Emergency, tactical, and temporary wireless networks outdoors demand quick and easy deployment. Until now, this usually has come at the cost of performance, especially over larger, multi-hop networks. The MD4000 third-generation network offers sets up as easily as a first-generation mesh with minimal site engineering, but offers much higher performance. Demanding data applications, high-bandwidth video, and voice traffic are supported, even over many hops.
 
Case Study: Temporary Mesh Network for Sporting Event: Every week during the season, fans gather at a different outdoor venue for events scheduled by a global professional sporting organization. Besides a glimpse of their favorite players, fans want access to constantly updated scores and standings. The sporting organization positions large scoreboards around the event to provide these statistics, but connecting the displays to the scoring computers required a high performance wireless network that was fast to set up and easy to manage.
 
MD4000 Wi-Fi Wireless Mesh nodes are being deployed each week around the event locations, creating a high-performance, low-latency and low-jitter infrastructure connecting the scoreboards to powerful computers processing scoring data from around the venue. The sporting organization maintains multiple sets of nodes: while one is being set up and used, another is in transit to the next event.
 
High performance and fast set-up key to application: When the sports organization began to consider a change from the existing First-Generation wireless mesh supplier, higher performance was the goal. But because the equipment must be installed, tested, and operated for one event, and then removed and transported weekly to the next location on the schedule, fast set-up was mandatory. Although the network was initially intended to support only a single application, the sports organization was pleased to find that the MeshDynamics network installed even more quickly than the First-Generation Wi-Fi mesh it was tested against and will also provide the higher performance needed to support additional new applications. This is because MeshDynamics MD4000 Wireless Mesh nodes use patented and patent pending third generation mesh networking technology that allows each node to choose its best channel and connection path to minimize interference from other MeshDynamics nodes or external interference sources. [Visual]
 
Managing spectrum in a busy environment: The outdoor scoreboards are distributed around the venue so that they may be viewed from many vantage points. Depending on the topology of an individual location, from 15 to 30 wireless mesh nodes are needed to provide complete coverage. In order to avoid the most common interference sources and to provide access to the largest number of unlicensed channels, 802.11a Wi-Fi at 5.8GHz is used for all connections. MeshDynamics wireless mesh nodes constantly monitor the RF environment, seamlessly moving segments of the network to new channel maps if necessary. The integrity and timeliness of data delivery is critical to fans, broadcasters, and corporate partners, so it's important that the MeshDynamics equipment manages very congested RF Spectrum more reliably than did the sports organization's earlier solutions.
 
Future applications on MeshDynamics wireless mesh infrastructure The sporting organization plans to move many of its wireless applications away from costly licensed spectrum and onto the MeshDynamics MD4000 wireless mesh networks. Consolidating all of the wireless connectivity on the MeshDynamics wireless mesh will save recurring costs and set-up time while increasing reliability.
 
Related Links:

1. MD 4455 Support Page: Overview document on MD4454 and 4325 configurations for high speed mobility.
2. Military Mesh Networks  Overview document on why Military Mesh Networks require third generation mesh. 
3. Border Security Applications and Solutions: Mobile and static mesh network deployments along Mexico-Arizona border
4. MeshDynamics Scores with Outdoor Sports Network Press Release on impromptu mesh network for sporting events.
5. High Speed Mobility Test -1  Video tapes of glitch free video transmission over 4 hops, traveling at 50+ mph.
6. High Speed Mobility Test -2  Video feed from one vehicle to another, both connected to the mesh network.