Bridge Offers Five Miles of Wi-Fi

By Geoff Duncan May 22, 2008

HD Communcations Corp. has introduced its HD26200 wireless network bridge which can latch together two locations up to five miles apart—so long as they have a direct line of sight between them. The system consists of two Ubiquiti network radios that operate in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz band; the 17dbi dual polarity antennas are configured in a wireless bridge mode that, in theory, can offer up to 50 Mbps in TCP/IP bandwidth, although actual performance will depend on installation variables. Even between the HD26200 is powered over Ethernet, so the entire installation can be handled with outdoor CAT 5 cabling. And instead of costing thousands of dollars, the bridge is available for just $318.

"Since the introduction of WiFi radios people have tried to push the range of consumer level products by adding external antennas, RF cables, and WiFi amplifier," said HD Communications CEO Don Davis, in a statement. "Now they can have an FCC certified wireless bridge that will work better, look better, is easier to configure, and easier to install for less than $320."

Although the HD26200 requires line-of-sight between the two locations, the company says it’s working on bridges that don’t require a line of sight between them, and hopes to have additional bridges available by the end of summer.

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