May 28, 2008 -- HD Communications Corp. (Ronkonkoma, NY) has introduced its HD26200, an outdoor wireless network bridge operating in the 802.11 b/g unlicensed 2.4 GHz band that the company claims will connect two buildings spaced up to five miles apart.
The HD26200 is comprised of two of the company's high performance Ubiquiti network radios with integrated 17 dbi dual polarity antennas, configured in wireless bridge mode. The bridge supports Power over Ethernet (PoE), so no RF cables are required, only an outdoor Cat 5 cable to bring both data and power to the radios.
"Since the introduction of WiFi radios, people have tried to push the range of consumer-level products by adding external antennas, RF cables, and WiFi amplifiers. The cost of those devices often totaled well over $500 -- and that was after [the customer] had already bought two D-Link or Linksys radios for $75 each," maintains Don Davis, president and CEO of HD Communications. "Now they can have an FCC-certified wireless bridge that will work better, look better, is easier to configure, and easier to install -- for less than $320."
HD Communications notes that the HD26200 requires direct line of sight between two outdoor locations that the user is trying to connect; however, the company says that it currently carries additional products for non-line of sight situations, and plans to introduce additional wireless bridge solutions by this summer's end.
"The HD26200 works every time and outperforms other manufacturers' $10,000 wireless bridge solutions," contends Davis. "I have watched people struggle trying to make that other stuff work, and sometimes it did."