Where modular design meets operational resilience to transform fleet connectivity
Modern fleets operate in environments that demand far more from their networks than traditional mobile routers were designed to deliver. Whether navigating dense urban corridors, remote coverage gaps, or high-pressure incident scenes, vehicle-based connectivity is increasingly strained by the complexity and urgency of today’s workflows. Public safety teams rely on uninterrupted communication and real-time situational awareness; transit agencies depend on precise location data, passenger connectivity, and stable onboard systems; and fleet operators across industries must now support video, sensors, and emerging AI applications directly at the edge.
Redefining vehicle networking with the Ericsson Cradlepoint R2400 ruggedized in-vehicle router means meeting these challenges with a platform built for both flexibility and endurance, where modular design meets operational resilience to transform fleet connectivity.
When you look closely at the real-world obstacles fleets face every day, it becomes clear why a new approach is not just beneficial but necessary. Below, we break down the biggest problems vehicle-based networks face and how the R2400 is designed to solve them.
Problem #1: Failover that takes minutes might as well be an outage.
Traditional failover processing with a single modem leads to unnecessary downtime. When a primary carrier drops, the modem blindly fails over to the next carrier and only reconnects after loading a new profile and rebooting. Those minutes can interrupt dispatch communications, disconnect livestreams, and force reauthentication in critical applications. For public safety and other time-sensitive operations, this delay can disrupt workflows at the worst possible moment.
The R2400 improves reliability using Dual-SIM Dual-Standby (DSDS), which keeps the modem aware of all networks simultaneously. Instead of rebooting during failover, the system can transition between carriers up to 10 times faster than previous Cradlepoint routers. Because this solution provides visibility into the standby network before switching, it avoids handing off to a weaker or congested connection. This approach delivers more predictable continuity and makes multi-SIM setups a practical advantage rather than a compromise.
Problem #2: One carrier is great…until it isn’t.
A primary carrier may look reliable on paper, but real-world agility exposes its limits. As vehicles move out of range or through rural corridors, congested metro areas, or regions with overloaded towers, even the strongest network can falter. When that happens, mission-critical applications slow down or stop altogether, leaving teams at risk or losing valuable time while waiting for connectivity to recover.
The R2400 addresses this challenge by supporting up to five simultaneous 5G Standalone (SA) cellular connections plus LEO satellite links. With one embedded modem and the option to add up to four captive modems, fleets can operate across multiple carriers simultaneously. This creates a real-time path to the strongest network, without relying on failover or hoping the next tower performs better. For operations that require significant bandwidth, such as command posts or video-rich environments, these concurrent connections can also be bonded to increase throughput. The result is a level of network flexibility and stability that single-carrier solutions simply cannot provide.
Problem #3: GPS that’s “close enough” is not actually close enough.
Precise location information is increasingly essential for modern fleets. Whether identifying the correct lane of travel, guiding autonomous equipment, or pinpointing specific areas of track or roadway in need of repair, traditional GPS accuracy is insufficient. On top of that, factors such as tall buildings, tunnels, heavy foliage, and weather conditions can degrade signal quality and widen the margin of error right when clarity matters most.
The R2400 enhances location performance by supporting Real Time Kinematics (RTK) for centimeter-level accuracy when used with compatible third-party services. Dead reckoning further enhances reliability by using onboard sensors to maintain position information during GPS interruptions. These capabilities allow transit teams to verify lane adherence, enable rail crews to map maintenance needs with precision, and support first responders who rely on accurate, continuous location data for autonomous and drone-based workflows. This combination turns location from an approximation into an operational asset.
Problem #4: Wi-Fi and operational traffic fighting over scraps.
In transit settings, passenger Wi-Fi demand often spikes without warning. When this happens, operational systems such as signage, fare collection, and video monitoring can suffer if they share the same bandwidth. Emergency service vehicles face a similar challenge when officers rely on device connectivity during periods of heavy network usage.
The R2400 alleviates this pressure by introducing Wi-Fi 7 to the vehicle environment, delivering faster throughput and improved efficiency compared to prior generations. Its software-defined radio architecture allows organizations to operate a single high-density 4x4 access point or divide the radio into two independent 2x2 networks. This separation ensures that passenger or nonessential traffic cannot interfere with operational systems, and that critical connectivity remains stable and prioritized.
Problem #5: Your hardware can’t keep up with AI at the edge.
As fleets adopt video analytics, environmental sensors, automated alerts, and emerging AI-driven applications, traditional vehicle routers struggle to meet the demand. Many lack the processing power required to handle workloads locally, forcing data back to the cloud even when latency or backhaul limitations make that impractical.
The R2400 is engineered to support these evolving needs with significantly expanded edge compute capacity. Offering 2.5 times more processing power than its predecessor, it enables organizations to run AI inference for video analytics, computer vision, people counting, and containerized applications directly on the vehicle. This reduces delays, preserves bandwidth, and ensures faster access to insights exactly where they are needed.
Problem #6: Upgrades are painful, expensive, or both.
Scaling or updating connectivity often requires extensive hardware changes. Fleets may need to remove entire routers, replace mounts, reroute antennas, update cabling, or adapt vehicle interiors to support new equipment. Choosing the wrong modem configuration at purchase can lead to additional costs and complexity down the line.
The R2400 avoids these challenges with a modular captive modem design that allows teams to add or replace modems via Ethernet without swapping the router. Additional modems can be integrated to increase bandwidth or expand carrier diversity, and future modem standards can be adopted without replacing the core hardware to take advantage of network or technology advancements. The platform is supported by durable, vehicle-ready components, including stackable brackets tested to high shock ratings, providing long-term reliability and a more cost-effective upgrade path.
Real-world scenarios where the R2400 shines
Connectivity challenges don’t show up in a lab; they happen in motion, in the messy, unpredictable places where fleets actually operate. The R2400 was built to solve real problems in real environments. Below are a few moments where its multi-carrier resilience, RTK precision, Wi-Fi 7 performance, and edge-ready design make a tangible difference you can feel on the road.
Emergency services
Imagine a police supervisor navigating a congested downtown during an evolving incident. Skyscrapers skew GPS, nearby events overload carrier towers, and tunnels wipe out line ofsight —but inside the vehicle, the connection never buckles. SD-WAN and traffic steering push critical data over the best-performing WAN connection, handling up to five active cellular modems as well as Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite modems. DSDS enables rapid, informed failover, avoiding the minutes-long outages agencies are used to. When GPS dips, dead reckoning keeps location data steady, and once clear, RTK snaps back to centimeter-level precision. The result is a vehicle that stays connected, aware, and mission-ready, even when the environment fights back.
Mass transit
Picture a transit vehicle with riders: passengers streaming video, tapping into guest Wi-Fi , and generating the usual peak-hour network chaos. Meanwhile, the transit agency relies on that same connectivity for signage, fare validation, and other in-vehicle systems. Older routers would crumble under the pressure. The R2400, however, uses software-defined Wi-Fi 7 radios to cleanly split operational and passenger networks, so neither starves the other. Multi-carrier connectivity smooths out the dead zones along every route, and RTK provides lane-level accuracy that helps teams fine-tune schedule adherence and, ultimately, passenger experience. It’s a smoother, more reliable ride for both riders and operations.
Command vehicles and mobile operations centers
In a wildfire response zone, a mobile command vehicle becomes the nerve center for coordination, but only if its network holds. With the R2400, it does. The router pulls from multiple carriers simultaneously, combines duplicate carriers for high throughput when needed, and relies on satellite as a managed backup path, keeping video feeds, mapping tools, and responder check-ins flowing, even in regions with unreliable coverage. Its added edge compute power enables real-time AI analysis—such as processing drone video to locate hotspots—before sending only the most important insights upstream. In moments when teams can’t afford a tech failure, the R2400 turns a command truck into a dependable, high performance mobile HQ.
What the R2400 really delivers
If you skim everything else, here’s the big picture: The R2400 is built for fleets that operate where networks break, bend, and misbehave.
- Its multi-carrier architecture eliminates single-carrier blind spots.
- DSDS makes failover 10 times faster and far more predictable.
- RTK and dead reckoning deliver centimeter-level accuracy to environments where GPS typically struggles.
- Wi-Fi 7 with software-defined radios lets fleets cleanly separate passenger and operational traffic.
- Powerful edge compute supports real-time AI and analytics without leaning on the cloud.
- Its modular captive modem design means you upgrade by snapping in new modems, not by ripping out hardware.
The bottom line? This is the first ruggedized mobile router designed not just to survive coverage gaps, but to erase them. It keeps fleets connected, aware, and moving, no matter where the job takes them.