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BUSES USE MESH NETWORK FOR BROADBAND

Oct 1, 2005 12:00 PM, BY DONNY JACKSON

City buses in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, have been broadband-enabled wirelessly to improve security and entertainment for riders via Motorola's 2.4 GHz mobile mesh-networking solution. The system has been deployed citywide as part of a revitalization project.

Working in conjunction with intelligent transit solution software from system integrator Trapeze Group, the mesh network delivers broadband to each bus. The resulting system lets dispatchers from Five Seasons Parking and Transportation — the company that operates the city bus fleet — monitor real-time security video on buses, even if they are in motion.

The fact that Motorola's network delivers this performance while buses are moving was a primary reason Cedar Rapids' system chose it, said Bill Hoekstra, transportation and parking director for Five Seasons Parking and Transportation.

“We looked at several options, but only Motorola and Trapeze were able to reliably provide a two-way broadband connection and applications to the buses while they were in motion,” Hoekstra said in a statement.

When such security measures are unnecessary, passengers benefit from the mesh network by being able to use mobile devices such as laptops or PDAs to access the Internet. Passengers without such devices can view streaming video of news, entertainment and transit information displayed on a 23-inch plasma screen positioned at the front of the bus.