With newer categories of LTE offering higher download and upload speeds, plus more, 4G routers for business can offer impressive performance improvements over previous cellular technologies – meaning they can now compete with, and even outperform, fixed line alternatives. In this article, we take a look at some of the benefits that LTE-A Pro can offer, plus some key applications.

There’s currently an exciting buzz around the latest 4G LTE version, LTE-Advanced Pro, as it provides businesses with endless benefits, removing traditional boundaries by providing enhanced connectivity features today while also paving the way for 5G tomorrow. LTE-Advanced Pro improves on previous generations in several respects, most significantly offering:

• Higher bandwidth, enabling the increase in speed of data transfer
• Lower latency, providing much faster network response times
• Improved spectrum efficiency and network capacity, through MU-MIMO and carrier aggregation which dramatically improve mobile broadband services and supports wider transmission bandwidths

By leveraging these, and the more general benefits of 4G LTE, businesses are now able to take their network with them wherever they need to go – achieving the same networking capabilities as if in a fixed location. By employing an enterprise-grade solution, security resilience can be fulfilled by central IT teams while providing connectivity anywhere, as it can be done without any compromise to corporate policies – no matter where the router is. With cloud management this becomes even easier to manage, plus central IT teams can also easily monitor and update their 4G router estates remotely. As well as providing “go anywhere” connectivity, 4G LTE can give organisations a failover solution for both their fixed and mobile locations – ensuring that businesses won’t suffer potential loss of revenue and credibility. It can also connect vehicle fleets to deliver reliable, secure mobile connectivity for field teams, and is ideal for connecting high value machines. Read on to find out why:

When every second counts and access to key information could help to better aid our citizens, a reliable 4G router deployed to their vehicles can provide emergency teams with a valuable addition to their toolkit. For example, with reliable 4G LTE in-vehicle connectivity Police Officers can stay in the field for more working-hours of the day, securely accessing and updating central data whenever, wherever – helping to reduce dispatch times and efficiently manage precious resources to carry out operations. Similarly, Firefighters can improve scene management by accessing up-to-date building plans from the site, plus connect body worn and other personnel tracking devices – providing a real time picture of what is happening.

As well as supporting the emergency services, in-vehicle networking is a popular option for commercial fleets such as utilities, roadside assistance, logistics and other field-based teams. Providing secure access to central systems, field workers can easily review and update their “paperwork” as they go – helping central teams to dynamically deploy resources by providing them with a clear image of what is happening in the field.

With the way of the modern world, it’s not unusual for businesses to set up in a temporary location and require instant, reliable and secure connectivity while there. Examples of locations where pop-up networking can be of benefit vary from promotional activities for retailers, to emergency deployments such as command centres. With the widespread availability of 4G LTE cellular networks, which can now offer the same speeds and bandwidth as fixed lines, a 4G routing solution is a simple and effective method to be better connected quickly and easily in such scenarios. Also known as rapid deployment connectivity, a 4G router can deliver an instant and secure solution that connects organisations on day one at new and temporary locations, allowing them to work at full capacity regardless of fixed line availability – ideal also for construction sites.

Increasing uptime is a key focus for IT teams that have faced the long-standing issue of managing distributed enterprise networks effectively. A 4G router solution can be the way forward in keeping businesses connected while also helping to restore the primary connection. Failover and OOBM connectivity ensure that businesses are kept online when their primary network fails, but also enables remote, out-of-band troubleshooting to help restore the primary network and minimise other downtime costs such as unnecessary truck rolls and hardware replacements.

High value machines such as surveillance equipment, vending machines, CashPoints, gaming terminals and so on, are typically located in hard-to-reach and third party locations – meaning connectivity generally isn’t readily available. A 4G router or gateway can provide a simple and effective solution to connect such machines so that central teams can monitor them easily. While some might think about opting for embedded modules in these scenarios, a “freestanding” router or gateway can offer some key advantages: it is easier to upgrade without having to interfere with the machine’s own software, it allows a higher level of flexibility in configuring the solution, it can add additional security features, it is available “off the shelf” so can meet requirements very quickly, and leading options can even provide OOBM to help resolve any issues with the machine. For system integrators it also allows a greater degree of control over the end solution, allowing them to select a connectivity solution which best delivers to their requirements.

4G routers are highly flexible, easily scalable and very reliable devices, and as organisations become more connected they can help to answer their expanding requirements. With massive and continuous investments from operators, the advancements of LTE are being delivered quickly – with LTE Advanced-Pro routers now available, and Gigabit LTE just around the corner, things are only set to get better and better. So whether you’re connecting a temporary location, your field teams, a machine, or looking for a reliable failover solution, 4G LTE solutions could provide the answer you’ve been looking for.