SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will investigate the feasibility of using electronically steerable phased array antennas in conjunction with commercially available low cost wireless transceivers. The proposed research will demonstrate a low cost phased array that can be used with a commercial wireless networking card. In the past, phased arrays were big and expensive, but two critical developments have brought this technology into economic reach today. The company have conceived a novel technique for implementing ultra-low-cost phase shifters using PIN diodes and have also devised a method of controlling the phased array antenna that does not require radios specifically designed for this purpose. A prototype proof-of-concept system (including phase shifters) will be fabricated and methods for steering the antenna will be verified. The potential impact of the combination of low cost radios with economical phased arrays is enormous, in that it could facilitate wireless broadband access in geographic areas where DSL and cable modem service are impractical. Deployment of broadband wireless access has been slow largely due to the cost of sending a truck with skilled personnel to set up and steer high gain antennas. Wireless Internet Service Providers (ISPs) report that the cost of installation often exceeds the cost of the equipment itself. By simplifying the installation, the cost of deployment is lowered dramatically

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will culminate in the demonstration of the smallest, most economical phased array system yet developed for addressing the problem of how to traverse the "last mile" between a broadband network and the home. During the course of the project, the state of the art in phased array antenna technology will be advanced and networking algorithms will be developed to take advantage of this innovative technology. The broader impact of this research project is to fulfill the challenge to economically deliver wireless Internet access to rural communities. This steerable technology provides a greater than 50 percent increase in coverage and a cost savings of up to 55 percent. These cost and coverage improvements would help meet the needs and bring the benefits of broadband Internet into areas of the country that remain underserved