Sunsight Instruments’ AAT for antenna alignment.
Sunsight Instruments announced a new firmware release for its AntennAlign Alignment Tool, which ensures that antennas are installed properly to meet performance expectations. The new features include a simpler graphical user interface that allows operations to be conducted faster, and enhanced reporting tools.
Sunsight’s equipment replaces magnetic compasses, relying on GPS to position antennas according to RF design and providing documentation on the installation, and is often required by wireless carriers and used by general contractors in order to reduce the need to re-visit sites to adjust the equipment.
John Vetter, VP of sales and marketing at Sunsight, said that tower crews often spend as much as 50% of their time returning to sites to make corrections, and that the company’s equipment allows crews to spend more time on new sites because they install antennas correctly the first time around.
Ventev Wireless Infrastructure launched portable Wi-Fi hotspots for temporary venues and outdoor enclosures for indoor access points, so that companies can use cheaper indoor APs but protect them from the elements. The self-contained, ruggedized hotspot accommodates popular network switches and up to four Wi-Fi access points and is designed to be set up quickly and support a large number of users. The polycarbonite enclosure measures 24″x24″x10″.
Signal booster kit provider Wi-Ex introduced its zBoost Trio, which is a 2G/3G/4G cell phone signal booster kit. The carrier-specific Trio combines 4G LTe or 4G AWS with 2G/3G cellular and PCS coverage; the company said its booster can increase data speeds by 20 times while improving voice call quality. The product is a finalist in the 2013 CTIA E-Tech Awards.
Wireless backhaul company Ceragon Networks Ltd. is demonstrating its new FibeAir IP-20 products at the show, which are designed for the North American carrier market, alternative access vendors and private network operators for all-indoor or all-outdoor configurations. Ceragon said the new IP-20A (indoor, small footprint) and IP-20C HP (high power, outdoor) products boost net radio capacity by 35% and have amplified transmit power that improves microwave link availability and extends reach, even though they have smaller antennas.
Ceragon said that the IP-20A is the first in a series of solutions for the North American market, which will include a wireless multi-carrier, plit-mount and E/V-band deployments. The IP-20C can deliver 1.3 Gbps over 80 MHz channels, and in 30 MHz channels, delivers 1 Gbps using 4×4 MIMO technology, according to Ceragon.
“Our growing North American customer base can now benefit from a versatile set of solutions for a wide variety of deployment scenarios,” said Ira Palti, Ceragon’s president and CEO. “The feedback we have received from initial deployments and ongoing customer trials is extremely positive, and we look forward to presenting the platform to additional operators throughout the year.”
