LTE-A vehicle router suits mission critical applications

The MP70 also provides IT departments with the flexibility to manage fleet and mobile assets in the cloud or in the enterprise data centre using Sierra Wireless AirLink Network Management solutions.

Jason Krause, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Enterprise Solutions, Sierra Wireless, commented: “First responders and field services teams need access to uncompromised connectivity at all times and that’s central to all of our LTE networking solutions. Using the MP70, mobile workers can communicate seamlessly from in and around their vehicle, as if they were in an office. This allows them to perform critical duties onsite more efficiently, and ultimately respond more quickly and effectively in the field.”

For example, a typical law enforcement vehicle hosts a laptop for dispatch and records management, an electronic citation system, live digital video surveillance, body-worn cameras and Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) systems. With the MP70, all of these systems can connect to a high-speed vehicle area network, with both GbE and 802.11ac WiFi supported, and share a secure LTE-A cellular connection that enables the dispatcher to access all of the systems in real time.

“We trialed the MP70 router to connect our in-vehicle computers and provide a WiFi hotspot for our team to access critical database records onsite in real time during emergencies. Right out of the box, we were impressed by the MP70’s top-notch, ruggedised form factor - with hardened aluminium casing, it’s clearly designed for turbulent vehicle environments. We are also very impressed with its reliable LTE connectivity and, because it offers 4-port GbE, we will be able to support more in-vehicle equipment, such as video cameras and ALPR, bringing the full functionality of our office network to our patrol officer," said Greg Katz, Lieutenant, Billerica MA Police Department.

“The MP70 high performance vehicle router extends Sierra Wireless’ industry leading portfolio of vehicle gateways, which includes the AirLink GX450 mobile gateway and multi-network FirstNet Band 14 oMG vehicle router,” added Robin Duke-Woolley, CEO, Beecham Research. “There is strong demand for vehicle area networks that can handle multiple applications and the MP70’s flexible, secure management and WiFi capabilities make it an attractive option.”

An entire fleet of AirLink MP70 routers, field applications and mobile assets can be remotely managed, controlled and monitored over a centralised platform using AirLink Network Management solutions from Sierra Wireless. Available as a hosted, cloud-based AirLink Management Service, or as a licensed software platform in the enterprise data centre, oMM Management System, AirLink Network Management solutions allow organisations to increase efficiency and lower maintenance costs by up to 90%.

The MP70 is the industry’s first router with a high performance vehicle area network accessible via GbE, Gigabit WiFi and 300mb/s LTE-A to connect multiple applications in and around the vehicle. It has an integrated events engine, built-in vehicle I/O and support for AirLink Vehicle Telemetry to enable advanced awareness and instant insight into vehicle diagnostics, connected mobile assets, fleet operations and the workforce. The MP70 also provides GNSS and inertial navigation (activated in an upcoming software release), enabling superior vehicle location accuracy, even when out of satellite coverage. Purpose-built for vehicles, the AirLink MP70 ensures superior reliability and continuous operation in harsh environments and is designed to survive extreme transient surges and perform in noisy vehicle power environments.

The list price for the MP70 is $1049, which includes AirLink Management Service (ALMS) for three years with orders placed in 2016. The pricing in euros is €786 (no WiFi) & €873 (WiFi).The AirLink MP70 is commercially available today through Sierra Wireless’s authorised channel partners.