and RF planning. It supports 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g wireless networks. TamoGraph is developed by TamoSoft, a privately held New Zealand company founded in 1998 that specializes in network analysis software.

Wi-Fi 6, or IEEE 802.11ax, is an IEEE standard from the Wi-Fi Alliance, for wireless networks (WLANs). It operates in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, with an extended version, Wi-Fi 6E, that adds the 6 GHz band. It is an upgrade from Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), with improvements for better performance in crowded places. Wi-Fi 6 covers frequencies in license-exempt bands between 1 and 7.125 GHz, including the commonly used 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, as well as the broader 6 GHz band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IEEE 802.11be</span> Wireless networking standard in development

IEEE 802.11be, dubbed Extremely High Throughput (EHT), is the latest of the IEEE 802.11 standard, which is designated Wi-Fi 7. It has built upon 802.11ax, focusing on WLAN indoor and outdoor operation with stationary and pedestrian speeds in the 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz frequency bands.

References

  1. "Wireless Startup Firetide Announces New Name" . Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  2. Sing, Terrence (2004-03-07). "How Hawaii lost Firetide to Silicon investors" . Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  3. "Firetide product overview". Archived from the original on 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  4. "Singapore Wi-Fi Installation" . Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  5. "Firetide wireless mesh reaches unsurpassed heights at Burj Dubai". bi-me.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  6. "Seoul Subway Deploying Real-Time, Mobile Wireless Video Surveillance". Government Video. Archived from the original on 2009-12-21. Retrieved 2009-12-24.
  7. Schaffhauser, Dian (2009-01-27). "Cal State Long Beach Implements Wireless Surveillance". Campus Technology. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
  8. "NETGEAR Licenses Firetide WLAN Technology for Its New ProSafe 5-AP Wireless Management Software". Forbes.com. Retrieved 2010-07-15.[ dead link ]