Tropos mesh routers have always been rugged. For example, the only Tropos router in the New Orleans video surveillance network that was lost during Hurricane Katrina was one mounted to a pole felled by the storm. When power was restored, the network became operational. By itself. And, as one observer put it:

The [Tropos] mesh network allowed the city to conduct 110,000 home inspections in just 6 weeks, and to issue 500 building permits per day (a 500% increase). It also enabled free public Internet access that supported the businesses and employees returning to their homes and office. And of course, the system continued to serve its original purpose as a NOPD network and "security canopy."

Now, with the introduction of the Tropos XA product family for extreme applications, Tropos mesh routers have gone from rugged to extremely rugged. The new Tropos 7320-XA outdoor mesh router can survive even higher winds and temperatures while offering even better resistance to salt fog corrosion than the Tropos 7320. For applications on the go, the new Tropos 4310-XA can survive even more extreme vibration than the Tropos 4310 while providing a weather-proof enclosure that is suitable for external as well as in-vehicle mounting.


Tropos 4310-XA Mobile Mesh Router for Extreme Applications


Does this have value to our customers? You bet it does. As John J. Cruz, Jr., Strategic Planning and Operations Research Division Manager (SPORD) at Guam Power Authority (GPA), told us:

“A tropical climate and typhoons are facts of life on Guam. When a storm disrupts power, we need our communication network to keep operating so we can get the lights back on as soon as possible. ABB Tropos developed the unique features of the Tropos 7320-XA at GPA’s request to ensure that our wireless network functions reliably even in the face of the extreme conditions we occasionally face on our island. The survivability of Tropos networks through Katrina and other natural disasters is proof that GPA made the right choice.”

When developing the Tropos XA product family, we remembered our friends in the public safety and critical infrastructure markets. The Tropos 7329-XA and Tropos 4319-XA provide the features and benefits of the Tropos 7320-XA and Tropos 4310-XA, respectively, while offering connectivity in the 4.9 GHz band. The 4.9 GHz products are available only in the United States, where the 4.9 GHz spectrum is allocated for licensed use by public safety agencies and certain critical infrastructure operators.

For more information about the Tropos XA product family, check out our product announcements regarding the unlicensed band Tropos XA products and the 4.9 GHz band Tropos XA products.

Bert Williams