Pioneering Long-range Industrial IoT Connectivity: FreeWave

Today, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has truly transformed how companies run widespread and remote operations. To achieve transformative operational optimization, one needs visibility into data as well as the ability to proactively manipulate it and act on insights gained from it. FreeWave gives its clients the power to do it all, delivering the only ecosystem of edge intelligent radios and solutions to transform the extreme edge of their operation into a connected part of their enterprise.

The company has added IQ compute power to its rugged, ultra-reliable products and in turn, unleashed its ability to optimize remote operations in an autonomous way. Designed to build upon and enhance existing infrastructure, its integrated edge connectivity and computing solutions immediately give clients expanded capabilities for high-fidelity data capture, analysis, control, and automation via a single IIoT platform that is readily scaled as their edge computing needs evolve.

Technology

FreeWave has combined its proven long-range industrial wireless radios with edge computing capabilities, transforming the extreme edge of clients’ operation into a connected part of their enterprise. It has taken its rugged OT products, designed for low-power operation across wide temperature ranges, and infused them with IQ intelligence.

FreeWave’s IQ Application Environment is an open source development platform to deploy and run applications in any Linux-compatible language. With IQ onboard, one can easily and reliably bring intelligence to the edge, where remote operations take place.

Hardened, C1D2-certified edge computing solution

• Ensure uptime of edge applications in even the harshest outdoor environments
• Execute multiple apps simultaneously and with low power consumption
• Flexibly deploy in any wired or wireless network architecture

Edge computing and communications all in one

• Gain edge computing and connectivity capabilities via a single hardened hardware product
• Enable wireless data communications in the unlicensed 900 MHz spectrum; a secure and cost-effective long-range alternative to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or LTE

Products

Edge Connectivity

• ZumLink™ Future-Ready Industrial Radio: FreeWave’s ZumLink™ 900 Series is made for secure collection, transport, and control of data in rugged industrial environments. These radios provide a long-range, low-power solution for remote wireless communications with capabilities that can be seamlessly added as IIoT requirements evolve. In fact, the ZumLink 900 Series is software upgradable to include FreeWave’s IQ Application Environment, a Linux-based platform to deploy and run third-party industrial applications
• FGR2 Series: The FGR2 radio brings the same proven performance, reliability, and quality that its customers have come to know and expect in all of its products. It is a cost-effective solution that allows customers to incorporate wireless communications into a wide variety of applications.The FGR2 is backward compatible with the FGR and DGR Series of FreeWave radios, enabling existing customers to leverage and extend their existing investment

Edge Computing

• ZumIQ™ Edge Computer: Clients canrun applications reliably at the edge and on any network architecture with FreeWave’s low-power, C1D2-certified ZumIQ Edge Computer loaded with the IQ Application Environment. ZumIQ’s ruggedized hardware provides a secure home for applications that place analytics and intelligence where remote operational assets reside, maximizing business capacity and capability by eliminating the expense and delay of moving that data to a central location for processing
• ZumLink™ IQ Edge Intelligent Radio: FreeWave’s ZumLink IQ offers the ultimate in ease of operationalization for IIoT gains, giving clients IQ compute power, storage, and wireless communications links all in a single, hardened hardware product. With ZumLink IQ, clients can run edge applications and create a wireless network using the unlicensed 900 MHz spectrum and Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) technology: an inherently secure, cost-effective long-range alternative to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or LTE

Command and Control

• MM2-M13 Series OEM: FreeWave’s MM2-M13 Series for OEMs is utilized in mission-critical government and defense applications around the world. These user-configurable, 1.3 GHz radios are available in an OEM board-level form factor
• Spartan Series: FreeWave’s Spartan Series radios, available in 1.3 GHz and 2.4 GHz, are designed to meet the rigorous demands of government and defense users worldwide. These user-configurable radios include FIPS 140-2 Level 2 encryption and are available in an OEM board-level form factor

Meet the Leader

Kirk Byles, Chief Executive Officer: Under Mr. Byles’ leadership, FreeWave is moving through its next phase of innovation and growth, pivoting from a discreet radio manufacturer to an IIoT solutions provider with a dynamic Edge Computing platform. With a strong technical background in wireless, networking, and security technologies and demonstrated success as an executive sales leader, employee motivator, and consensus builder, Mr.Byles’ aptitude and demonstrated success aligns perfectly with his new role at FreeWave.

Prior to his appointment to CEO, he held the position of Sr. Vice President of Worldwide Sales at FreeWave where he restructured the sales and support teams to prepare for the burgeoning IIoT market. Prior to FreeWave, Mr. Byles led global sales and marketing organizations at Rajant Corporation, Firetide, Relevant Security, Motorola, and Proxim Corporation.

“FreeWave’s integrated industrial computing and connectivity platform makes it easy to automate and optimize remote site operations, and access and act on edge data anywhere.”