TESSCO One Conference Puts Spotlight on Wireless Products of All Kinds

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—When the subject of wireless communications comes up, most people think about WiFi or perhaps LTE cellular service. But the wireless business encompasses much more. The range and the complexity can be breathtaking. At the TESSCO One conference here, there were products for private point to point wireless, emergency communications, test equipment, antenna design and power conditioning. There were displays of products to check your fiber connection to the radios you’re using for wireless links. An item on display might be for first responders or for cellular backhaul, but there will also be a version for enterprise communications. The two biggest growth areas at this conference seem to be enterprise wireless and FirstNet for first responders. This slide show covers some of the more interesting products at the show.

Viavi Solutions’ FiberCheck Probe Microscope is a highly portable means of checking the fiber in your network. This device is Bluetooth-enabled, so you can use it with an app on your phone, but in addition there’s a control panel on the back of the device, so if all you need to know is if your fiber is good, you can see that instantly.

This pair of real-time RF analysis devices from Bird continue the company’s long history of highly accurate portable radio frequency analyzers. On the left is the Bird SiteHawk Antenna and Cable analyzer, which can perform an analysis of your antenna system’s performance. On the right is the Bird SignalHawk spectrum analyzer, which can show you the quality and purity of your transmitted signal. Both devices are handheld and based on Android platforms.

The Keysight FieldFox handheld real-time microwave spectrum analyzer can cover frequency ranges that are as broad or narrow as you like. It provides useful insights using a variety of analyses techniques and display screens. Here you’re seeing an FM radio signal from a local station, showing the frequency deviation resulting from the content of the signal.

Contained in this box from Citel are AC, DC and data line surge suppressors that can protect critical parts of a wireless installation or portions of a data center against even the most severe surges, including sequential lightning strikes. Here the surge suppression equipment is in a NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association)-compliant enclosure.

This WilsonPro Signal Booster is designed to bring cellular signals into the enterprise. For many companies, the structure of the building they’re in prevents or impedes the use of cellular technology by wireless devices. The WilsonPro 4000 shown here and the Pro 1000 differ only in the number of outputs. The Pro 1000 has one output for the in-building antenna, and the Pro 4000 has four. 

The Cambium Networks’ outdoor WiFi access point is cloud managed and mesh capable. This means that you can place this E500 device (the large one in front) and the E400 (behind it) in a variety of settings to provide full coverage in a campus or hospitality setting, or in the enterprise. Each of these devices is managed via a cloud service that can provide insight into the device operation and operational environment. The small device on the left is a remote hot spot.

The BridgeWave Flex4G-5000 can be used to provide wireless backhaul, carrier Ethernet or wireless bridge connectivity at a data rate up to 10.7G bps using millimeter wave technology. This device is designed for 99.999 percent reliability, and it supports FiPS-197 AES encryption. The radios can be tuned to support frequencies in the 70GHz to 80GHz band, which will support future wireless services.

The Comba CriticalPoint Public Safety BDA (bidirectional amplifier) is specifically designed to support first responder communications, including FirstNet LTE Band 14, which is going into service. This radio amplifier can be ordered in channelized or broadband versions. These radios can be operated in dual-band configurations using a license key, and the included license includes support for an alternate band.