Cellular Communication
Cellular networks are high-speed, high-capacity voice and data communication networks with seamless roaming capabilities for supporting cellular devices. These networks are used for more than just phone calls and entertainment. They have become the primary means of communication for vehicle, public safety, industrial, enterprise and private industries.
Vehicle cellular networking increases safety and performance by providing access to productivity tools anytime, anywhere, specifically for trains, buses, utility vehicles, delivery trucks and service vehicles. 5G and 4G LTE based vehicle area network (VAN) routers are military/industry-certified to perform in extreme environments and are designed to handle wide temperature ranges, moisture, vibration and power fluctuations common when running from vehicle power. They deliver VPN security and connect over multiple carriers.
More Information about Cellular Communication
Public Safety cellular networking provides increased first responder and citizen safety by ensuring accountability and accelerating collaboration between law enforcement, emergency services, EMS, fire and utility vehicles. They operate on special cellular bands reserved for first responders (AT&T FirstNet) and deliver VPN security and connect over multiple carriers.
Industrial cellular networking enables real-time monitoring, management and control of critical infrastructure and remote machinery, including, smart grid, meters, pipelines, industrial equipment and automation and control systems. These routers operate 24/7 and often work on solar or battery power.
Enterprise cellular networking connects retail and business environments, such as retail stores, kiosks, POS, digital signage and security systems.
Private cellular networking increases coverage and enhances security compared to Wi-Fi and public LTE for specific cases including, mining, shipping ports, warehouses, airports and smart cities. Private cellular routers can cover large areas without the need for multiple Wi-Fi routers.
Basics of Switches, Routers & Hubs
Ethernet hubs, switches and routers connect computers to networks, devices and other computers.
Ethernet hubs are the least intelligent of the three devices. They simply take any message that is received and transmits it to every other device connected to that hub. For example, if CPU 1 on a network wants to send a message to CPU 5, it will send that message through the hub.The hub will then take that message and send it out to every connected device on that hub regardless of the intended target. When CPU 5 receives that message and wants to respond, it will send its response through the hub which sends it to every connected device. Ethernet hubs do not manage any data that is sent and tend to bog down networks. They also do not offer much security for the network. For these reasons, Ethernet hubs are are being replaced with network switches.
Switches transmit data from one device to another on the same network. Unlike a hub, switches use a switch table to learn where data came from and where to send it. Switch tables store Mac addresses and device ports. By storing this data, a switch can operate more efficiently than a hub, greatly reducing the traffic within the network.
Routers transfer data between devices while learning the location of those devices within the network. They are also a junction between two or more networks. An example of this would be a home router where the home network is connected to the Internet. Another example would be when the router connects two or more networks with different business functions. In addition to connecting two or more networks, a router offers important security features that help protect the network.