New mesh-networking solutions introduced

Fortress Technologies introduced several mesh-networking solutions at the LandWarNet 2009 conference this week.

The Fortress ES210 Tactical Mesh Point is a mobile wireless mesh-networking solution that can be worn by individuals or used for devices such as surveillance cameras, unmanned vehicles and sensors. Fortress Mesh Viewer enables users to monitor the health and performance of an established mesh network from a central location.

The Fortress ES210 Tactical Mesh Point has integrated Global Positioning System and Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 compliant security. It can be used in arctic, desert, tropical and maritime environments. Fortress Mesh Viewer can be integrated with popular situational-awareness tools such as Google Earth to display node positions.

The Fortress ES820 Vehicle Mesh Point and Fortress FastPath Mesh offer secure, net-centric wireless communications via land, air and sea. The Fortress ES820 Vehicle Mesh Point is specifically tailored for vehicle use. Fortress’ FastPath Mesh allows distributed assets – such as convoys, command posts, UAVs and soldiers – to connect to an organic, ad-hoc network that enables end points to easily join and exit the network.

The Fortress ES440 Infrastructure Mesh Point and ES520 Secure Wireless Bridge with 4.4GHz enable secure, net-centric wireless communications in outdoor environments across long distances. The small ES440 Infrastructure Mesh Point has four radios with extended radio range and FIPS 140-2 compliant security. The ES520 Secure Wireless Bridge is an all-in-one network-access device combining the functions of a wireless access point, network bridge, Ethernet switch and security gateway. It can transmit more than the 4.4 GHz military licensed band.

Mesh networking is a way to route data, voice and instructions between connection points or nodes. The system can “hop” from node to node until the destination is reached and the network can all connect to each other via multiple hops. They are self-healing: The network can still operate even when a node breaks down or a connection goes bad.