Mesh Free Space Optical Systems: A Method to Improve Broadband Neighborhood Area Network Backhaul

The popularity of wireless LANs for Ethernet-speed home and business broadband connectivity has propelled their expansion into public applications such as "hot spots", "hot zones", and more recently, city-wide Internet access systems. As these outdoor WLAN-evolved 4G "nanocellular" networks grow, unconventional backhaul methods will need to be employed to bolster throughput as more users connect and begin to exchange richer multimedia content. In this paper we examine use of mesh-connected free-space optical links as a backhaul supplement to wireless, metallic and fiber media for such Neighborhood Area and city wide wireless networks.