Airvine to drive necessary broadband network upgrades for MDU properties
Dave Robison of Airvine
According to recent studies conducted by Deloitte, an average number of connected devices in US households has risen to 22. This and other trends are pushing FCC (federal communications commission) to raise previous definition of broadband, 25Mbps (megabits per second), to 100Mbps goal and Airvine describes in a blog post how property owners, management companies and managed service providers in ‘MDU’ (multi-dwelling unit) sector can provide necessary broadband network upgrades within these buildings.
More than 20 million households in US fall within MDU category. In 2021, only 16% of those 20 million units were offered internet service by property owner. The blog describes how new WaveTunnel product provides a less expensive, wireless approach for upgrading a building’s or complex’s wired infrastructure. For instance, in-building wiring currently consists of copper-based ‘twisted pair’ lines that can support only single digit Mbps rates to each unit. Even buildings with a gigabit-capacity ethernet CAT-5 cable installed for its “backbone” network cannot meet ‘need for speed’ residents now expect.
The WaveTunnel system is a shoebox sized module that mounts on ceilings and other interior high points to provide high speed connectivity for ever expanding world of connected devices. It operates over millimetre-wave, 60 GHz (gigahertz) frequency where there is enough spectrum to provide multiple gigabits of capacity in each building. The WaveTunnel system can also be installed much more speedily and less expensively than wireline options in currently occupied buildings and in recent construction.
“Using the WaveTunnel to expand, upgrade and extend the network reach of MDU properties can deliver many important benefits. For instance, management can add value to the property itself, support the new Wi-Fi 6 and the Wi-Fi 7 access points coming soon, offer seamless connectivity throughout the property – not just within the units and enable deployment of IoT devices for smart building functions, such as contactless entry systems, HVAC smart energy operations, security cameras and other applications.” says Dave Robison, CRO for Airvine.
The blog also addresses ‘CAPEX’ (capital expenditure) decision faced by MDU property owners and managed service providers when it comes to upgrading and owning network infrastructure. The factors in play here include investment amortisation equation and ROI (return on investment) considerations and possibility of recent revenue streams made possible by upgraded network infrastructure.
For instance, WaveTunnel lowers CAPEX budget as it is the initial 60 GHz system that can operate on “NLOS” (non line-of-sight) basis, meaning its signals can bend around corners and pass through walls to connect all nodes forming multi-gigabit speed backbone for building. This results in much less construction work and inconvenience for residents, no asbestos issues and speed, as each node can be installed with a screwdriver and a smartphone configuration app in 15 minutes or less.
Additional operational and technical details can be found here.
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