Point-to-point connections are established in line of sight configuration by installing one or more laser-based optical transmitters/receivers on customer premises at optimal clear path locations.

A complete transmission link consists of two optical generators (OGs) with one OG mounted at each location to be connected to the network. The signal to be transmitted is converted from an optical into an electrical signal inside the generator.

Full duplex operation allows both sites to transmit and receive information at the same time. Two single-mode or multi-mode fiber optic cables terminated with SC or ST connectors are used to interconnect the networking interface to transmit and receive optics incorporated into the optical generators. Amplified electrical signal drives the high-powered laser diodes and is sent out through free-space towards its sister location. The receiving site OG converts the electrical to optical signals that can then be interconnected to a single-mode or multi-mode fiber optic cable. Multiple OGs can be interconnected to provide expanded network coverage.

Today's OGs from quality manufacturers have improved laser-based technology that will tolerate all types of weather conditions - rain, hail, snow or fog. Beam attenuation, depending upon bandwidth configuration, will easily cover distances up to 2.5 miles (4000 meters), with data transmission rates up to 1.25 Gigabits per second. In establishing design parameters, the LTS system can and should be configured to permit protocol transparent transmission of data, voice and video applications at full network speed.

LTS Applications

The most widely used applications in which LTS systems are deployed are in congested metropolitan and campus network environments. The following are some of the network access applications ideally suited for an LTS solution to broadband connectivity needs - High capacity point-to-point connections; alternative last-mile connectivity; private WAN or LAN networks; Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, ATM networks; single E1/T1, multiple E1/T1, DS-3 and more up to 1.25 Gigabit applications; redundant and/or back-up network connections; disaster recovery; and temporary network connectivity.

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