THE WAVE RELAY® MANET
Scalable networking algorithm
“From the start, we assumed the network would carry a large number of warfighters, all continuously in motion. That meant it had to be massively scalable, efficient, and able to handle a high rate of change.”
Dr. Herbert Rubens, CEO & Dr. David Holmer, CTO Founders (2007)
INFINITE FABRIC OF CONNECTIVITY
UNMATCHED SCALABILITY
We engineered the Wave Relay MANET for vast numbers of nodes in constant motion. Our routing algorithm continuously selects the most efficient paths to maximize the capacity of the network.
- MANET designed for scalability:
local changes in topology do not have network-wide impact
- Resilience against disruption: adding more nodes to the Wave Relay MANET makes the network stronger and increases routing capacity, coverage, and redundancy so the algorithm can continuously adapt.
A: The Wave Relay MANET has no fixed architectural ceiling on the number of nodes in a single network. Because every node participates in distributed route computation rather than depending on a central controller, adding nodes increases the number of available paths rather than pushing the network toward a hard limit.
A: At Project Convergence-Capstone 6, the U.S. Army operated a single Wave Relay network of approximately 1600 nodes without dividing the force into separate sub-networks. Project Convergence-Capstone 6 ran July 20-29, 2026 at Fort Irwin, California, as the Army’s continued validation event for its Next Generation Command and Control architecture, involving the 4th Infantry Division and coalition partners from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
ROUTE AT THE SPEED OF DATA
peak EFFICIENCY
The Wave Relay MANET’s efficient routing algorithm delivers a high performing network. Because the overall capacity of the network is shared, the routing decisions made for each path maximize the total network capacity.
- Sub-second routing:
The Wave Relay algorithm makes decisions thousands of times per second, directing data, maximizing efficiency, and optimizing performance.
- AI-Powered: Enhanced machine learning performance optimizations for higher throughput, faster adaption to network changes, and superior resilience against packet loss
A: Persistent Systems defines Wave Relay routing efficiency as minimizing the amount of time each transmission occupies the shared wireless channel. Since every node contends for the same finite channel time, reducing the channel time any single transmission consumes directly increases the data capacity available to the rest of the network.
A: Yes. The Wave Relay MANET applies AI-based reinforcement learning to its routing decisions, continuously adjusting paths as link conditions change instead of relying on static, pre-computed routes. This lets the network self-heal around failed or degraded links and sustain throughput in mobile, multi-hop conditions such as dense urban terrain.
COMMUNICATE BY ANY MEANS POSSIBLE
ELECTRONIC WARFARE (EW) RESILIENCE
Because the Wave Relay algorithm continuously and automatically picks the most efficient path, the network stays optimized as connectivity changes – regardless of whether the disruption is due to an EW attack, node mobility, or environmental changes. When an adversary uses an EW attack, the algorithm adapts in real-time, automatically abandoning jammed links in favor of cleaner, faster paths, keeping everyone connected.
- Quick Link Adaptability:
The Wave Relay algorithm automatically reroutes in a fraction of a second, ensuring communication persists.
- Automated PACE:
Wave Relay MANET seamlessly routes via RF
or Cloud Relay based on throughput availability
A: Additional Layer 3 gateways improve resilience within a single MANET bubble, not only when connecting separate bubbles. Every added gateway gives the Wave Relay routing algorithm another candidate path, and nodes communicating within the same bubble evaluate those gateways as potential routes even when a direct path already exists.
A: No. The Wave Relay routing algorithm selects paths based on measured link performance, so a jammed or degraded link is avoided automatically regardless of the cause of the degradation. Because the response is performance-based rather than detection-based, the network treats jamming the same way it treats any other source of link failure, without a separate jamming-identification step.
ALWAYS-ON, AUTOMATICALLY
USING EVERY LAYER 3 CONNECTION AT ONCE
The Wave Relay network goes beyond simple backup communications. When multiple internet gateways are available on the network, all of them can carry traffic at the same time.
The algorithm continuously evaluates every gateway and automatically routes each data stream through the best-performing option - no manual switching required.
- Works With Any Connection Type: Compatible with cellular, satellite (SATCOM, Starlink), and other transports. The network adapts automatically as conditions change, with no reconfiguration needed.
- Smarter Than Simple Failover: Rather than assigning the entire network to a single gateway, the Wave Relay algorithm independently selects the best gateway for each individual data stream to maximize speed and reliability across the board.
A: No. The Wave Relay algorithm selects the best-performing Layer 3 gateway independently for every source-destination route rather than electing a single gateway for the whole bubble. In networks with multiple gateways, all of them can forward traffic at the same time.
A: There is no fixed limit on the number of Layer 3 gateways within a single Wave Relay MANET bubble. Because the routing algorithm evaluates gateways on a per-route basis rather than pre-assigning one gateway to the bubble, additional gateways add path options without requiring network reconfiguration.
SIMPLICITY FOR END USERS
ENGINEERING AWAY COMPLEXITY
Warfighters wear the MPU5 on their backs in combat because it’s worry-free. The Wave Relay MANET just works. We engineered the network to continuously deliver optimal performance in the most critical moments – no reconfiguration required.
A: No. The Wave Relay network is designed to auto-configure and re-optimize itself as environmental and mission conditions change, without requiring a warfighter to manually reconfigure the radio during operation. This reflects Persistent Systems’ design principle that warfighter-worn technology should adapt itself rather than add configuration burden during combat.
HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT
Low Probability of Attribution (LPA)
If every device on the battlefield has the same RF signature, it is no longer possible to attribute specific capabilities to detected signatures. If a missile launcher and warfighter use the same communications system, the missile launcher is indistinguishable from a warfighter on adversarial EW systems.
- LPI/LPD: Detection and intercept are less important than attribution. Because all assets have the same communications signature, adversaries can no longer differentiate among them (needle in a stack of needles).
- Same signature for all form factors: All Wave Relay devices (MPU5, Embedded Module, GVR5, Integrated Antenna, AWRS) have the same RF signature.
A: The Wave Relay network does not attempt to prevent detection outright. Instead, it achieves Low Probability of Attribution (LPA): denying adversaries the ability to link specific capabilities to RF signatures. Wave Relay devices do not register as signals of interest to adversarial Electronic Warfare (EW) spectrum analyzers, so even when detected, they cannot be identified as high-value assets.
A: Low Probability of Attribution (LPA) matters because adversaries prioritize hunting high-value capabilities that produce large battlefield effects, such as command nodes, fires networks, and ISR assets.
By making these assets indistinguishable from other traffic by RF signature, the Wave Relay network denies adversaries the ability to identify and target them.
Maximize throughput of the network
Minimize consumption of the shared channel
RF airtime is your network’s most precious resource. We built Wave Relay MANET to use less of it - smart routing and modulation selection cut the time each packet spends on air. Less time per packet means more throughput for every warfighter on the team
A: The Wave Relay algorithm routes traffic along the highest-capacity available paths, which minimizes the channel time each transmission consumes. Because every node in the network shares the same finite wireless channel, reducing the channel time consumed by any single transmission increases the capacity available across the entire network, not just along that one path.
