NSF Award
1353254
This Small Business Innovation Program (SBIR) Phase II project advances antenna technology and wireless network performance by developing a new kind of wireless mesh network node, i.e. integrated router, radio and antenna, and the software necessary to create a network of such devices. Networking is an important productivity resource, but can come at a high cost especially for high-data rates. Dramatic capacity gains in urban wireless networks are achieved by deploying directional antennas to minimize interference and allow substantial frequency reuse. Indoor mounting of nodes in windows is desirable to avoid complications with landlords, avoid weather, and decrease RF path loss. Finally, larger antennas produce more directionality, so the desired wireless node needs a large surface area and yet must be something that people are willing to hang in their windows, i.e. transparent and attractive. This project is using transparent conductive coatings with a novel combination of beam steering and Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) radio technology to develop a mostly transparent wireless node that achieves a <15 degree wide beam that is electronically steerable over >110 degrees. <br/><br/>The broader impact/commercial potential of this project includes increased US competitiveness by facilitating the spread of high speed Internet access and through the sale of innovative new devices in the US and worldwide. Community networks will deploy these nodes, as they are the lowest cost and simplest way to create an inter-building network. In particular, delivering signals via windows overcomes RF absorption in the masonry structures typical of public housing projects. Successful commercialization of this technology will significantly reduce the cost and increase the performance of urban wireless networks, thus helping extend Internet access to un- and under-served neighborhoods and reducing the cost of offloading 3G/4G wireless traffic to local Wi-Fi hotspots.
