Abstract: An all-weather housing for outdoor microwave radio nodes arranged in a network, each node capable of directing or receiving a beam of microwave energy in a selected direction, the housing including a shroud enclosing a transceiver, antenna, switches, and utilities. Each shroud has a radome projecting from the shroud in line of sight relation to other radomes in the network. A microwave radio transceiver is disposed within the shroud, operating on a scheduled transmission and reception basis in accordance with a schedule provided in a control channel amidst data. A ball-shaped microwave refractive lens is located adjacent to the radome, inside of the shroud, with a curved array of feed ports and switches, with the feed ports communicating microwave energy between the transceiver and the radome through the lens in multiple selected directions.

Abstract: In a wireless mesh topology data communications network, a communications method having a type of handshaking protocol for data exchange. A portion of the protocol is synchronous, using a schedule of control channel sessions held at all mutually communicating nodes of the network and a portion of the protocol is asynchronous, relying upon gaps between control channel sessions for transmission of requested data. Nodes which are in line of sight relation request data from each other using a request to send message and a clear to send message. A requesting node sends an RTS message to a neighbor node with information about gaps specifying the location of requested data. A supplying node transmits a potential schedule for sending requested information and the requesting node sends a CTS message agreeing upon the schedule. The potential schedule includes a number of available gaps between known control channel sessions.