News / Wi-Fi
Dual-radio mesh gear promised more capacity for city Wi-Fi in 2006
In August 2006, Tropos Networks announced next-generation equipment for citywide Wi-Fi deployments, promising more capacity through a two-radio outdoor mesh router.
Separate paths for backhaul and users
The Tropos 5320 was described with one 5 GHz radio for links between mesh routers and one 2.4 GHz radio for user access. The record explained the trade-off: 5 GHz could offer more capacity but was less forgiving of walls and foliage, while 2.4 GHz could provide access and a fallback link.
Capacity was a design claim
Tropos said the new design could increase capacity and give operators a choice between higher per-user bandwidth and more supported users. It was expected to be available later in 2006, with no test customers identified. This is an announcement about planned equipment, not evidence of current mesh performance or deployment costs.