POYNTING’S ANTENNAS ARE PART OF OUR CONNECTIVITY
#connectivity, #iot
Our company, philosophy, and product portfolio are all about connectivity, but there is one aspect of connectivity we don’t talk about often enough: antennas.
Antennas are a lot like extra-long branches of a tree trying to get as much light as it can. In some cases, branches of any length are more than enough, but where sunny days are hard to come by and every ray of sunlight counts, the extra reach of a skyward-facing branch can make a difference.
Similarly, antennas give a connectivity device such as a router extra reach, so that its ever-so-precious cellular signal gets where it needs to.
From complex orchestras of inter-connected machinery to watching a cat video while on your bathroom break, antennas play an essential role in the IoT ecosystem.
A LONG-REACHING PARTNERSHIP
When it comes to the antennas you get with our devices, some are the fruit of our partnership with Poynting, a South African manufacturer of quality antennas. Those compatible with our devices are endorsed on our website.
Our partnership with Poynting began about six months ago, after we kept getting it recommended to us by our clients. Since then, we’ve implemented several successful projects together, and we’re confident in calling it one of the best antenna manufacturers and one we fully trust.
CONNECTED FOR A VICTORY
One joint project was for X Rally Team, a Brazilian rally team that needed internet connectivity for their support vehicles, manned with professionals ready to provide immediate assistance whenever a call for aid was sent.
The problem was that their upcoming race was the Sertões Rally, a 5000km rally that goes through a myriad of remote areas with different weather and terrain. Not exactly ideal conditions for secure communication between racers and support.
X Rally Team chose to install our RUT955 cellular router on its team chief’s support vehicle, in tandem with Poynting’s MIMO-3-15 antenna. The team chief himself stated that he “was never so well-connected in a race before.”
The Team went on to win first, second, and third place, and we’d like to believe this IoT solution played some role in that victory!
Without a router, the antenna wouldn’t do anything. Without an antenna, the router wouldn’t quite have the reach to provide the Team with connectivity in such remote locales. This partnership between equipment, and between companies, is how the solution came to be. You can read more about it here.
THE DUTCH ANGLE
Another project we joined forces on was for EBO van Weel, a Dutch traffic and safety innovator. To make the work environment of employees of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management safer, EBO was developing a vehicle management system named Autodrip 2.0.
The basic premise of this system is a full-color display that’s mounted on the back of a road work vehicle and is visible from half a kilometer away. The display alerts incoming traffic to divert it from the lane where work is being done, either in construction or as a result of an accident, and by doing so, keeps the workers safe from incoming traffic. It’s a great system, really.
The problem EBO had with it was that whenever changes to the contents of the display had to be changed, the workers would have to do so manually, thereby putting themselves at risk by being so close to incoming traffic. A way to control Autodrip 2.0 remotely was needed.
EBO chose our RUT955 cellular router to facilitate connectivity between the system and a mobile device the workers could carry and access the system with. Poynting’s PUCK-5 antenna was chosen to go alongside it, and together they provided a stable internet connection even when the workers were at a long distance from the vehicle.
EBO was very happy with the result, saying that they’re always very critical when it comes to connectivity, since “everything stands or falls with the connection. If we have no connection, the system isn’t online.” You can read more about this project here.
FAST FORWARD TO TOMORROW
So what’s in store for our partnership with Poynting? Lots and lots of joint projects, innovative IoT solutions, and satisfied clients.
We’re also excited to announce an upcoming webinar where, alongside Poynting, we’ll present additional joint projects and have an in-depth Q&A session to answer your questions. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, May 24th, at 11:00 a.m. (GMT+3). We look forward to seeing you there!
