RiT develops indoor free-space optical network technology

Oct. 30, 2012
Point-to-point free-space optical systems have found a niche for outdoor point-to-point communications links. RiT Technologies (NASDAQ: RITT) believes a similar approach could work inside of buildings as well. The company has unveiled its Indoor Wireless Optical Network (IWON) product family, which it expects to make commercially available during the third quarter of 2013.
Point-to-point free-space optical systems have found a niche for outdoor point-to-point communications links. RiT Technologies (NASDAQ: RITT) believes a similar approach could work inside of buildings as well. The company has unveiled its Indoor Wireless Optical Network (IWON) product family, which it expects to make commercially available during the third quarter of 2013. The product line consists of a central transmitting station that could be installed either on a wall or ceiling of a work area, and small user stations that could be positioned up to 10 m away from the central station, either at individual desks or in the middle of a workspace for multiple users to share. The initial version of the central workstation will be capable of transmitting an aggregate of 10 Gbps that could be shared among eight user stations; the company has plans to increase the capacity to 100 Gbps. Four to eight users will be able to share a single user station. Communications between the central station and the user stations is bidirectional. In a conversation with Lightwave, RiT CTO Dr. Erez Ben Eshay acknowledged the obvious limitation of an IWON – the fact that someone could walk in front of a transmission beam. He said the beams, which are in the IR spectrum, are 16 µW and therefore eye-safe. Meanwhile, both the central and user stations have a buffering feature that would enable the appearance of uninterrupted communications provided the beam wasn’t blocked for an extended period of time. Counterbalancing this issue is the fact that an IWON will supply more data throughput and a higher degree of security than a conventional wireless LAN at a price commensurate with a Cat6 wired network, Dr. Ben Eshay asserted. The system will support both encryption and physical security, including shutting down links if users disconnect their PCs. It also will support security ports, VLANs, user groups, and more, according to Dr. Ben Eshay. Its ease of installation, particularly in comparison to wired networks with their associated switching panels, also will be appealing, he said. An IWON installation will benefit from an Intelligent Infrastructure Management (IIM) scheme that enables the system’s physical and logical network topology and devices to be detected and mapped automatically. IIM is part of RiT's CenterMind data center infrastructure management system. RiT took full ownership of the patent-pending technology this past July from Quartz Ltd. via a technology purchase agreement. Dr. Ben Eshay says the systems are now in beta tests, including within RiT’s offices. He expects RiT will begin accepting orders for IWON gear in the first half of next year.

For more information on high-speed transmission systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide.

About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher

Stephen Hardy has covered fiber optics for more than 15 years, and communications and technology for more than 30 years. He is responsible for establishing and executing Lightwave's editorial strategy across its digital magazine, website, newsletters, research and other information products. He has won multiple awards for his writing.

Contact Stephen to discuss:

  • Contributing editorial material to the Web site or digital magazine
  • The direction of a digital magazine issue, staff-written article, or event
  • Lightwave editorial attendance at industry events
  • Arranging a visit to Lightwave's offices
  • Coverage of announcements
  • General questions of an editorial nature

Sponsored Recommendations

On Topic: Optical Players Race to Stay Pace With the AI Revolution

Sept. 18, 2024
The optical industry is moving fast with new approaches to satisfying the ever-growing demand from hyperscalers, which are balancing growing bandwidth demands with power efficiency...

Smartphone Certification – Ensuring FCC Regulatory Compliance with Simulation

Sept. 11, 2024
Learn how electromagnetic simulation can provide early-stage compliant design of smartphones. With this tool, smartphone OEMs can build with confidence, from design to hardware...

The Journey to 1.6 Terabit Ethernet

May 24, 2024
Embark on a journey into the future of connectivity as the leaders of the IEEE P802.3dj Task Force unveil the groundbreaking strides towards 1.6 Terabit Ethernet, revolutionizing...

ON TOPIC: Cable’s Fiber to the X Play

Aug. 28, 2024
Cable operators are strategically deploying fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks in Greenfield markets and Brownfield markets where existing cable plant has reached its end of life...