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connectivity were available, but buying four of them would
have cost more than $10,000. Further, 3G-enabled scanners
are compatible with a limited number of wireless providers
(e.g., AT&T, Verizon and Sprint). Benjamin Plumbing had a
long-term contract with a regional wireless provider—U.S.
Cellular—that 3G-enabled scanners do not support. Thus,
even if Benjamin Plumbing could afford to pay $10,000
for 3G-enabled scanners, they’d still have to undertake a
highly-expensive and disruptive migration to switch wireless
providers.
SOLUTION
David deployed a CradlePoint MBR1100 Mobile Broadband
‘N’ 3G/4G Router with VPN in every truck. The MBR1100
creates a W-Fi spot that each MC9000 scanner and wireless
printer can connect with. A USB modem plugged into each
MBR1100 connects it to the Internet via the company’s U.S.
Cellular broadband wireless service. This approach solved the
problem for about one-tenth the cost of buying new scanners
while avoiding the pain of switching providers.
“The MBR1100 allowed us to develop a solution that works
with our customer’s existing equipment,” says David. “It’s
simple to use, but at the same time, it provides a lot of
options for the price.”
David continues: “For example, we use Virtual Private
Network (VPN) connections to ensure security. With the
MBR1100, we set up the VPN once and the field service
guys never have to mess with it. Using the MBR1100 instead
of Windows Mobile to establish the VPN connections is a
big plus. VPN sessions in Windows Mobile tend to time out
and reconfiguring or restarting a new VPN session is tricky.
We wanted to avoid that. After all, these are plumbers, not
computer techs.”
BENEFITS
•Simple. “Setting up [the MBR1100] was pretty
straightforward,” reports David. “Plus, I was able to save
the first set up I did as a configuration file. Then I just
uploaded that configuration file to each of the remaining
three units. That saved quite a bit of time.”
•Value. “I think [$350] is at the right price point,” notes
David. “If you look at a Cisco firewall, they start at $700 or
$800 and they go up from there.”
•Support. “CradlePoint support is very good,” notes
David. “Very good. While configuring the VPN, I had
questions about setting it up. When I called their support
people, they were knowledgeable and helpful.”
•Robust. “I saw the Linksys, but didn’t care for it,” says
David. “[The MBR1100] gives you a lot more options. For
example, it was pretty easy for me to limit each MBR1100
to specific IP ranges, so if the trucks are parked next to
each other, the scanners don’t get confused about which
hotspot to use. I’m kind of surprised that [the MBR1100]
came out with VPN capabilities and they kept the price
where it is.”
David sums up his thoughts about the MBR1100: “Even
though Benjamin Plumbing had equipment that was 4 years
old, the MBR1100 made this solution work. It was less
expensive than buying all new scanners. And my customer
didn’t have to switch providers.”
“On service calls Benjamin Plumbing is not yet doing credit
cards with a reader, but when they do, we’ll be able to take
advantage of the MBR1100’s hotspot. We’ll save money
on the credit card swipers, because we won’t have to buy
3G-enabled models—they’re more expensive—and we won’t
have to spend $69 a month on a different 3G plan just to
support the swipers.”
“The MBR1100 is simple to use
[and] provides a lot of options
for the price.”