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Cambium Networks

Cambium Networks

Cambium Networksis a private company headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.

It develops and markets wireless networking infrastructure – a “wireless fabric” – providing indoor and outdoor networking solutions covering distances from a few meters to more than 100 kilometers and providing throughput capacity from kilobytes to gigabytes per second.

Solutions include Wi-Fi access points, narrowband internet of things (IoT) links, point-to-point and point-to-multipoint radio devices — all managed with a cloud-based management system called cnMaestro.

Millions of Cambium Networks radios are deployed in more than 10,000 customer networks in over 145 countries — primarily used by businesses, governments and internet service providers to provide wireless connectivity from the core of the network to the edge.

Motorola launched a wireless broadband product named Canopy in 1999 and acquired the Orthogon Systems point-to-point wireless broadband business in 2006.

In October 2011, Motorola Solutions divested the division, including the engineers and technology, and Cambium Networks was formed.

The company has grown quickly and diversified into Wi-Fi and specialized applications such as industrial internet of things (IIoT).

Cambium Networks now operates globally serving service providers, enterprises and industrial and government networks.

Cambium Networks’ technology is based on a cloud-managed intelligent edge, with network elements making decisions on handling challenging RF situations to optimize throughput and performance.

Cambium Networks’ unique RF hardware, signal processing and scheduling capabilities, along with cloud-based management software, provide reliable connectivity, especially in outdoor applications with high RF noise environments.

The equipment is proven to perform in harsh environments while retaining affordability.

History

Early history as Canopy

The initial product from 2002 was named "Canopy" for creating a canopy of wireless transmitters.

[8] Initially, a Canopy-based network involved installing radio transmitters at the edge of a network in order to extend the network wirelessly into remote areas.

Many of its first users were entrepreneurs who used Canopy to create a small wireless internet service provider (WISP) businesses, serving up to about 1,000 subscribers in their rural hometowns.

In 2006, Motorola acquired Orthogon Systems, a point-to-point wireless broadband company based in the United Kingdom.

[8] Orthogon's technology allowed users to create a high-speed, long-range backhaul link to connect an existing network to a Canopy point-to-multipoint network to provide broadband connectivity in remote locations.

Canopy's adoption grew, especially after a $7 billion U.S. government stimulus was passed in 2010 to increase the number of Americans with internet access.

[2] One of the key elements of Canopy’s success, and something which has persisted under Cambium Networks, is the GPS-based synchronization of the point-to-multipoint networks to minimize self-interference and allow efficient channel reuse.

The United States Navy also adopted the system to support short-range communications in military operations without using satellites.

[8] From here Canopy expanded abroad.

Growth as Cambium Networks

A PMP 450m Access Point Installation

A PMP 450m Access Point Installation

Cambium Networks’ revenues grew in its first year of operation as an independent business.

[8] Around this time, Cambium Networks began to experience more price competition with commodity wireless connectivity vendors.

Early Canopy products provided less than 10 megabytes per second to support up to 50 internet users.

This was effective to download email and basic websites, but larger bandwidth internet applications were growing.

To address these issues, Cambium Networks developed several new technologies.

In 2012, Cambium Networks introduced the PMP 450 platform of products, which have evolved to support more than 1 gigabyte-per-second of throughput.

By 2017, there were more than one million PMP 450s installed in networks around the world.

The ePMP product line was introduced in 2013 to provide a high-quality, point-to-multipoint platform for network operators that did not require the performance attributes of the PMP 450 but did require a more cost-effective solution.

The ePMP platform has expanded rapidly in the intervening years, including the incorporation of beam-steering technology.

Recent history

In February 2013, Atul Bhatnagar was appointed CEO and president of Cambium Networks.

Under Bhatnagar's leadership, the company substantially expanded its markets and product range.

All of Cambium Networks’ revenue growth has been organic and not the result of acquisitions.

A new ePMP™ access network family was introduced that year, followed by the cnPilot™ series of indoor/outdoor wireless routers and PTP 650 Backhaul product in November 2013.

The PTP 700, for defense and national-security applications, was introduced in 2015.

In 2016, the point-to-multipoint PMP 450m with cnMedusa™ Massive MU-MIMO technology introduced industry-leading spectral efficiency in the sub-6 GHz unlicensed spectrum.

The cnReach™ product for industrial SCADA networking applications using licensed narrowband channels below 1 GHz was introduced.

Also launched in 2016, the cnMaestro™ cloud-based management system provides end-to-end provisioning, monitoring and management of the network.

Products

Cambium Networks sells hardware and software products that provide network or internet connectivity:

  • The cnPilot product family is a series of indoor and outdoor 802.11ac Wi-Fi access points for enterprise or residential applications.

  • The PMP Distribution series (PMP 450 and ePMP) is a point-to-multipoint system that transmits data between a hub and multiple locations, connecting business and residential locations.

  • The PTP Backhaul family is a point-to-point system used by network service providers to transmit data from sub-networks to the provider's core network backbone, in the licensed and unlicensed spectrum.

  • The cnReach product, which provides wireless narrowband transport for SCADA monitoring and control systems, is tailored to industrial applications.

  • Cambium Networks’ solutions are managed by the cnMaestro™ cloud-based network management software to provide a bird’s-eye view of the entire network for easy installation, provisioning, management and maintenance.

Operations

Cambium Networks sells its products exclusively through about 4,000 third-party resellers, distributors, system integrators and retail partners called ConnectedPartners.

Cambium Networks recruits partners through word of mouth, trade conferences, industry trade publications and social media.

Once a partner signs up, Cambium Networks provides access to training, support and warranty programs.

Cambium Networks has four research and development centers across the world: Rolling Meadows, Illinois, U.S.; Ashburton, Devon, U.K.; Bangalore, India, and San Jose, California, U.S.

Cambium Networks provides 24/7 customer technical support and has repair facilities in the United States and India.

Cambium Networks engages in philanthropic projects to provide internet connectivity to survivors of natural disasters so they can get information and help.

It works with Disaster Tech Labs to provide internet access to Syrian refugees in Greece.

[3] It also built a network in a remote area of Nepal so locals can get access to educational and medical resources.

[4]

In 2018, first responders used Cambium Networks' technology to provide Wi-Fi connectivity at their base of operations, while they rescued twelve children and a football coach from a cave in Thailand.

[7]

Recent awards

2018

  • CRN Partner Program 5 Stars

2017

  • Best in Biz Social Responsibility

  • WISPA Manufacturer of the Year

  • WISPA Product of the Year

  • WISPA Service of the Year

  • SMB Techfest Best Product – cnPilot Wi-Fi

  • CRN Partner Program 5 Star

  • Official website

References

[1]
Citation Linkcomputerworld.comBlau, John (April 18, 2006)."Motorola acquires Orthogon Systems," Computerworld , Retrieved January 20, 2018.
Jul 11, 2018, 10:19 AM
[2]
Citation Linkcomputerworld.comBlau, John (April 18, 2006)."Motorola acquires Orthogon Systems," Computerworld , Retrieved January 20, 2018.
Jul 11, 2018, 10:19 AM
[3]
Citation Linknytimes.comKim, Susanna G. (July 10, 2010)."Stimulus Projects Bring Broadband to Disconnected," The New York Times.Retrieved January 20, 2018.
Jul 11, 2018, 10:20 AM
[4]
Citation Linkzdnet.comMarcellin, Frances (March 9, 2016)."Europe's refugee crisis: How one Wi-Fi network is offering a lifeline for Lesbos migrants," ZDNet.Retrieved January 20, 2018.
Jul 11, 2018, 10:20 AM
[5]
Citation Linkzdnet.comHuang, Ryan (March 31, 2014)."Remote Nepal villages bridging digital gap with local cloud," ZDNet.Retrieved January 20, 2018.
Jul 11, 2018, 10:21 AM
[6]
Citation Linkzdnet.comHuang, Ryan (March 31, 2014)."Remote Nepal villages bridging digital gap with local cloud," ZDNet.Retrieved January 20, 2018.
Jul 11, 2018, 10:21 AM
[7]
Citation Linkeveripedia-storage.s3.amazonaws.comA PMP 450m Access Point Installation
Jul 11, 2018, 10:51 AM
[8]
Citation Linknetworkworld.esDestri, Francesco (July 24, 2018)."Cambium Networks: Wi-Fi on the Field in Emergency Situations," Computerworld .Retrieved August 15, 2018.
Aug 15, 2018, 6:25 PM
[9]
Citation Linkchicagobusiness.comPletz, John (November 3, 2012)."There's life after Motorola for Cambium crew," Crain's Chicago Business.Retrieved January 20, 2018.
Jul 11, 2018, 10:15 AM
[10]
Citation Linkchicagobusiness.comPletz, John (November 3, 2012)."There's life after Motorola for Cambium crew," Crain's Chicago Business.Retrieved January 20, 2018.
Jul 11, 2018, 10:15 AM