O-2002-2539 - Laserfiche WebLink

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e e BEACON A group of professionals in the La Porte area have formed to pursue a method of provisioning broadband network services to the local community. The need for this level of service, not being offered by commercial providers, has been identified. A number of years ago La Porte ISD created a fiber optic based network. Members of La Porte ISD are now assisting this planning group to gain broadband access. Two different levels of service have been identified as needed. The first is basic broadband with little security and medium bandwidth to match DSL or cable modem capabilities. The second is to provide a very secure connection and high bandwidth. The basic concept of transmission delivery being considered is wireless. With the need to match two different service levels, both point-to-multipoint and point-to-point delivery have been investigated. A centrally located water tower, owned by the city is being considered for a geographical center of the network. I. Technology A number of delivery technologies were investigated for BEACON with wireless quickly gaining the highest level of support based on fast deployment, meeting bandwidth needs, lowest cost of migration/growth and meeting service requirements. Internet Link A link to a high speed Internet service will be necessary, potentially to La Porte ISD where 10 Mbps connection is possible. A router/firewall will be required to offer connectivity to users of this new service. A point-to-point direct wireless link may be the best approach with possible spee9 up to 100 Mp/s, which would be shared between all BEACON users. Point-to-Point Wireless Some of the potential BEACON members have been identified as requiring a high level of security and guaranteed network speed. For these members a point-to-point direct connection may be the best solution. At the heart of the network a switch offering VLAN capability would connect the various member sites into a cohesive network private from any public offering. An added benefit would be the capability of handling voice traffic in addition to data via VoIP (or dedicated T-1) paths. The technology being considered is license-free full duplex 802.11b spread spectrum at 2.4 GHz and requiring line-of-sight to the water tower. Point-to-Multipoint Wireless A group of needs to be served by BEACON include what might be termed "a public network" where security is less of a concern as is dedicated bandwidth. To make a public offering possible it is necessary to also keep the cost of access low also.