Cradlepoint Claims First Gigabit LTE Router

In anticipation of requirements for increased LTE bandwidth, Cradlepoint today announced the addition of a ruggedized gigabit router to its portfolio to better serve organizations that need a software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) that can be easily deployed in remote locations or equipment that frequently moves.

The IBR1700 Router incorporates a 600Mpbs LTE Advanced modem in a router that provides five WAN/LAN switchable Gigabit Ethernet ports.

“The is the first gigabit LTE router,” says Todd Krautkremer, chief marketing officer for Cradlepoint.

The IBR1700 router is intended to enable customers to both consolidate exiting routers as well as support new classes of emerging applications on LTE wireless networks. The router also includes an integrated 802.11ac Wave 2 access point.

The latest addition to the Cradlepoint portfolio also comes with built in location-based and telematics applications, such as automatic vehicle location, asset tracking with geofencing, safe driving programs and proactive vehicle maintenance. Those applications are linked to a NetCloud management plane that provides IT organizations with a centralized framework for managing multiple distributed routers. That approach is critical for IT organization that have a limited amount of IT staff that can be allocated to managing distributed networks, says Krautkremer.

Pricing for Cradlepoint routers and software is based on a subscription model starting at $1,199 per year.

Going forward Krautkremer says it’s now only a matter of time before multi-gigabit routers come to LTE networks to support 5G wireless applications. SD-WANs based on LTE have already gained a significant amount of traction, but once 5G networks become generally available the number of applications that can be deployed on an LTE network should increase exponentially, says Krautkremer.

In terms of competitors, Krautkremer says the only rival focusing on LTE networks to any extent is Cisco, which he says does not today yet have a cohesive portfolio. There’s no doubt at 5G networks converge with Internet of Things (IoT) applications that LTE networking competition will become fiercer. But in the meantime, savvy IT leaders would do well to consider all their options when it comes to deploying SD-WANs designed to handle not only existing applications, but also emerging use cases that are already just over the next horizon.

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