User's Manual

4 Product Description
4.1 LibraPlus Series Products
The information in this guide applies to EION LibraPlus 5860 series products. This
chapter presents an overview of the features and different models in the LibraPlus
Series product family. EI ON Wireless products couple additional hardware design, and
proprietary firmware, to provide performance that far exceeds that offered by WiFi,
while still fully compliant with license free standards around the world.
4.1.1 About OFDM
The LibraPlus system uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)
technology to process, transmit and receive data in parallel fashion over the air. OFDM
divides a wide RF frequency band into several subchannels that work together to
deliver data, similar to splitting a road into several lanes that together can handle more
traff ic than a single lane.
OFDM offers many advantages, including effective use of bandwidth, resistance to
interference, ability to take advantage of multi-path characteristics, and advanced error
correction and recovery. Because data is spread across all the channels, interference
usually affects only a few channels rather than all channels, and lost data can be easily
recovered. Since OFDM is insensitive to interference, the amount of ongoing tuning,
adjustment and maintenance is minimized. Both multipoint networks and point-to-point
backbone systems are supported.
The following diagram illustrates the main concept behind OFDM. The available
frequency spectrum is divided into subchannels. Each subchannel is orthogonal,
meaning that the peak signal strength of each signal occurs at the null or point of
minimum signal strength of its neighbor, so adjacent subchannels do not interfere with
each other. Data is carried in parallel across the subchannels.
Figure 4:1 Orthogonal Arrangement of OFDM Subchannels
LibraPlus 5860 User Guide Product Description: LibraPlus Series Products Page 11 of 95