The wireless networking market benefits from private and public investment in wireless infrastructure and technology.
As major governments pursue 5G as the next generation of the internet and the Biden administration pledges $65 billion for telecommunications infrastructure, global wireless players are looking to close the gaps in digital connectivity.
To ensure that the Internet reaches every corner, wireless networks have an indispensable role to play.
Find out below how five companies in the market are advancing wireless networking technology across different industries:
1. Meraki
A solution from the cloud networking brand Merakiwhich is part of Cisco, powers wireless connectivity for enterprises by designing both software and hardware equipment.
“Meraki makes these high-end features available to everyone, even small networks with IT teams of just one or two people. When I actually tried it, I truly believed it could work for the biggest of the big…and the smallest of the little ones,” says Todd Nightingale, CEO of Meraki.
“We make our products easy to use, manage, and monitor for our customers, and I think we’re the only enterprise IT group that really focuses on that as a number one priority.”
Meraki’s customer base includes Stanford, Burger King and Telmex. Meraki creates easily deployable and scalable networks with centralized management through a dashboard and the Meraki mobile app.
Industry: Network management
Wireless network provider: Roofnet and Meraki
Results :
- Reduced costs through centralized management software with options to create and modify IT policies
- Security architecture via a firewall, well-defined threat detection and integrated Sourcefire intrusion prevention
- Extensive opportunities for customers to troubleshoot, monitor, improve visibility, and keep their teams lean
- Real-time analytics and customer insights
- Managing mobile devices and switch ports
2. Cradle stitch
Cradle point is a network-as-a-service (NaaS) company that provides 4G and 5G connectivity to enterprises.
The Ericsson subsidiary not only offers WAN connections, but connects offices, vehicles and homes with IoT devices for better communication.
“When you think about what happens to corporate networks, it’s not just about connecting branch offices anymore. In the future, it will be about connecting locations and the people there, in nature, mobile workers – and everything will be connected to networks,” says George Mulhern, CEO of Cradlepoint.
Cradlepoint started out as a failover product company where users could access the Internet if the wired network had problems. Cradlepoint has moved to managing cloud connections and can provide wireless access where broadband is not available.
Industry: Wireless WAN and Edge Networking
Wireless network provider: NetCloud Manager
Results :
- Increase bandwidth availability for businesses while reducing connectivity costs
- Aggregate mobile data between geographically distributed locations
- Cradlepoint powers its routers through Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP), providing cellular backup. The protocol also helps teams report network attacks immediately.
- Combine LTE and Wi-Fi through a single router to create Wi-Fi as a WAN service
- Securing Private Communication Lines on a Public Internet Using NetCloud Perimeter
3. AOptix
Now acquired by Anova, AOptix is a NASA-recognized deep space platform offering laser wireless radio technology (LRT) for astronomers and scientists to capture deep space objects.
With DARPA, NASA, the US military, and international airports in every country as its customers, AOptix operates both air-to-air and air-to-ground wireless networks. Its wireless networking product also extends to identity verification for immigration and aviation security.
“AOptix has deep roots in space research, and the US space program should now be evaluating our technology for future communications applications,” says Dean Senner, CEO of AOptix, after NASA deployed AOptix Intellimax at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Industry: Communication in deep space
Wireless network provider: AOptix and Intellimax
Results :
- AOptix’s wireless links save businesses resources and time on fiber installations that take weeks or months to set up
- Reliable long-range wireless communication with ultra-high bandwidth provides a mobile link
- Blend of radio frequency and laser optics to create error-free, all-weather communication with high availability
- Driving superior performance and speed over fiber networks, AOptix reports 50% more speed, lower latency, and reduced external noise and barriers
- AOptix has partnered with Nasdaq and BATS to offer low-latency wireless networking services to reduce system crashes at financial institutions, regardless of business size
4. Strix Systems
Today, most autonomous vehicles send and receive data through internal sensors. However, portable devices are not designed to communicate with an external environment, let alone provide full-fledged Internet access.
Strix systems allows autonomous vehicles to communicate with the external environment through its wireless network extensions with fewer nodes.
“Infonetics believes that Strix Systems is a key manufacturer and provider of essential solutions in the wireless mesh networking industry. The market is accelerating, and we are now seeing the greater penetration and ultimate benefits that solutions like Strix Systems Access/One have to offer,” says Richard Webb of Infonetics Research.
Industry: Autonomous vehicle communication and wireless mesh
Wireless network provider: Strix Systems
Results :
- Create smart vehicles by converting real-time data into actionable vehicle insights to ensure maximum safety
- A centralized monitoring system integrated with the Condition Acquisition Reporting System (CARS) to communicate with vehicles as needed
- Built-in Wi-Fi and GPS services with additional sensors and high-resolution satellite imagery
- Effective management of physical obstacles, disruptive weather conditions and distance
5. Veniam
Veniam offers the next phase of IoT – the Internet of Things in Motion, a concept for turning public transportation into Wi-Fi hotspots.
Veniam creates a complete infrastructure to connect everyday devices on a wireless platform. The product has applications in smart cities where regular transportation facilities, ports, waste collection centers, schools, container terminals and public parks can be converted into mobile internet devices.
Veniam’s cloud stores and interprets machine data from sensors and performs tasks without much human intervention.
“We envision a future where mobility is delivered as a service by a fleet of autonomous vehicles,” says João Barros, CEO of Veniam. “The way to do this is to allow automakers, who produce cars, trucks and buses, to share huge amounts of data with each other and with the cloud.
“Veniam’s technology will enable cities to provide the bandwidth needed for devices to connect to the internet and to each other.
Veniam is credited with building an extensive vehicle network covering 600 vehicles in Portugal. Today, 73% of Porto bus users are powered by Veniam’s Wi-Fi with a monthly transmission of 3 TB of data.
Industry: Internet of things in motion and smart cities
Wireless network provider: Veniam
Results :
- Connecting public and private spaces to citizens for successful data distribution across devices
- Powering smart cities and improving residents’ quality of life
- Transform fleets, vehicles and mobile objects into live networks
- Reduce reliance on cellular networks, while collecting authoritative data for third parties, such as traffic and bandwidth, for scalability