The Opportunity of WISP’s Mark Levetzow

Topics  WISP’s and how they work  IEEE standards and radio frequency.  Equipment  Good/Bad points about WISP’s  Do’s and Don’ts  WiMAX

What is a WISP?  Wireless Internet Service Provider  Offers high speed Internet access to rural areas that cable ISP’s don’t cover.  Types include, Hotspots, point-to-point, and point-to-multipoint.  Travel over access points via radio frequency.

How a WISP works  A connection to an ISP. Type of connection up to what company provides, and/or what WISP desires.  Connection to a router.  Router connects to radio box, which sends signal out antennae, and broadcasts outward.

Hotspots  One access point  No radio transmission.  Broadcast signal to surrounding area.  Useful in metropolitan areas  Many business offer Wi-Fi hotspots for free.  Security issues with free hotspots.

Point-to-Point

Point-to-Multipoint

Radio frequency

Radio cont.  Wi-Fi travels on 2.4GHz band.  This frequency is unlicensed by international agreement.  The frequencies for b/g span GHz to GHz. Each channel is 22 MHz wide, with a5 MHz step to the next channel.

IEEE  Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers  focuses on Wi-Fi, and wireless LAN standards  Technology is produced based on these standards

standards a – Released in GHz. Max Data Rate – 54 Mbits/sec. Less crowded than 2.4, but travels less distance. Line of sight a must b – Released in GHz. Max Data Rate – 11 Mbits/sec. Used in point-to-multipoint. Can travel well up to 5-10 miles g – Released in GHz. Max Data Rate – 54 Mbits/sec. Can work with b, but works like a n – Drafted in or 5GHz, Max Data Rate – 540 Mbits/sec. Maybe released in 2007?

Essential WISP backbone equipment  Connection to ISP. (Broadband, T1, DS3, etc.)  Main router, plus Ethernet switch to aggregate traffic.  Radio transmitters: 1 for bridging, one for broadcasting.  Radio cable, connected to antennae  Web server? Amplifier?

Equipment

Users need  Receiver mounted in view of access point  Network router  Network cards for all machines desired for access.

Requirements  Line of sight is usually a must.  Access points should be at as high levels as possible.  Receivers look at one access point.

Why WISP?  ISP companies see it too expensive to lay cabling in rural areas.  Demand for high speed access exists.  Can be a profitable business venture!  Radio waves provide can provide greater bandwidth, for less latency.

Drawbacks  Line of sight is required for most of the technology.  Weather disruptions.  Latency issues.  Unlicensed frequency can have disruption problems. (Cell phones, radio, etc.)  Expensive to start! (Though government funding can be awarded.)

Expenses  Equipment for backbone  Equipment for relay access points  Equipment for customers  Internet connection  Rent/Lease of relay access points  Security  Maintenance

How much can it cost? $10,000- $250,000!

How to keep secure?  VPN – Virtual Private Network. Access a private network over a public network  Data Encryption  SSID – Service Set Identifier.  Address tables + network cards.

Do’s  Survey land, and frequency traffic.  Make sure you have customers!  Listen to their needs.  Negotiate expenses with customers.  Strike deals for remote access points with property owners.

Don’ts  Don’t over/underestimate bandwidth.  Don’t try to compete with ISP’s.  Don’t expand without testing.  Don’t cause interference with licensed frequencies.  Don’t expand for one customer.

WiMAX – The evolution of Wi-Fi?  Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access  10 – 60 GHz frequency  standards provide greater encryption security, increased bandwidth availability.  70 miles and/or 70 Mbits per second!

Conclusion  WISP’s are expensive to start, and take time to build and maintain.  A legitimate business venture, and room for a very profitable career.  Provide a service to those who desire Internet access where non is available