Loea - introducing the world to Gigabit Wireless networking

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Loea Advantages

Loea was the pioneer of millimeter wave technology. For years we have been providing customers with high-performance, high-availability, yet cost-effective wireless point-to-point solutions. Several of Loea’s technological and corporate advantages include:

15 Years of Millimeter Wave R&D – No other company has more expertise and experience with millimeter wave technology than Loea. From its early days within Trex to its current status within Loea, millimeter wave technology has been a key technological focus for 15 years.

Millimeter Wave Pioneers – Loea was the architect behind the FCC petitioning and subsequent approval of the 70/80GHz spectrum. Without Loea’s vision and determination to open this spectrum, there likely would be no commercial millimeter wave offerings today in these bands.

Proven, Long Term Commitment – Backed by its parent company, Trex Enterprises Corporation and several private investors, Loea is committed to ongoing millimeter wave product development for generations. Loea was the first company to bring a 70/80GHZ product to the market. Loea radios are performing throughout the nation today and have performed for nearly five years. Our next-generation, higher-speed products are just around the corner. We know that bandwidth is king. And we expect to continue providing the highest-capacity wireless products available.

Realistic Technology Expectations – While some vendors make exaggerated claims of extended distances, highest availability or best performance, we give our customers realistic views on millimeter wave technology. We want to ensure that our links work as planned and as expected.

Here are some claims by other vendors along with the Loea reality.

MYTH	LOEA REALITY
FCC certification is not required	Installing a non-FCC-certified millimeter wave radio is very high-risk. Lack of FCC-certification (even if the link is registered) can jeopardize an entire installation resulting in link re-positioning or even complete link removal. All Loea radios are FCC-approved.
Millimeter wave products can reach distances of over 10 miles	While some vendors claim 10+ mile distances, the reality is that distance is limited by a number of factors including output power, availability and weather (rain). The maximum allowable power by the FCC results in typical distances of 1-2 miles (for 99.999% availability) or 3-6 miles (for 99.9% availability). No approved millimeter wave technology can reach 10 miles unless they require low availability or if links are daisy-chained.
Forward Error Correction allows deployment at 30% longer distances even during heavy rain	Implementing Forward Error Correction does not significantly add to the link range in high rain. For example, take a 1.4 km (0.86 mile) link without Forward Error Correction in New York City with 30-32 dB/km or 100 mm/hr of rain. With forward error correction, this link may increase slightly by 100m to 1.5km (0.93 miles). Why is this? Forward Error Correction requires high memory on a high data rate stream to eliminate burst type errors. So, only a few bit errors in a block are of concern. Therefore, instead of operating the link at a 1E-12 Bit Error Rate, it could operate at a lower Bit Error Rate, say 1E-4, allowing for 4-5 dB more margin. The result is only a minimal increase in distance with Forward Error Correction.
1-foot antennas are ideal for installations	While smaller, 1-foot antenna may ease installation slightly, the lower gain may not result in acceptable distances to many customers. Loea’s 2-foot antenna design and resulting 51dB margin has been proven in installations over the past 3 years.
Millimeter wave radio transmission is not secure	Loea millimeter wave products, used by the military and other government agencies, are highly secure. A narrow (0.4 degree) beamwidth, relatively unused 70/80GHz spectrum and “lite” licensing all help to fortify Loea transmission. External, enhanced security devices can also be easily added to a Loea link. See the Security section for more information.