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Intelligent wireless solutions specialist and Internet of things (IoT) company Sierra Wireless announced availability of the AirLink MP70, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) vehicle router for mission-critical applications in public safety, transit and field services.
The MP70 provides secure, managed connectivity for applications with LTE-Advanced, Gigabit WiFi and Gigabit Ethernet, enabling multiple high-bandwidth applications to work simultaneously.
The MP70 also enables IT departments to manage fleet and mobile assets either in the cloud or in the enterprise data center using Sierra Wireless AirLink Network Management solutions.
The list price for the MP70 is $1,049, which includes AirLink Management Service (ALMS) for three years with orders placed in 2016. The MP70 is commercially available through the company’s authorized channel partners.
“The importance of uncompromised communications for mission-critical workforces can literally keep communities out of harm’s way and save lives, by enabling first responders and field service specialists to respond quicker and perform critical duties more efficiently,” Dave Markland, senior product manager of gateway solutions for Sierra Wireless, told eWEEK. “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 Gigabit Ethernet 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.
Markland noted a field service specialist requires access to a laptop for location services, dispatch communications and vehicle cameras to protect their safety.
For transit applications, such as bus or light-rail, IoT can connect multiple technologies to increase efficiency and improve user experience, such as fare payment, and route and schedule management (AVL) systems, video camera for security and passenger WiFi, he said.
The MP70 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—designed to enable better vehicle location accuracy, even when out of satellite coverage.
A fleet of MP70 routers, field applications and mobile assets can be remotely managed, controlled and monitored over a centralized platform using AirLink Network Management solutions from Sierra Wireless, and is available as a hosted, cloud-based AirLink Management Service or as a licensed software platform in the enterprise data center, oMM Management System.