Antenna Systems & Technology - Spring 2015 - (Page 14)

FEATURE ARTICLE Anticipating and Satisfying a Rising Demand for Wireless Communications Systems Grant Whipple, Director of Sales and Business Development | Winegard Company The emergence of ever-expanding networks and new technologies that can deliver faster, more reliable Internet connections presents both an enormous opportunity and challenge to designers, manufacturers, distributors and installers of antennas, mounts and other equipment. The communications equipment must evolve to deliver reliable and extended internet connections in remote locations, and that evolution cannot progress at a Darwinian pace. The demand for wireless and satellite broadband connectivity is here today, and will only increase. The equipment must strike a balance between the delicacy of the required electronics technology and the durability to withstand the most severe weather conditions. However, these increasing complexities and capabilities cannot come at the expense of efficient and cost-effective solutions. The implementation and maintenance of broadband solutions and equipment, must be user-friendly and cost-effective. The equipment suppliers and systems integrators that can help enterprise organizations reduce their operational costs and ensure reliable broadband connectivity will hold a distinct advantage over their competitors. Increasingly that means providing a combination of wireless broadband and satellite broadband systems to provide the optimal broadband solution. One major advantage of satellite broadband is availability. Satellite broadband is available virtually worldwide. Satellite communication allows remote locations with harsh terrain and weather, to receive internet services. These remote locations typically do not have the infrastructure that is necessary for terrestrial wireless broadband. However, when terrestrial wireless broadband is available, the service typically has greater speed with low latency. With demand increasing for mobile solutions the optimal broadband solution is one that combines both satellite and wireless broadband technologies. This provides reliability, backup solutions and flexibility to take advantage of various mobile applications where both broadband solutions can be utilized. The oil and gas industry is a particularly interesting case study for the combined use of VSAT and wireless networks. Often times, the drilling for oil and gas is done in remote locations where terrestrial, wireless broadband solutions are not available. Equipment providers have developed auto-deployable VSAT systems used to provide satellite broadband. These systems automatically acquire satellite connections by the touch of a button. Technicians are not needed to position the antenna for communication, which is necessary on fixed antennas. These systems are capable of "re-peaking" the signal to maximize performance. Re-peaking is done periodically to optimize signal strength. This is necessary when conditions cause the antenna to shift, i.e. shifting sand or thawing ground causing the antenna platform to move. Mobile autoacquire VSAT antenna systems are easily transported to other drilling locations. However, there are other locations where terrestrial wireless broadband is available. To provide a mobile, auto acquire terrestrial wireless broadband solution, we partnered with DTS (Data Technology Solutions) and provide a WiMAX mount that automatically connects to wireless broadband signal and also has the ability to re-peak optimizing broadband capacity. The auto acquisition mount can be modified to work with other wireless broadband platforms. The automatic signal acquisition for both the VSAT systems and auto-aiming wireless mount, eliminate the need for trained technicians to be on-site for signal acquisition and re-peaking. This also provides ability to manage several locations simultaneously while being off-site. Hermes Datacomms, a communications provider for the oil and gas industry worldwide, is another example of an equipment manufacturer identifying and innovating to meet the 21st century needs of oil and gas rig operators. The conventional fixed antenna installation process used to require Hermes to send a VSAT engineer to the particular site to install a fixed antenna. Since drilling rigs move on a regular basis, 14 Antenna Systems & Technology Spring 2015 www.AntennasOnline.com http://www.AntennasOnline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Antenna Systems & Technology - Spring 2015

Editor’s Choice
Base Station Antenna Selection for LTE Networks
Anticipating and Satisfying a Rising Demand for Wireless Communication Systems
Antennas
Components/Subsystems
Software / System Design
Test & Measurement
Industry News
Marketplace
CPRI Overcomes Head-End Challenges for DAS in Large Venues

Antenna Systems & Technology - Spring 2015