Making fast connections reach further

Making fast connections reach further

The new Zyxel LTE7480 router provides a level of performance that means that it can hold its own as a genuine alterative to fixed-line cabled connections, which is great news for anyone who can’t get access to fast broadband or needs to provide outdoor coverage over an extended area, says Jon Pearce, Regional Director Market Development Europe & North/Central America at Zyxel.

You might easily assume that it should be easy enough to get high-speed broadband all over Europe. While it is true that most business and homes in urban areas do have access to fast fixed-line connections, coverage is by no means universal.

Many in rural or remote regions are not yet covered by fibre-based services. Even in some towns and cities, there are areas where fibre cables can’t reach – either because the infrastructure is too built-up and difficult to access, or it’s just not practical. In a sports stadium or on a golf course, or across a college campus or a public park, for example, connecting infrastructure to a fixed line connection may be too difficult or costly. Or it may simply just not be possible.

Outdoor use

You might be surprised at how many of these situations there are. To meet the needs of businesses and home owners who find themselves unable to subscribe to fast fixed-line connections, or extend them to the area that they need to cover, Zyxel developed a range of routers that use LTE cellular technology and are designed for use outdoors.

Where broadband can’t reach, cellular networks usually can. Even so, before 4G became available in most places, it was not all that practical to use the cellular network as an alternative to fixed-line cabled broadband. It was not fast enough.

The advancements made with LTE changed all that and Zyxel developed outdoor routers that support download speeds of up to 300Mbps. We developed and offered them as ‘outdoor’ devices because by positioning them out of doors, you get a better signal from the 4G mast – which could be some distance away.

Many customers who would otherwise find it hard to get a fast connection for their business or home – either to connect wired networks or provide WiFi – have made use of our LTE routers. We are pleased to say that they have proved to be effective and reliable in operation.

Viable alternative

As you would expect, we’ve continued to develop the LTE family and we’ve now released fast and robust outdoor router– the Zyxel LTE7480. Supporting download speeds of up to 600Mbps, the LTE7480 is fast enough to be a viable alternative to fixed-line cabled connections.

Previously, LTE was seen mainly as a fall-back they could switch to if their broadband connection went down for any reason. You could still use the LTE7480 as a backup device of course, but it really does provide enough power and bandwidth to support everyday business and multiple WiFi connections. For smaller and mid-sized businesses that can’t get a good fixed line speed, it’s a really effective solution.

The LTE7480 will also be perfect in open areas where it would be difficult to reach with cabled connections or a mesh WiFi set-up. As the router is made for outdoor use, there is no need to worry about the weather. The LTE7480 meets the IP68 standard and can withstand quite harsh conditions.. You can power the outdoor LTE7480 with a PoE switch or with the PoE injector which is provided in the box, and we also supply brackets for mounting the router on a pole or wall.

There are many regions and ‘not-spots’ that high speed broadband networks are yet to reach. That’s frustrating for businesses and households in these areas. But there is really no need for them to wait for operators to extend the network. As long as they can get a decent 4G signal, they can get the performance they need right away with the LTE7480.

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