Holiday Inn Deploys Mesh Networking as Cost Effective Solution for Wireless Internet Access in Bluefield, West Virginia Hotel

Los Gatos, California, November 15, 2004 – ABEO Corporation, a provider of information technology, wireless, and engineering solutions for customers across the Washington, D.C. metro area, and Firetide, a leader in wireless mesh networking, today announced the deployment of a Firetide mesh network at the Bluefield West Virginia Holiday Inn.

“We felt that a traditional wired solution was not the best choice for this site for a number of reasons,” explained Bruce Buxton, Director of Sales for ABEO Corporation. “Creating a cabled backhaul for delivering wireless access was not practical. The distance would have required the use of fiber instead of copper, which would significantly increase costs. There were no obvious paths for running cable, which would have necessitated extensive drilling, resulting in extreme disruption during a peak season for the hotel.”.

ABEO deployed its “Truly Wireless” solution, using Firetide HotPoint™ wireless mesh routers. Within two days, the Firetide network delivered Internet access to all 134-guest rooms, two conference rooms, the management office and the pool area. This is the second Firetide mesh network ABEO deployed at a Holiday Inn, and it has plans for deployments at two additional sites in the D.C. region.

“The Holiday Inn deployments represent the ideal Firetide customer,” said Bo Larsson, CEO of Firetide. “We recognize that hospitality establishments want to be at full capacity at all times. Our HotPoint products were developed to quickly and easily install a wireless network with no disruption to operations or the environment.”

HotPoint Wireless Mesh Routers
Firetide’s HotPoint™ wireless mesh routers use advanced routing technologies and IEEE 802.11-compliant radios to “unwire” the Ethernet backhaul and create a self-configuring, self-healing mesh network. Firetide Instant Mesh Networks are able to scale and self-configure instantly by simply plugging HotPoints into standard AC power outlets, resulting in a simple and reliable alternative to standard Ethernet cable.

Firetide wireless mesh routers include the HotPoint 1000R and HotPoint 1500R models that are ruggedized to withstand outdoor environments, and the HotPoint 1000S and HotPoint 1500S designed for indoor operation. HotPoint 1000 products operate in the 2.4GHz spectrum using 802.11b radios and HotPoint 1500 nodes operate in the high bandwidth 5 GHz spectrum. Outdoor and indoor products work together seamlessly, allowing wireless networks to span indoor and adjacent outdoor areas.

The ABEO/Firetide truly wireless solution is ideal for environments such as hotels, RV parks, airports, convention centers, and municipalities, where structured wiring such as Ethernet or fiber cabling is too difficult or costly to install. For more information on this "Truely Wireless" Solution, please visit the Firetide Case Study written on this hotel installation.

About ABEO, Corp.

ABEO (www.abeocorp.com) architects and implements second-generation wireless platforms and solutions for government and commercial customers seeking to unwire their operations for improved business performance.

With proven skills installing wireless systems in universities, hospitals, and corporate offices, ABEO has the experience to ensure your wireless investment exceeds your expectations and supports your strategic technology direction. From our RF prediction site surveys to our full-service, enterprise-wide wireless network installations, we bring the best products to bear and work with you to step through the "wireless process." Using our structured ABEO methodology, we can help you navigate the wireless journey to create secure, robust, scalable wireless solutions that meet your demands today and grow to accommodate your future business requirements.

ABEO Corporation is based in Herndon, Virginia outside Washington, DC. For more information on ABEO and its services, visit www.abeocorp.com or call (+1) 703-842-5475.

About Firetide, Inc.

Firetide, a privately held wireless mesh technology company that develops networking equipment to deploy Instant Mesh Networks quickly, easily and affordably. Firetide's Instant Networking solution is ideal for building out Wi-Fi networks, video surveillance, and temporary networks in a variety of environments, such as public access HotZones, airports, hotels, campus environments or other locations where wiring is too difficult or expensive to install. Investors include Menlo Ventures, HMS Ventures, Hawaiian Electric Industries, and Mitsui & Co. Venture Partners. For more information, visit the company's website at www.firetide.com.


ABEO Contact:
Arimboh Achu
ABEO Corporation
703-842-5475
information@abeocorp.com