Netonix Forums

multi parter:

1) Thoughts: http://routerboard.com/RBMetal9HPn single polarity, but priced ok



2) Anyone know of inexpensive dual-polarity 900Mhz gear w/ >8dBm (as in better than a locoM900)? There is a big gap between the 8dBm loco and a rocket+dual-pol yagi price wise. The loco only has 1 rp-sma port for external antenna and so putting a ~15dBm yagi on there doesn't really take advantage of MIMO.

The RBMetal9HPn looks good, but only single polarity so I can't get the noise avoidance gain from MIMO gear.

That said, the ubnt 900Mhz gear is about the worst performing stuff and that's what I'm testing against. (3mile 900Mhz w/ 2 Nanostation Loco M900). Maybe the 'tik w/ an inexpensive yagi would do better.

I have a couple areas that are very good for 900Mhz, hills and trees making 900Mhz very clean, but the ubiquiti gear never seems to perform to theoretical. :(

rebelwireless wrote:That said, the ubnt 900Mhz gear is about the worst performing stuff and that's what I'm testing against. (3mile 900Mhz w/ 2 Nanostation Loco M900). Maybe the 'tik w/ an inexpensive yagi would do better. :(

Sadly even though I am a Ubiquiti fan boy I must agree, their 900 MHz gear blows!

Off hand no, not really. That's why I suggested the development of the mpcie radio cards. Doodlelabs has a software changeable system developed meaning the base radio is set at say 2402mhz but then you add their Prism-Front End to shift the channel where you need it. One radio card, one mini motherboard, combined with the FES would mean one item as a whole to support since in theory it could handle from 30mhz up to 6.5ghz and maybe even higher up to 10.7ghz. I have sent a request for a developer kit and more details. Everything else I have researched is still "G" based and SISO. There really is no competition for 900 mhz since it is considered a trashed wifi band with the recent 900 mhz give away the FCC did to that company and all the scada equipment.

Ant wrote:Off hand no, not really. That's why I suggested the development of the mpcie radio cards. Doodlelabs has a software changeable system developed meaning the base radio is set at say 2402mhz but then you add their Prism-Front End to shift the channel where you need it. One radio card, one mini motherboard, combined with the FES would mean one item as a whole to support since in theory it could handle from 30mhz up to 6.5ghz and maybe even higher up to 10.7ghz. I have sent a request for a developer kit and more details. Everything else I have researched is still "G" based and SISO. There really is no competition for 900 mhz since it is considered a trashed wifi band with the recent 900 mhz give away the FCC did to that company and all the scada equipment.

'G' radios aren't so bad, I would consider some canopy 900Mhz except everything affordable there is 4Mbps/AP. Useless.

Be nice if we could just downconvert a 2/5Ghz radio to 900Mhz like the doodle labs stuff.

so I reached out to doodle labs. Figured that if I could get a radio board from them I could use a 'tik platform and flash openwrt. I was basically told that this would be too small of a volume product :/

Yeah, you need to order a good size quantity to deal with them almost like becoming a distributor for them. ;)

Ant wrote:Yeah, you need to order a good size quantity to deal with them almost like becoming a distributor for them. ;)

I was told that a canadia wISP uses their products in 900Mhz. I'm looking at some pricing and may contact them and see whats up. 20Mhz isn't a lot to work with but with good dual chain 'n radios it's worth pursuing I think. Maybe as a way to feed micro-pops or something if the radios are expensive. They use the open source atheros drivers so should work with any openwrt box and possibly the minipci-e based 'tiks like rb912*.