The SkyRouter Difference
Not that long ago all wireless data devices were serial devices referred to as wireless modems. Sidestepping any debate about whether they were or were not actual modems, the simple fact is that they were circuit based and most had a modem-like interface on the local end that was designed to connect to a single remote device’s serial port.
In 2003 Ctek, already an established manufacturer of industrial wire line modems entered the wireless market with a design philosophy that embodied the following tenants:
- Circuit data was legacy baggage. Ctek’s wireless devices would be designed from the ground up to most effectively utilize the emerging Internet Protocol (IP) wireless interfaces, i.e. CDMA 1xRTT and GSM GPRS.
- Wireless devices optimized for IP would require an always on network connection. Furthermore, managing an always on connection would require significantly more processing power than that available in the then current generation of wireless modems.
- As wireless devices became integral components of corporate IP networks the demand for Operation, Administration, Maintenance, and Provisioning (OAM&P) features would increase exponentially, quickly outpacing any existing standards which were and still are primarily focused on wired networks.
- Given ample computing power in the wireless endpoint it was only a matter of time before specialized applications began to move from the server out to the endpoint.
- The future belonged to open source development.
In July of 2003 the Series 4100 SkyRouter entered the market as a wireless IP router. Powered by a 100 MIPS Linux processor the SkyRouter managed the wireless network connection with a degree of precision previously unheard of. While the most sophisticated competitors were maintaining the wireless connection by pinging well known web sites the SkyRouter was managing a secondary radio control port in real time, resulting in wireless reconnection times measured in seconds instead of minutes. From day one SkyRouter provided Dynamic DNS (DDNS) solutions, providing a complete bidirectional solution. In 2004 the TCOPlus feature set was added to address the network management, operational, and administration issues associated with managing large scale wireless networks. And finally OEM support features including user interface customization and an application execution environment completed the original vision for what has become the SkyRouter platform.
Today the SkyRouter platform supports a variety of models including 1XRTT, EV-DO Rev A, integrated IPsec tunneling, and a selection of SkyRouter based development kits designed to help designers bring their application to market quickly. SkyRouter customers have come to rely on TCOPlus features to help reduce ongoing operational costs. Applications ranging from GPS tracking to web based RTU interfaces reside on SkyRouters while countless industrial applications route data through SkyRouters deeply embedded in corporate IP networks. And so, today’s SkyRouter difference is simply the fulfillment of the original SkyRouter vision. |
