Mobile ad hoc networking solution delivers reliable comms, situational awareness, under rough conditions.

NEW YORK, N.Y. Persistent Systems, LLC (“Persistent”) announced today that it successfully demonstrated that its MPU5 smart radio could scale up to an unprecedented 320-node mobile ad hoc network (MANET) at a military operation urban training facility, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The MPU5 runs the Wave Relay® MANET routing protocol, allowing the radio to transmit and relay secure voice, video, text, and sensor data in a robust, peer-to-peer fashion—all without external communications infrastructure. It’s a capability that the U.S. Army has been looking for with its Brigade Combat Teams.

“The Army wants a MANET that can scale up to 250 mobile radios in a flat, layer-2 network,” said Herbert Rubens, founder and CEO of Persistent Systems. “However, such a network would exceed the capability of most other solutions currently available.”

By contrast, Persistent’s Wave Relay® was designed to achieve extremely high levels of scalability without any limitation on the number of nodes or routing hops permitted in the network. And the Fort Bragg demonstration—in which, 320 MPU5 radios, spread across 37 multi-story buildings including basement levels, communicated successfully on a single RF channel—proved this capability.

“Let’s be clear: A flat MANET network of this size has never been demonstrated by any other organization,” Rubens said. “We not only proved that it is possible to scale up to a 320-node, flat, layer-2 network, but that it works, and it works well.”

During the demonstration, the MPU5:

• Tethered with Samsung Galaxy S7 phones, reported their GPS locations, to provide situational awareness in both ATAK and WinTAK;

• Connected a video camera on a Polaris DAGOR lightweight tactical vehicle, streamed more than 2 Mbps of multicast video over the network; and

• Used its Radio over IP (RoIP) capability to tether multiple legacy land mobile radios into the network, allowing dismounts to speak on Tactical Satellite while carrying only an MPU5 and the Persistent Dual PTT Device.

The load on the network was representative of an extremely large team running voice, video, and situational awareness. Yet despite the load on the network, the MANET still had additional capacity to spare.

“Persistent has a reputation for advancing the state-of-the-art in scalable MANET technology,” Rubens said. “And we have proven that the MPU5 can deliver a tactical MANET network that scales beyond the Army’s requirements.”

Persistent Systems, LLC (“Persistent”) today announced the release of its Upper C-Band module for the MPU5 mobile ad hoc networking (MANET) radio, which transmits and relays voice, video, text, and sensor data in a robust, peer-to-peer fashion.

The new 5.1 to 5.9 GHz radio module, which is certified for unlicensed use in the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) Band, will enable MPU5 users, both in the United States and around the world, to leverage the MANET for a variety of commercial applications, including:

• Live event video streaming,

• Facility security,

• Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) networking,

• Machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, and

• Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations.

“To meet the needs of commercial operators, we already offer a FCC certified 2.4 GHz ISM (S-Band) module for the MPU5,” said Adrien Robenhymer, VP of Business Development for Persistent Systems. “Now, the Upper C-Band extends that capability into the 5 GHz ISM band, which is significantly less crowded than 2.4 GHz ISM, enabling higher performance around the world.”

Persistent Systems is a leader in providing communication systems for unmanned vehicles in the defense market. With its new Upper C-Band module, it is now well-positioned to extend its product offerings deeper into the commercial markets.

“We see a huge opportunity to expand the MPU5’s presence further into the commercial sector,” Robenhymer said. “MANET can provide a huge benefit to commercial customers in the growing M2M market, especially as agricultural and mining applications for unmanned vehicles have been expanding.”

He adds that Persistent is currently in talks with several large industrial vehicle manufacturers, which have been looking for precisely those sorts of solutions.

Certified under FCC Part 15 for unlicensed use in ISM Band, the Upper C-Band radio module provides 1W of average transmit power, the maximum permitted in the ISM band. The module also has Japan Type Certification under Article 2, Paragraph 1, Item 72 Category: RB (Unmanned Mobile Image Transmission System).

Defense customers have also shown interest in the module as it provides the ability to operate in an unlicensed band, simplifying spectrum coordination. It also allows Defense customers to blend in unnoticed in large cities where 5 GHz commercial operation is quite common. Defense, International, and Licensed customers are also able to take advantage of the radio modules 4W average transmission power, where permitted. This enables extremely long range and high throughput in the 5 GHz band.

Persistent remains committed to the modular radio architecture of the MPU5 and this Upper C-Band module is the fourth frequency module offering for the MPU5 Smart Radio. Customers can be confident when purchasing MPU5 systems, that they can operate the systems legally and effectively around the world. As spectrum relations continue to evolve around the world, that their MPU5 systems can easily be moved to new frequency bands. Both frequency modularity and upgradeability are important characteristics to our customers.

“We are ready to accept orders for the 5 GHz ISM radio module,” Robenhymer said.

www.persistentsystems.com