Melbourne, Australia — March 4, 2024 — Cradlepoint, the global leader in cloud-delivered LTE and 5G wireless network edge solutions, today announced that it is working with Managed Service Provider (MSP), Switch in Australia. Switch is a business telecommunications provider on a mission to make telco perfect and has introduced the Cradlepoint product offering into the mix of an overall managed solution for some of its customer base.
Renascent, a national company specialising in construction, fit out, and refurbishment projects, has in excess of 30 active building sites at any given time. The organisation was previously running each site off Wi-Fi dongles, which were a challenge to administrate and keep track of, with no way of getting clear oversight of devices or their performance. Additionally, staff were reporting hours of productivity lost due to poor and unreliable connectivity.
Switch offered Renascent a managed solution, engaging Cradlepoint to provide connectivity across all Renascent’s operational sites. Cradlepoint’s IBR900 Wireless WAN routers were able to provide a highly reliable and stable internet connection, in even the most remote and environmentally challenging sites, for the wider business network.
“The construction industry is going entirely paperless. However, we are constantly amending and sharing images and large drawings, developing site safety documentation, and having video conferencing calls with clients,” said Andrew Juda, Renascent’s Chief Operational Officer. “We need strong and reliable internet access. Not only does it affect productivity, but it also impacts our professionalism in the industry.”
Centralised device management with Cradlepoint NetCloud Manager allows Switch to streamline software updates for Renascent across all devices and provides better device security. Staff no longer need to share passwords but instead, can move between locations and be immediately connected to the internet, as the configuration template for the entire organisation allows management to push the same Wi-Fi credentials to all devices.
“Cradlepoint provides a much higher quality Wi-Fi experience, delivering faster connectivity and a stable internet connection, to allow the sites to function more effectively. Additionally, Head Office now has oversight of the site connectivity with the help of Switch and NetCloud, simplifying the administrative burden. Because the devices can now be tracked, we’re able to get insight into where devices are needed and where they can be removed, depending on the site location and size. This has meant that we have been able to at least halve the number of connectivity devices we have,” added Brett Alexander, Systems Manager, Renascent.
Guardian Childcare and Education is made up of over 150 childcare centres, in key locations across metropolitan NSW, VIC, ACT, QLD, and SA, which provide care and education to more than 10,000 children each day. The organisation requires connectivity and reliable internet to remain compliant and provide safety and security for the children at its centres. Unfortunately, reliable internet was not always available. In the event of a national broadband network failure, there were many sites that would limp along or have absolutely no internet connection. With staff needing to log any reportable incidents that occur at a centre (injury or illness for example) in a digital format within 24 hours of the occurrence, the inability to perform basic mandatory reporting created a risk for the business.
Switch deployed Cradlepoint 4G connectivity solutions, managed by Switch via NetCloud Manager, for reliable failover.
“Guardian childcare centres rely on internet connectivity for all inbound and outbound communications. Mobile phones are prohibited on the floor to ensure children are safeguarded, so we use VoIP telephony across all our centres. This meant that if we didn’t have internet connectivity, parents couldn’t call the centres and staff couldn’t call out if they needed to,” said Keith Hopkins, IT Manager, Guardian Childcare and Education.
“We now have peace of mind knowing we have combined broadband network and Cradlepoint wireless solutions to provide us with always-on, reliable connectivity,” said Keith Hopkins, IT Manager, Guardian Childcare and Education.
Guardian Childcare and Education is in the midst of new centre openings, with all new sites to be equipped with Cradlepoint 4G solutions for failover. In some cases where broadband connectivity was delayed, Switch Telecom was able to provide day-1 primary connectivity on Cradlepoint Wireless WAN solutions.
“Combining Cradlepoint and NetCloud Manager with our existing products and services enables us to provide top level service and support for our customers. Going to site to troubleshoot issues has been minimised substantially, customer outages and internet dropouts are a thing of the past, which has improved our teams’ efficiency and productivity," said David Tibben, CTO, Switch.
Cradlepoint enables the freedom to connect people, places, and things that drive more experiences, more ways to work, and better business results — anywhere. The company is a pioneer in Wireless WAN, offering advanced 4G and 5G routers and adapters — controlled through Cradlepoint NetCloudTM. Enterprise businesses and public sector agencies rely on Cradlepoint and its Cellular Intelligence to build a reliable, secure network wherever they need it, connecting fixed and temporary sites, vehicles, IoT devices, and remote employees. Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, Cradlepoint is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and part of their Business Area Enterprise Wireless Solutions. It has international offices in Asia Pacific, Canada, Europe, India, and Latin America. www.cradlepoint.com
