HPWREN Collaborates with UCSD ACT for Wireless Connectivity at 2002 CENIC Conference

For the second year in a row, the HPWREN team worked with UCSD Administrative Computing, and Telecommunication Services (ACT) to provide the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) annual conference with wireless connectivity. Additional collaborators in the activity included UCSD Media Services and Cisco Systems.

The connection encompassed a temporary three-day link from the San Diego Supercomputer Center to Mount Soledad to Paradise Point, which was the location of this year's CENIC 2002 � CalREN - Catalyze, Connect, Collaborate.

A six-foot antenna atop the San Diego Supercomputer Center points to another six-foot antenna on Mount Soledad, approximately 3.1 miles away, creating one of the 45Mbps HPWREN links. From Mount Soledad, via routing and switching equipment, a sector antenna on a microwave tower pointed to the conference facilities at Paradise Point, approximately 4.5 miles from Soledad. The radios used the unlicensed 5.8GHz spectrum and provided an Ethernet bridging functionality.

Don McLaughlin, Bud Hale, and Bob Green discuss the feasibility of using a one-foot antenna for the Paradise Point link. However, this one-footer lacked the gain required for a reliable connection.

Don McLaughlin of UCSD Telecommunications tests the IP-based video/audio system between San Diego and Arlington.

The 45 Mbps wireless link provided CENIC 2002 participants with Internet access, including web, email and an ability to conduct an IP video/audio conference with Internet2 2002 participants in Arlington, Virginia. "We used Polycom equipment for the video/audio conference and utilized about 15Mbps," said Jim Hale, who organized the HPWREN connection for CENIC. "Overall, we were pleased with both the connection and video/audio performance - the participants were pleased as well."

For additional photos regarding the network installation, see https://cdn.hpwren.ucsd.edu/images/20020504/.

For information about CENIC 2001's connectivity, please refer to /news/010515.html.

-KMB and HWB