| VIP 110-24 Replacement |
Replacement for Wi-LAN / EION radio VIP 110-24
The Wi-LAN radio model VIP 110-24 is a popular spread spectrum radio operating in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. It is housed in an outdoor metal enclosure, is powered over the Ethernet cat5 cable, and includes two RF connectors for deployments in a variety of topologies that require one or two antennas. The VIP 110-24 is now hard to get due to several components having become obsolete. However, Afar Communications has a variety of radio models that remain in full production, are very similar to the VIP 110-24, and have many additional features. If you are a user of the VIP 110-24 you may want to consider the Afar radios as an alternative. The VIP 110-24 was originally developed by our engineering team which later formed Afar Communications and continued to make improvements on that original design. You will notice the similarities right away: our enclosure is almost identical to the VIP 110-24, and if you are familiar with its command language you'll be right at home operating the Afar radios. But you also get many additional benefits. Multiple radio models:We offer five different models , two operating in the 900 MHz band and three in the 2.4 GHz band. Within each band the different models occupy different RF bandwidths. One model (AR-24110E) has the same RF bandwidth and speeds as the VIP 110-24. The other models occupy much narrower RF bandwidths which translate into the following advantages:
Higher transmit power:We increased the maximum transmit power to 27 dBm (compared to the 23 dBm for the VIP 110-24).Metal circular connectors:
You may have noticed that the plastic circular connectors in the VIP 110-24 become brittle and break after years of exposure to the environment. We replaced those connectors with industrial grade metal connectors.
Improved Tree Topology:One of the most popular features of the VIP 110-24 is the VINE network topology. All Afar radios support a very similar Tree topology where any radio in a network can become a branch and serve as an access point to radios downstream. Typically you use two antennas in this mode but we added additional flexibility that lets you configure a branch using a single antenna. We also improved the bandwidth sharing which results in higher delivered throughput to the leaf nodes.Roaming:This is a feature not available with the VIP 110-24. With roaming you can have a radio in a vehicle moving within a region covered by multiple fixed radios. The mobile radios will automatically roam to attach to the strongest access point and keep connectivity to a central site at all times.Adaptive Network Topology:In a fleet of vehicles that move around in unpredictable ways (vessels at sea for example), you can keep connectivity by turning on both the Roaming and Tree topology options. The radios will automatically attach to the closest neighbors and form a Tree that will change topology autonomously in order to keep all nodes connected. This is not possibl;e with the VIP 110-24.Radio co-location without self-interference:The Afar radios have a unique new feature that allows multiple co-located radios to synchronize their cycles such that they will not interfere with each other. Coupled with the narrower bandwidths, you can now co-locate upwards of 24 Afar radios in the same tower as opposed to a maximum of 3 or 4 VIP 110-24.Data Encryption:All Afar models support optional encryption of data transmitted over the air using the latest encryption algorithms from Tripple-DES to AES-256. The VIP 110-24 did not support any encryption.Power Consumption:The Afar radios consume 2 to 3 W (depending on traffic) compared to about 5 W in the VIP 110-24. In battery or solar powered deployments this makes a significant difference.Increased input voltage range:The Afar radios now accept a DC voltage from 10 VDC to 58 VDC, compared to the VIP 110-24 which is restricted to 10 to 28 VDC.Customer support:Once you buy an Afar radio you get unlimited support from the team that designed both the hardware and software. |