Greater Network Service & Mobility at Lower Cost

Wireless access to data enables physicians and other caregivers to have the latest patient diagnostic, monitoring, and lab information immediately and easily accessible. Building facility-wide wireless networks that can connect staff and equipment to information systems has not been easy however. Now, Firetide mesh networks enable hospitals, clinics, research labs, and other healthcare facilities to quickly, unobtrusively, and cost-effectively create hot zones that deliver data exactly where it is needed

Today's healthcare industry is connecting caregivers with critical data; linking diagnostic and treatment equipment; and integrating insurance information with back-end billing systems to improve treatment accuracy, reduce costs, and accelerate treatment. High volumes of data are also generated from diagnostic and treatment equipment as it is moved from room to room - and from facility to facility. And because multiple caregivers are often involved in patient care, having the correct data available to all of them simultaneously is imperative.
In addition to providing immediate medical care, healthcare facilities also rely on data for administrative and operational purposes. Assuring safety in parking areas, coordinating emergency operations, and maximizing operational efficiency are important concerns. For these reasons, wireless networks have become critical components of hospital information systems.
However, traditional wireless network infrastructures have frequently been cost-prohibitive for all but the largest healthcare facilities. Today, many healthcare facilities instead choose Firetide mesh networks. Firetide HotPort® wireless mesh nodes quickly and easily create a wireless mesh network, eliminating the need for traditional wired Ethernet backhaul. Simply plug HotPort wireless mesh nodes into a power source and they self-configure, quickly and cost-effectively creating a wireless mesh network that can cover a entire healthcare facility, teaching and conference rooms, operating and emergency areas, and even outdoor venues such as parking areas. A Firetide wireless mesh network eliminates the need to run costly, disruptive LAN cabling or underground wire. As a result, healthcare facilities can bring wireless data access anywhere it is needed, quickly and for a fraction of the cost of a traditional wired network.

• Coverage where needed - extend existing network coverage indoors and outdoors - from the admissions desk to the ambulance bay; between multiple buildings; or for temporary uses such as in connecting mobile diagnostic units to hospital radiology labs or providing printing capabilities or Internet access to blood drive vehicles.

• Internet access and more - Easily provide high-speed Internet access as well as connectivity for any Ethernet device - such as PCs, printers, access points, and medical equipment - without running miles of cabling.

• Temporary networks - Firetide mesh network flexibility enables you to quickly create a temporary network and then tear it down, move it, or extend it.
• Security and surveillance - a Firetide wireless mesh network is ideal for enhancing safety and premises surveillance. Ethernet surveillance cameras can be installed where needed and connected to a HotPort wireless mesh node for delivering real-time feeds to a central monitoring area over the Firetide broadband network.

Firetide Advantages 

• Firetide wireless mesh network deployments can be installed quickly and cost-effectively. By eliminating the need for outdoor trenching or invading existing walls and ceilings to install cabling, hospitality providers save money and accelerate deployment - without disrupting services.

• Confidential patient data and operations data is secure in a wireless network that exceeds HIPAA security requirements. Data transport is secured across the mesh using industry-standard, strong encryption methods.

• Installation is non-invasive to existing structures. There is no need to open ceilings or walls, dig trenches, or deface historic venues. A Firetide network completely adapts to a site, not the other way around.

• Substantially lower deployment costs than can be achieved with traditional wired networks because a Firetide wireless mesh network eliminates the need to dig trenches or tear down walls and ceilings to pull cable.