One of the vendors at the Gestalt IT Network Field Day was Cradlepoint, which makes a wireless modem that works over celular 3G/4G networks. One of their products is a personal WiFi hotspot – you’ve probably heard of them or of similar products. Nothing newsworthy there. What was interesting to learn was the backup and out-of-band functionality that corporations are using.
Backup link
A convenience store corporation is using the wired Cradlepoint to backup each store’s DSL link. DSL is an inexpensive technology, very appropriate for stores working on thin margins. With thousands of stores, the costs mount up quickly. For a few additional dollars per month, they have a cellular network account setup for a store and use the Cradlepoint as the backup link for the point-of-sale terminal. I like the idea of network designs where low operating cost is a primary driver.
Out-of-band link
Another company is deploying the wired Cradlepoint device as an out-of-band access mechanism. When there is a network problem that requires access to the network at a remote site, the connection is brought up and remote access is then available. It operates much like a dial-up link, only with greater bandwidth. In most buildings, it would be reasonable to locate the Cradlepoint device at a physical location that maximizes the cellular signal while also providing connectivity into the local network.. -Terry
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Re-posted with Permission
NetCraftsmen would like to acknowledge Infoblox for their permission to re-post this article which originally appeared in the Applied Infrastructure blog under http://www.infoblox.com/en/communities/blogs.html
