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Outdoor wireless systems that are properly engineered and designed can provide 99.999% predictable uptime reliability. When wireless backhaul networks are designed factors like path loss, Fresnel Zones, and weather are calculated to provide an accurate determination of which frequency is to be used, antenna output gain, transmit power of the radios, antenna heights, and modulations.

Properly designed systems use the correct antennas, frequencies, and transmit power to overcome the Path Loss and account for weather conditions to get the desired Receive Signal Level ("RSL" measured in dBm). Radios are designed to operate with a certain level of "Fade Margin" that allows the system to operate at a predictable reliability (for most systems 20 to 25dB of Fade Margin is recommended).

Wireless backhaul, whether you are talking about wireless mesh, WiMax, point to multipont wireless, or point to point wireless backhaul, systems can function with extreme reliability and predictability if installed correctly. Proper installation is a critical component of the success and longevity of an outdoor wireless system. One of most important parts of the installation process is performing quality weather proofing of all components.

Weatherproofing gets overlooked all the time. When a system is working a broadband wireless network gets forgotten about and really inspected. Weatherproofing doesn’t last forever and needs to be inspected annually and should be replaced if any deficiencies are found. All cable connections, whether at the termination of the radio, at the lighting surge arrestors, or at any other junctions.  

Proper weatherproofing is done using butyl tape and high quality polyurethane UV resistant tape. Good practice is to apply tape first, then apply butyl (which prevents any moisture to get through), and then an outer layer of tape. Tape should be wrapped in an overlapping shingling fashion. Over time though even though resistant to UV, tape can loose its adhesive and peel away. Annual inspection and re-taping should be performed.

One of the most difficult problems to troubleshoot on an outdoor wireless backhaul system is failure due to moisture in a connection or water that gets in a cable. Many times this issue cannot be easily visible on a surface inspection. The best way to avoid issues caused by weather is to maintain proper weatherproofing from the beginning.  

Properly maintained outdoor wireless bridge systems should remain functioning as originally designed and specified. By performing periodic maintenance and re-certification a properly designed and installed system should perform exactly as it did on the original install date.

Alpha Omega Wireless, Inc., headquartered in Austin Texas, was hired for the forth year in a row by SXSW and RightRound to provide wireless Ethernet backhaul and outdoor Wi-Fi to multiple venues around Austin for the 2014 SXSW Film, Interactive, and Music Festival.

President Joe Wargo says, "We were excited to be asked by SXSW and RightRound to return to help them provide critical bandwidth to their major venues and some outdoor Wi-Fi at select special events. This year we have seen a huge increase in the bandwidth requirements of SXSW and their sponsors. In years past some of the major events only needed upwards of 50Mbps, but now the minimum has been 100Mbps+. This year we have several events that need GigE bandwidth. More and more live streaming is going on this year.

Overall, AO Wireless has deployed over 5Gbps+ of carrier grade point to point wireless backhaul and point to multipoint wireless Ethernet bridges. RightRound has brought in multiple multi GigE fiber internet POP’s around Austin that AO Wireless then created the last mile wireless connectivity off the fiber to the venues. I was amazed on how much redundancy that RightRound has created this year.

This year because of the high bandwidth requirements we expanded multiple point-to-point wireless backhauls to concert venues and outdoor event locations. We had to use more point-to-point microwave links, rather than using traditional point-to-multipoint wireless Ethernet bridge systems because of the amount of unlicensed wireless interference. Other major accomplishments this year was providing high speed Wi-Fi, to some high profile, outdoor party events and outdoor meeting events. For the outdoor Wi-Fi applications we used Xirrus Wi-Fi array systems in order to handle the high density of Wi-Fi users and devices.

This year we used a wide variety of radio systems ranging from Xirrus for the high density Wi-Fi and Proxim, Radwin, Exalt, Siklu, and SAF Tehnika for our outdoor wireless Ethernet bridges. We used a lot of 24GHz point-to-point microwave radio links for our mission critical wireless backhauls. The SAF Lumina 24GHz radios help us avoid wireless interference and provide us 366Mbps full duplex (732Mbps aggregate) throughput. The advantage of these wireless frequency platforms was to help avoid interference. Plus they could be deployed immediately under FCC regulations. We even introduced the new SAF Integra radio for our most important venue.

Deploying wireless around Austin during SXSW can be very challenging. There is a lot of people that deploy unlicensed, value line, radio systems and outdoor Wi-Fi around Austin for some of the events. AO Wireless’ challenge was to deliver 99.999% reliable wireless backhaul to SXSW and RightRound clients.”

About Alpha Omega Wireless, Inc.
Alpha Omega Wireless is an experienced integrator of broadband wireless network technology and complete end-to-end wireless backhaul  solutions. We provide a full range of point to point wireless backhaul, point to multipoint wireless bridges, WiMax backhaul, LTE networks, wireless mobility, wireless repeaters, Smart Grid wireless backhaul, indoor, outdoor, and municipal Wi-Fi, and wireless mesh products and services.

About RightRound
RightRound (www.rightround.com) specializes in Internet connectivity anywhere, high-density WiFi solutions and video streaming for live events, festivals and conferences. The goal of RightRound is to solve technology problems, and make event technology work while making it feel easy and seamless. RightRound recognizes that the events industry is facing major changes, and being connected to the Internet is no longer a luxury. Bandwidth dependent solutions are now as critical as power and water.

About South By Southwest
SXSW 2014, the world's leading music industry event, offers attendees the opportunity to explore the future of the music industry during the day at panels, talks, the Trade Show, Music Gear Expo and other conference activities at the Austin Convention Center. At night, the absolute best mix of musical performances from over 2,000 regional, national and international acts will take place at the nighttime music festival. Altogether, SXSW presents unmatched networking opportunities, career-building conference programming and over 100 stages of music for showcasing bands and conference attendees. SXSW takes place in Austin, Texas. For more information on every aspect of SXSW and to register to attend, please go to http://www.sxsw.com.

SXSW® Doubles Bandwidth from Alpheus Communications for 2014

2GB of bandwidth for SXSW 2014 needed to meet unprecedented demand for Internet access

HOUSTON and AUSTIN, Texas – Dec. 4, 2013 – South by Southwest® (SXSW®) 2014 event organizers are preparing for unprecedented demand for high-speed Internet access from attendees, exhibitors and sponsors who will stream live video and connect with social media outlets from throughout Austin during the 2014 event.

To fulfill this bandwidth need, the legendary entertainment event is again turning to Austin-based RightRound LLC and Alpheus Communications to design and implement a 2GB data circuit to support SXSW events, exhibitors, and attendees. Based on experience from the 2013 event and the already high interest in obtaining Internet access for SXSW 2014, vendors, exhibitors and sponsors are already signing up for Internet access so they’re better prepared to meet the needs of SXSW attendees in March.

“South by Southwest presents new challenges each year, and it’s great to have partners like RightRound and Alpheus that we can rely on to help us adapt and succeed in keeping our network, and attendees, connected,” said Scott Wilcox, Director of Technology for SXSW LLC.

Alpheus will deliver 2GB Internet access, double from 2013 levels, from its network hub/data center on East 6th Street in Austin and deliver connectivity directly to many venues. In addition, Alpheus’ bandwidth will be extended wirelessly via Alpha Omega Wireless to venues beyond the SXSW host hotel in downtown Austin. RightRound will provide IT strategy, planning and overall project management, along with services and equipment that exhibitors, sponsors, and performers need to properly deploy for streaming their events and performances.

“Every year more bandwidth is needed to fulfill the demand of SXSW exhibitors, sponsors and attendees, particularly as more performances are streamed live online,” said Cliff Skolnick, director and network architect at RightRound. “Working with a local, carrier-grade network provider such as Alpheus makes this immense task much easier, as the company implements its high-performance Internet connectivity and taps into its Austin-based staff who can pivot at a moment’s notice to expand networks as necessary.”

Understanding that a number of the SXSW venues are temporary with clients who only need Internet access for 24 hours or less, Austin-based Alpha Omega Wireless will deliver Alpheus’ Internet access via a microwave, point-to-point connection from the Alpheus network hub/data center to the SXSW host hotel in downtown Austin. In addition to using this 31-story hotel as was done in 2013, Alpheus, RightRound, and Alpha Omega Wireless will collaborate to provide an additional antenna downtown along with building out a network on Rainey Street that will cover all of the activities in the bars in that area. Another network site will be added in the area west of Congress Street to enable sponsors, performers, and attendees to tap into free Internet access using high-density Wi-Fi.

Demand for Internet access during SXSW shows continued growth year over year. Typically, most attendees have at least two IP-enabled devices for watching and uploading streaming video, blogging and posting commentary to their favorite social media sites.

“Alpheus recognizes how critical Internet access is to SXSW. The high-performance network service that Alpheus will provide to SXSW 2014 will likely be exceeded quickly as the event, its attendees, exhibitors, sponsors and performers all demand more bandwidth,” said Scott Widham, CEO of Alpheus Communications. “With the terrific collaboration of Alpheus, RightRound and Alpha Omega Wireless, we believe that SXSW will continue to set the standard for interactive entertainment events.”

To find out more about Alpheus Communications’ service, contact Enterprise Account Director, Chase Sadler at 512-992-8280 or chase.sadler@alpheus.net.

About Alpheus Communications
Alpheus Communications (www.alpheus.net) is a leading provider of Texas metro-regional fiber and networking solutions. With owned facilities in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi and the Rio Grande Valley, Alpheus is flexible, content-neutral and responsive to customer needs when low-latency and uptime are essential. As the preferred fiber backbone for Metro Texas, Alpheus is in a unique position to support mission-critical information technology functions and cloud computing solutions through its resilient SSAE 16-compliant data center platforms for colocation and disaster recovery.

About RightRound
RightRound (www.rightround.com) specializes in Internet connectivity anywhere, high-density WiFi solutions and video streaming for live events, festivals and conferences. The goal of RightRound is to solve technology problems, and make event technology work while making it feel easy and seamless. RightRound recognizes that the events industry is facing major changes, and being connected to the Internet is no longer a luxury. Bandwidth dependent solutions are now as critical as power and water.

About Alpha Omega Wireless, Inc.
“AO Wireless” (www.aowireless.com) is a leading integrator of complete end-to-end wireless backhaul networking technology and solutions. Alpha Omega Wireless provides wireless site surveys, feasibility studies, engineering, spectrum analysis, path calculations, design, wireless installation, equipment sales, radio repair and maintenance, support, troubleshooting, and ongoing management & monitoring of point to point wireless links, point to multipoint wireless systems, WiMax backhaul, LTE, Wi-Fi, and wireless mesh. As well as SCADA telemetry radio, wireless video surveillance, and indoor RF. Alpha Omega Wireless works with unlicensed wireless Ethernet bridges and licensed microwave links.

Alpha Omega Wireless will be attending the OilComm Conference and Exposition, in Houston Texas November 6th - 8th, 2013. Please visit us at booth 117.

AO Wireless President Joe Wargo says, "Alpha Omega Wireless works with many client partners in the Oil and Gas Industry provideing wireless communications for point to point wireless backhaul, point to multipoint wireless Ethernet bridges, wireless SCADA telemetry, licensed WiMax, LTE, tower construction, wireless engineering, network design, and wireless installation. We are pleased to be invited to be at the conference and work with many of our client partners and other Oil and Gas Industry organizations. This will be a great show!"

About Alpha Omega Wireless, Inc.
Alpha Omega Wireless is an experienced integrator of broadband wireless network technology and complete end-to-end wireless backhaul  solutions. We provide a full range of point to point wireless backhaul, point to multipoint wireless bridges, WiMax backhaul, LTE networks, wireless mobility, wireless repeaters, Smart Grid wireless backhaul, indoor, outdoor, and municipal Wi-Fi, and wireless mesh products and services.

About OilComm 2013
The OilComm Conference and Exposition is the premier event providing communications solutions for both the offshore and remote inland oil and gas communities. Attracting more than 1,200 delegates and 125 exhibiting companies, OilComm 2013 will feature a full conference program led by oil and gas communications experts and innovators that will examine today’s communications challenges and unveil the next generation of solutions to meet those challenges.

Alpha Omega Wireless, Inc. (“AO Wireless”) President, Joe Wargo, recently traveled to Riga, Latvia to build stronger business relationships with SAF Tehnika. The purpose of this trip was to have stretegic meetings with SAF Leadership, meet their engineering and product management teams, tour their R&D and manufacturing facilities, and to receive first hand training on new and exciting licensed microwave products. 

President Joe Wargo says, “I was very excited to be able to travel to Riga to see first hand the quality of the SAF Tehnika organization. It is vital to Alpha Omega Wireless, Inc. that we represent only the wireless backahul industry best of breed products in the point to point wireless and licensed microwave backhaul space to our clients. Being able to tour and inspect the quality of a manufacture's R&D, testing, and manufacturing gives us a greater ability to ensure that we are recommending the best point to point wireless backahul solutions but also to make sure we have the most highly trained teams performing wireless installation. 

SAF Tehnika has been building extremely high quality outdoor wireless microwave radio products for us for years. The majority of of our business is performing wireless network desing, path engineering, and wireless installation of licensed microwave, point to point backhaul for our clients. The quality of a point to point link depends highly on the quality of microwave radios you use. We have perfromed wireless installation of hundreds of SAF licensed wireless backhaul products with out any failures. Point to point backhaul using lincesed wireless is typically our clients' primary broadband connectivity that demands reliability.

I was thouroughly impressed with the high quality of R&D, testing, and manufacturing that SAF provides. I have never seen so much attention to detail performed from anyone else. I am also extremely excited about their new inovative products being launched that will benifit our clients with their point to point wireless needs."

Kristaps Rikāns, Managing Director for the USA says, "SAF Tehnika is unique company in microwave radios manufacturing world. We keep all our production, R&D and engineering located in one location in the heart of Europe. We were very happy to invite our long-term valuable partner Alpha Omega Wireless to visit our headquarters and see every step of product development, production and testing themselves and enjoy our beautiful country.”

About Alpha Omega Wireless, Inc.
 ("AO Wireless") is a leading integrator of complete end-to-end wireless backhaul networking technology and solutions. Alpha Omega Wireless provides wireless site surveys, feasibility studies, engineering, spectrum analysis, path calculations, design, wireless installation, equipment sales, radio repair and maintenance, support, troubleshooting, and ongoing management & monitoring of point to point wireless links, point to multipoint wireless systems, WiMax backhaul, LTE wireless communication, Wi-Fi, and wireless mesh. As well as SCADA telemetry radio, wireless video surveillance, and indoor RF. Alpha Omega Wireless works with unlicensed wireless Ethernet bridges and licensed microwave links.

About SAF Tehnika
SAF Tehnika is among the world's top microwave carrier-class point to point radio manufacturers, with capacities up to Gbps+ solutions meeting ETSI, FCC and Industry Canada standards.  SAF Tehnika is committed to providing an exceptional customer adapted wireless solution that empower carriers and servicers the level of connectivity demanded in today's competitive environment.  SAF Tehnika has installation in nearly 100 countries around the world in the most challenging of environments and extreme temperatures. www.saftehnika.com

Alpha Omega Wireless, Inc. (“AO Wireless”) announces expansion throughout the United States with its opening of a new office in Oklahoma City. AO Wireless will become one of the premier wireless installation and microwave communications integrators in the central US market.

President Joe Wargo says, “I am very excited opening another office location in the Oklahoma market. By having a presence in Oklahoma City we’ll be able to expand our local reach not only in Oklahoma but also surrounding states, such as Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, and parts of New Mexico.

Over the past year we have engaged some very large projects in Oklahoma consisting wireless installation of long range licensed microwave point to point wireless networks, licensed WiMax for last mile wireless and wireless mobility, Smart Grid wireless, mobile radio communications, and wireless video surveillance. Oklahoma is a fast growing economy right now and we see a large demand for broadband wireless as critical telecommunications backhaul.

Covering vast distances with fiber is costly and time consuming. Wireless backhaul can be deployed much faster and with a better ROI. Building out core GigE full duplex backhaul networks using point to point wireless bridge and microwave wireless can help allow for expansion of Oklahoma businesses and its ability to drive its economy. Today we are able to deliver upwards of 6Gbps full duplex wireless backhaul using licensed microwave wireless and with wireless repeaters we are able to cover large distances. Wireless point to point backhaul is used for the backhaul network, while WiMax and LTE wireless installation is being used for last mile wireless connectivity.

Oklahoma is also a key state for our nations transportation system as its highways and rail system interconnects many other states. It’s a perfect location for the use of wireless mobility applications, such as unmanned rail, video surveillance, and wireless automation control.

We have already brought on board some key personnel in the region. In the coming months we will have a full time dedicated wireless installation services delivery team and project management based in Oklahoma City that will be able to provide onsite support for our clients in the region. We see the market place for wireless backhaul growing in the coming years as the need for broadband wireless continues to be in high demand.“

About Alpha Omega Wireless, Inc.
 ("AO Wireless") is a leading integrator of complete end-to-end wireless backhaul networking technology and solutions. Alpha Omega Wireless provides wireless site surveys, feasibility studies, engineering, spectrum analysis, path calculations, design, wireless installation, equipment sales, radio repair and maintenance, support, troubleshooting, and ongoing management & monitoring of point to point wireless links, point to multipoint wireless systems, WiMax backhaul, LTE wireless communication, Wi-Fi, and wireless mesh. As well as SCADA telemetry radio, wireless video surveillance, and indoor RF. Alpha Omega Wireless works with unlicensed wireless Ethernet bridges and licensed microwave links.

Alpha Omega Wireless, Inc. President, Joe Wargo, will be a featured speaker at the 2013 SXSW Interactive. Joe will be speaking to an audience, on Saturday March 9^th from 9:30AM to 10:30AM at the Austin Convention Center (http://schedule.sxsw.com/2013/events/event_IAP15797) about wireless networks at large events and venues. Some of the topics will be about how to design, prepare, and deploy wireless backhaul and Wi-Fi networks for high-density crowds in large venues. Wireless technologies that will be covered are point to point wireless bridges, to include licensed microwave backhaul and use of unlicensed point to point wireless bridges, microwave communications, point to multipoint wireless Ethernet bridges, WiMax, and wireless mesh networks. He’ll also cover successful design and deployment of high density Wi-Fi, both indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi.

President Joe Wargo says, “I am very excited to be speaking at this year’s SXSW Interactive. Alpha Omega Wireless has been working with SXSW for several years to enhance their network reach using wireless backhaul and Wi-Fi. SXSW uses wireless backhaul and Wi-Fi for their own internal network for video and music streaming, point of sale, registration and overall operations, as well as providing Wi-Fi connectivity to attendees at various venues and events. Interactive is a perfect place to talk about how to design and deploy wireless technology for large events and venues since there will be a live example to show and talk about. Interactive has become a technology showcase to the world even extending past music and film. Deploying successful wireless networks for large capacity crowds, especially outdoors, is challenging. Each year we see more and more Wi-Fi enabled devices being carried by people. In many cases the ratio is two devices per person, with the use of tablets and smart phones. Done right though it enhances the attendees’ experience. “

About Alpha Omega Wireless, Inc.
 ("AO Wireless") is a leading integrator of complete end-to-end wireless backhaul networking technology and solutions. Alpha Omega Wireless provides wireless site surveys, feasibility studies, engineering, spectrum analysis, path calculations, design, wireless installation, equipment sales, radio repair and maintenance, support, troubleshooting, and ongoing management & monitoring of point to point wireless links, point to multipoint wireless systems, WiMax backhaul, LTE, Wi-Fi, and wireless mesh. As well as SCADA telemetry radio, wireless video surveillance, and indoor RF. Alpha Omega Wireless works with unlicensed wireless Ethernet bridges and licensed microwave links.

About SXSW (South by Southwest)
 SXSW Music is one of the largest music festivals in the United States, with more than 2,000 performers playing in more than 90 venues around downtown Austin over two weeks, in March. The SXSW Conferences & Festivals offers the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. SXSW Film has become one of the world's premier film festivals,focusing on new directing talent.

Similarly, SXSW Interactive has attracted a strong following among web creators and entrepreneurs. Its focus on emerging technology has earned the festival a reputation as a breeding ground for new ideas and creative technologies. According to festival co-organizer Louis Black, SXSW Interactive "has probably been the biggest of its kind in the world" since 2007.