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Help me find a radio solution?

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aquinn

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2010
Messages
6
Location
London
Hi, am new to this forum, and thought this might be a reasonable sub-forum to post this question. I'm considering launching a business, which would manufacture and distribute a technology infrastructure to existing businesses within a particular vertical market.

I am just slightly stuck on the radio communications part! :)
I need a two-way communications link between up to 200 roving handheld devices and a base-station/server.
The base-station/antenna can be off-the-shelf, but I will be manufacturing the roving devices myself, so the receiver units need to be in the form of an OEM board I guess.

The problem are the requirments:
- Need a range of 2.5KM+ on a single hop ideally
- Undulating terrain with mid-dense forestry in places
- Point-to-MultiPoint (obviously)
- Throughput from base-station must allow up to 100KB/s (though additional capacity would be great). This is not per device, but overall base-station output.
- Receiver board should be as small as possible, as it will need to fit into a small handheld device
- Unlicensed frequency band

Tetra is too expensive, and i don't want to rely on the existing 3G infrastructure.
WiMax might be a possibility though perhaps?

Thanks in advance... really keen to hear any gut-thoughts you might have, even if it's to say 'not possible', or to point me in the direction of whatever company you think i should be talking to.

A'
 
D

DaveNF2G

Guest
I'm not clear on what you're intending. It sounds like you want to manufacture a device that only has general specifications and no particular design. Is your business going to be to sell this point-to-multipoint capability, including the devices you plan to make? Or are you going to use the communications you are describing to support your manufacturing business?
 

aquinn

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2010
Messages
6
Location
London
Hi David, thank you taking the time to read my post, I apologise for the lack of clarity in my initial description.
Yes, my (intended) business will be selling this point-to-multipoint technology to other companies. We would not need it for our own business/manufacturing process.
In actual fact the infrastructure that we will be selling will also contain other types of technology that we are seeking to patent, but the problem I'm facing is how to link all these wireless devices to one base station at each site that we install to.

A'
 

aquinn

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2010
Messages
6
Location
London
Very kind Don_Burke... i will have a look around on that site you suggested, and around the 900MHz band.
Really appreciate your (and anyone else's) help on this... it's been difficult to get unbiased advice on this sort of thing! :)
A'
 

N4DES

Retired 0598 Czar ÆS Ø
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
2,386
Location
South FL
Being your in in London you need to look up the local radio laws on what wide-band frequencies are available in England. This is typicially a USA/Canadian board and I don't think we should be giving you advise based on the band allocations a couple of thousand miles across the atlantic becuse they won't be correct.

I'm not trying to push you away, but I would hate for you to spend a lot of time researching stuff that isn't available where you are.
 

aquinn

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2010
Messages
6
Location
London
Thanks KS4VT - although I'm based in London, our sales territory will be solely targeting the US market, so we'll be manufacturing the hardware for US specifications. Sharp eye though!
Can't wait to make it across 'the pond'.... anything for a break from this grim and gray weather... please send some over from Florida! :)
 
D

DaveNF2G

Guest
So essentially you are recruiting the members of RR.com as free consultants (with unknown experience or credentials) to help you to design a product that you plan to build and market.

Sounds like a great business plan.
 

aquinn

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2010
Messages
6
Location
London
Hi David,
No not quite - I'm just trying to ask anyone in the radio community for their two-cents on it. Any gut-feelings as to what route I should look into. There may also be some members who read the post who work for a radio electronics company themselves that would be keen to plug their own business to me.
Once I feel like I've found a route, that is when I will either contract or recruit a specialist to design the architecture and specify the components, and take professional accountability for it.

I was simply looking for people to say "try Tetra" or "look into WiMAX" or "not possible" etc.

I apologise if you feel 'used' in any way, I just thought some of the guys in the Radio Community might want to give their own opinions; this is, after all, one of the key functions of such a forum. Your opinion, positive or negative, is appreciated though.

Best,
A'
 
N

N_Jay

Guest
I think you got ye only answer that makes much sense 900 MHz ISM.

Maybe WiMAX, but I am not a WiMax aficionado, and not sure what unlicensed band you would put it in to meet your goals.

You really need to get good professional guidance.
 

aquinn

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2010
Messages
6
Location
London
Thanks N-Jay,
I have a WiMAX expert lined up to do some investigative work for me already actually, but in the interests of saving money, I don't want to give him the go-ahead until I've looked around for other possibilities also. It does look as though WiMAX is a possible answer though. But as you say, the licensing issue will be a fun little hurdle!
The 900MHz stuff I phoned up about yesterday actually, and they are coming back to me on it; though it looks as though the boards will be too big for the handheld-type device I want to create.

Thanks for posting though, it does confirm my fear that it might be quite difficult to pull off, as there aren't a whole hoard of solutions out there for it! :-/

Best,
A'
 

ALBC785

Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2006
Messages
80
Location
Hokes Bluff Alabama
Thanks N-Jay,
I have a WiMAX expert lined up to do some investigative work for me already actually, but in the interests of saving money, I don't want to give him the go-ahead until I've looked around for other possibilities also. It does look as though WiMAX is a possible answer though. But as you say, the licensing issue will be a fun little hurdle!
The 900MHz stuff I phoned up about yesterday actually, and they are coming back to me on it; though it looks as though the boards will be too big for the handheld-type device I want to create.

Thanks for posting though, it does confirm my fear that it might be quite difficult to pull off, as there aren't a whole hoard of solutions out there for it! :-/

Best,
A'


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