Both 5G cellular and the Internet of Things (IoT) will continue to enjoy widespread adoption in the next few years. Smart city applications are the primary driver for these enhanced mobile broadband-based 5G services and IoT applications. However, building a smart city network can be an expensive and slow process and places more pressure on mobile operators to meet the capacity demands of bandwidth-intensive data services. These services include connectivity for intelligent transportation systems, Wi-Fi hotspots, public safety cameras and broadband connections to municipal anchors such as schools, hospitals, and libraries. [...]

Wi-Fi Routers are an essential part of the modern home or small office network and can offer a plethora of functions beyond simply sending and receiving data. ISPs need to deliver and turn on internet service to their customers from day one – and we make it easy to do so with our Cambium residential series. Cambium’s home and small office Wi-Fi routers are purpose-built to enable ISPs to deliver on their promises. The cnPilot R195W, R190V and the R190W routers all provide low-cost, robust performance that extends end-to-end broadband service all the way into subscribers’ homes. [...]

Uniview’s quality IP video surveillance offering just got smarter with the human body detection feature now available on all Easy and Prime I series bullet, dome, and turret cameras. When a human body appears in the perimeter area, the figure will be identified and framed, and alarms will be triggered. These cameras can detect up to four human figures simultaneously. This new feature reduces false alarms caused by pets, bugs, and tree movements and allows you to save storage space and bandwidth.  [...]

A stable electricity supply is one of the core ingredients to support remote working, however, power outages can result in a loss of productivity levels. There are different ways of trying to address this, but none quite as simple and cost-effective as the Acconet Power over Ethernet (PoE) Smart-UPS. [...]

IANet was on the hunt for a more efficient way around the traditional fibre-to-the-home installation that would streamline their business operations and cut costs but not at the expense of their network performance and customer experience. It all came together when IANet approached MiRO, a trusted fibre and wireless network technology distributor. [...]

Many network engineers find that there is very little that MikroTik RouteOS cannot do – from full-on core network configurations to edge networking through to last-mile CPE. With the right network knowledge or a quick Google search or two you can create, implement, and troubleshoot very complex networks, ranging from a basic flat/Layer2 network to MPLS, BGP, OSPF and so much more.  MikroTik RouterOS is a very intuitive piece of equipment once you have a grasp on the basics. [...]

With the potential for more loadshedding on the horizon, taking advantage of instant renewable energy forms, such as solar and wind, have become essential. Eskom COO, Jan Oberholzer, and a recent CSIR report said we face loadshedding for at least the next 18 months, with 2022 likely to be the most challenging year ever for energy availability. We live in a country where sunny days are the norm and solar power is more than possible. Renewable solar energy is no longer out of reach to many and prices are expected to continue to drop, bringing this within reach of the average household. [...]

Many companies have recognised the value of modern technology that enables employees to work from home. This technology has enabled businesses to implement a centralised communication system to retain employee productivity and efficiency of employees working from home. It is as simple as connecting your work from home employees to the company communication system with a VoIP phone, such as the Snom D712. The D712 can be preconfigured and connected to a Wi-Fi router. [...]

With the footprint of wireless communications broadening exponentially, WISPs and ISPs are looking for maximum performance when deploying their backhaul solutions. There has been an increased interest in licensed backhaul links lately, possibly because microwave backhaul links offer a better cost-per-bit ratio than fibre, without compromising on availability or reliability. The benefits of having a licensed link include rapid deployment, long-distance wireless connectivity, and high throughput speeds all without having to dig a single trench for a fibre line. [...]

Wi-Fi within the hospitality, healthcare, and education environments are particularly demanding on integrators. These environments often need to serve many concurrent connections within close proximity. To complicate things further, there are different types of users and user groups such as guests, scholars or staff, for which different rules and policies need to be applied. The challenge integrators face is two-pronged. Firstly, they need to find the correct hardware that can handle these demanding environments while enabling effective, centralised management and easy installation with minimum disruption to the environment where the access points are being installed. The second challenge is doing this at a price point that fits within the integrators’ budget and ensures a maximum long-term return of investment for all parties. [...]

Protecting your network from a rogue DHCP server simply means that you are telling the OLT on which port it will receive and push down DHCP addresses to connected clients and what to do if it does receive an IP address in the upstream direction (from ONU’s to OLT). DHCP spoofing occurs when an attacker attempts to respond to DHCP requests by trying to list itself (spoof) as the default gateway or DNS server, initiating a man in the middle. [...]

With the increased demand for connectivity, more and more radios are deployed, and sustainability is put on the backburner resulting in massive amounts of noise. Enter the RF Elements ultimate noise-rejecting, directional horn antenna, with carrier-class performance: the UltraHorn™ CC 5-24. [...]

There is a constant need to simplify operational processes and reduce costly wireless rollouts, especially now with speed and quality under the spotlight.  RADWIN’s OSS applications are an essential component in a service provider's arsenal to help maintain a competitive edge in this rapid and evolving telecoms landscape. [...]

Whether you have a small, medium, or large enterprise, data security is paramount, and this is no less true for the protection of your VoIP telephony network. The number of online threats today is mind-blowing. Firewalls are designed to protect data networks but do not necessarily offer the required security for your VoIP network.  Firewalls inherently block VoIP calls because they are unsolicited events however, this increases the chances for hackers to bypass your security when you poke holes in firewalls to let VoIP traffic through.    [...]

Whether you’re a WISP, fibre provider or LTE carrier, high latency on your network is not good for business and latency is what sets a great ISP apart from a good one.  As we continue to build our networks and expand territories, our latency can start to jump and while we think that 100ms ping is not too bad, what is happening downstream is a grim picture. The actual throughput and authentication response time of packets are what matters. [...]

There has been a worldwide surge in subscribers and data usage as many around the world adjust to the new way of life. This has many service providers on the edges of their seats as they worry about the resilience of their infrastructure.  [...]

Siklu is well established as a millimetre-wave, backhaul wireless solutions for high capacity, reliable Point-to-Point connections. To prevent Flat fading, due to rain, we highly recommended you use their Link Budget Calculator, before deciding to roll-out a link as this provides vital information such as: [...]

Most people that have been Working from Home (WFH) during the lockdown have experienced some form of Wi-Fi or connectivity issues as a result of the connectivity demands. In this post, we will take a closer look at a typical home Wi-Fi network, as well as provide some useful insights for setting up the ideal home Wi-Fi network. [...]

Rolling out a physical network is the most expensive and most important step in the wireless journey. In our previous article, we discussed planning through Radwin’s R and once the correct site data has been measured and implemented, we are ready to begin the roll-out. [...]

ICASA has made some fee changes to the still very affordable PtP spectrum (E-Band). The new minimum monthly licence fee is now R154 – a nominal increase of 4.1%. The E-band radio frequency (RF) represents the frequency range from 70 GHz to 80 GHz. Signals in this frequency range have very short wavelengths with highly directional properties. This band is widely used for RF backhaul links. E-band is typically not used for long-range signal transmission but is the ideal solution for high-capacity, narrow beamwidth PtP links. [...]