How Wireless Networking is Used by Meraki, Cradlepoint, AOptix, Strix Systems, and Veniam

The wireless networking market is benefiting from private and public investments in both wireless infrastructure and technology. 

With major governments pursuing 5G as the next generation of internet and the Biden administration pledging $65 billion for telco infrastructure, global wireless players are looking to bridge gaps in digital connectivity.

To make sure the internet reaches every corner, wireless networking has an indispensable role to play. 

See below how five companies in the market are advancing wireless networking technology in different industries: 

1. Meraki

A solution by the cloud networking brand Meraki, part of Cisco, powers wireless connectivity for enterprises by designing both software and hardware equipment.

“Meraki makes these top-of-the-top features available to everyone, even small networks with IT teams of just one or two. When I actually tried it, I truly believed that it could work for the biggest of the big … and the smallest of the small,” says Meraki CEO Todd Nightingale. 

“We make our products easy to use, manage, and monitor for our customers, and I believe we’re the only enterprise IT group that is truly focused on that as our number one priority..”

Meraki’s client base includes Stanford, Burger King, and Telmex. Meraki creates easily deployable and scalable networks with centralized management through a dashboard and Meraki mobile app.

Industry: Network management

Wireless network provider: Roofnet and Meraki 

Outcomes:

• Cost reduction through a centralized management software with options to create and modify IT policies
• Security architecture through a firewall, well-defined threat detection, and integrated Sourcefire intrusion prevention
• Wide avenues for clients to troubleshoot, monitor, enhance visibility, and keep their teams lean
• Real-time analysis and customer insights
• Mobile device and switch port management

2. Cradlepoint

Cradlepoint is a network-as-a-service (NaaS) company that delivers 4G and 5G connectivity to businesses. 

The Ericsson subsidiary doesn’t only offer WAN connections but links offices, vehicles, and homes with IoT devices for better communication.

“When you think about what’s happening to enterprise networks, it’s not just about connecting branch offices anymore. In the future, it’s about connecting sites and people in those sites, out in the wild, mobile workers — and all of the things are getting connected to networks,” says Cradlepoint CEO George Mulhern.

Cradlepoint started as a fail-over product company where users can access the internet if the wired network faces glitches. Cradlepoint switched to cloud connection management and can deliver wireless access in the absence of broadband.

Industry: Wireless WAN and edge networking

Wireless network provider: NetCloud Manager

Outcomes:

• Increasing bandwidth availability for business while bringing down connectivity costs
• Pooling down mobile data among geographically distributed locations 
• Cradlepoint powers its routers via Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP), providing cellular backup. The protocol also helps teams to flag network attacks immediately
• Combining LTE with Wi-Fi through a single router to create Wi-Fi as a WAN service
• Securing private communication lines over a public internet via NetCloud Perimeter

3. AOptix

Now acquired by Anova, AOptix is a NASA-recognized deep space platform offering wireless laser-radio technology (LRT) for astronomers and scientists to capture deep space objects. 

With DARPA, NASA, the U.S. military, and international airports across countries as its clientele, AOptix is leveraging 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 America’s space program should be now evaluating our technology for future communications applications,” says Dean Senner, CEO of AOptix, after NASA deployed AOptix Intellimax in Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. 

Industry: Deep space communication

Wireless network provider: AOptix and Intellimax

Outcomes:

• AOptix’s wireless links save resources and time for enterprises over fiber installations that take weeks or months to set up
• Long-range, reliable, wireless communication with ultra-high bandwidth offering mobile backhaul
• Blending radio frequency with laser optics to create all-weather, error-free communication with a strong uptime rate
• Generating performance and higher speed over fiber networks, AOptix reports 50% added speed, low latency, and a reduction in noise and external barriers
• AOptix partnered with Nasdaq and BATS to offer wireless network services with low latency to reduce system meltdowns in financial institutions, regardless of company size

4. Strix Systems

Most autonomous vehicles today send and receive data via internal sensors. However, the portable devices aren’t designed to communicate with external surroundings, let alone offer full-fledged internet access. 

Strix Systems makes it possible for autonomous vehicles to communicate with the outside environment through its wireless network extensions with fewer nodes.

“Infonetics believes that Strix Systems is a key manufacturer and critical solution provider in the wireless mesh network industry. The market is accelerating, and we’re now experiencing the greater penetration and ultimate benefits that solutions like Strix Systems Access/One have to offer,” says Richard Webb with Infonetics Research.

Industry: Autonomous vehicle communication and wireless meshing

Wireless network provider: Strix Systems

Outcomes:

• Creating intelligent vehicles by converting real-time data into actionable insights for vehicles to ensure maximum safety
• A centralized monitoring system integrated with Condition Acquisition Reporting System (CARS) to communicate with the vehicles as needed
• Built-in Wi-Fi and GPS services with added sensors and a high-resolution satellite imagery
• Efficient handling of physical obstructions, disruptive weather, and distance

5. Veniam

Veniam is offering the next phase of IoT — the Internet of Moving Things, a concept to turn public transport into Wi-Fi hotspots. 

Veniam creates a full-fledged infrastructure to connect everyday devices over a wireless platform. The product has applications in smart cities where regular transport 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 provided as a service by a fleet of autonomous vehicles,” says João Barros, CEO, Veniam. “The way to get there is to enable carmakers, who produce cars, trucks, and buses, to share huge amounts of data with each other and with the cloud.

“Veniam’s technology will make it possible for cities to provide the bandwidth necessary for devices to connect to the internet and each other.”

Veniam is credited for building a large vehicular network covering 600 vehicles in Portugal. Today, Porto’s 73% of bus riders are powered by Veniam’s Wi-Fi with a monthly transmission of 3 TB of data.

Industry: Internet of Moving Things and smart cities

Wireless network provider: Veniam

Outcomes:

• Connecting public and private spaces with citizens for successful data dispatch across devices
• Powering smart cities and improving quality of life for residents
• Turning fleets, vehicles, and mobile objects into live networks
• Reducing dependency on cellular networks, while collecting official data for third parties, like traffic and bandwidth, for scalability