Technology Description:

LightPointe’s patented technology uses a combination of adaptive power control techniques, active tracking systems, spatial diversity for both transmitters and receiving lenses, microwave radio frequency out-of-band management, higher powered lasers operating at 1550nm wavelength, and protocol-independent physical-layer (layer one) equipment. For carrier-grade reliability (one bad bit out of every ten billion carried) at a data transfer rate of OC-48 (2.5Gb/s) through dry air, one kilometer is the current maximum distance between LightPointe transceivers. If an active tracking system is employed, that range might be doubled. A newer version currently undergoing “beta testing” will transmit four separate wavelengths that could provide either four OC-48 signals or the capacity of one OC-192 (10 Gb/s).

LightPointe’s solution to problems of scintillation (atmospheric turbulence) and Mie scattering (dense fog) is an approach called “spatial diversity”. A transceiver actually houses three laser transmitters separated by approximately 200mm. By sending three beams simultaneously, it is highly probable that at least one will get through unperturbed. Likewise, the use of multiple, spatially separated, large-aperture receiving lenses also reduces problems associated with scintillation.