A comparative analysis of Fortress (ES520) and Mesh Dynamic's (4000 SERIES) networking capabilities during COASTS 2007 field experiments
Brian Keith. Tyler · Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) · 2008
The Cooperative Operations and Applied Science & Technology Studies (COASTS) field experimentation program is a combined Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore-Thailand-U.S. research and development (R&D) effort to test commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) Command and Control, Communications Computers and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) technologies to provide real-time situational awareness (SA) for multi-national, tactical and remote decision makers in a cooperative environment. This thesis evaluated the military suitability of Fortress 802.11 ES520 wireless technology and Mesh Dynamics 4000 series 802.11 wireless technology by conducting a comparative analysis of the technologies network performance while deployed in a tactical ground, maritime and mobile configuration in support of COASTS 2007 field experiments. Several operational field tests were conducted in California and Thailand in order to evaluate both Mesh Modules and ES520s network performances. Specific military suitability areas evaluated included network availability, throughput, network security, graphical user interface, transportability, connectivity, environmental effects, peripheral support, encryption performance, AP to AP handoff capability and antenna configuration.