The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

Novatel Wireless Brings MiFi Technology Platform to Connected Car, Fleet Management, and Fixed Telemetry Markets with its Powerful SA 2100 Device


connected car (select to view enlarged photo)

SAN DIEGO--May 6, 2013: Novatel Wireless, Inc. , a leading provider of intelligent wireless solutions, today introduces the SA 2100, an advanced MiFi Powered M2M device that incorporates the industry leading MiFi technology platform with customizations for multiple M2M vertical markets.

“We are proud to extend the MiFi technology platform to address multiple markets at once; In-Vehicle Connected Cars, Commercial Telematics such as fleet management, and Fixed Telemetry”

"We are proud to extend the MiFi technology platform to address multiple markets at once; In-Vehicle Connected Cars, Commercial Telematics such as fleet management, and Fixed Telemetry," says Dr. Slim Souissi, CTO of Novatel Wireless. "The SA 2100 positions us at the center of projected growth markets with a powerful integrated solution, combining our patented technology with our expertise in customizing, design, integration, and deployment of M2M devices," Dr. Souissi continues.

Versatile Device: The SA 2100 is designed for high bandwidth M2M applications across multiple vertical markets that up until now have required complex and fragmented application deployment.

M2M Fixed Telemetry: Designed for high bandwidth M2M applications, the SA 2100 makes it easier than ever to connect Ethernet-based or Wi-Fi-enabled devices to the high speed Internet via 4G LTE access. The SA 2100 provides always-on availability to the mobile Internet with end-to-end encryption and authentication for virtually any fixed application, such as connecting video surveillance cameras, digital signage displays, point-of-sale or vending machine. According to ABI Research, telemetry-related applications have represented the largest share of the cellular M2M module market.

M2M Fleet Management and Asset Tracking: The SA 2100 is also a full-featured telematics solution for application service providers, systems integrators and enterprise customers to optimize mobile resources, including fleet management and asset tracking. When enabled with the Novatel Wireless' on board programmable rules and event engine to customize applications, high sensitive GPS tracking engine, 3-axis accelerometer, configurable GPIOs, the SA 2100 can drive the most demanding global applications for fleet management and asset tracking. According to ABI Research, Telematics applications (including OEM Telematics and Commercial Telematics for rental car fleets) are the second largest M2M application.

The Connected Car: The SA 2100 also acts as a hotspot in a car for access to Wi-Fi-enabled devices such as laptops and tablets. With power management features optimized for an automobile environment, the SA 2100 uses the car battery as its power source while the car is running, and runs off its own battery when the car is not running to avoid draining the car battery. According to ABI Research, the total number of cars with embedded OEM connectivity will increase from 16 million in 2011 to 224 million in 2018.

Future Proof: With connectivity to the 4G LTE network and backward compatibility to HSPA and CDMA2000 1xEV-DO rev A. networks, the SA 2100 provides not only the highest wireless data rate, but also the longest device service life. A device radio upgrade typically means a service call or "truck-roll" by a trained technician. With the SA 2100 supporting the latest cellular technology, enterprises can upgrade firmware remotely, manage devices centrally, and reduce the number of expensive site visits.

Simple design and usability: The SA 2100 connects machines with Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or micro-USB interfaces to the mobile Internet in a simple way with high reliability and security. With default settings preconfigured and self-registration to the central management enabled, the SA 2100 is built with 'power it up, and ready to connect' in mind. Sized slightly bigger than two decks of cards, the SA 2100 can easily fit in a wide variety of installations. The internal antennas enable SA 2100's compact size, and optional external cellular antennas provide flexibility when mounted in areas with poor signal reception. Additionally, the battery backup provides business continuity protection.

Management in the cloud: Central and remote management of the SA 2100 can be provided by N4 Device Manager, a cloud-based solution built with scalability to manage millions of devices and intelligence to monitor user-defined events. This solution helps M2M enterprises accelerate initial deployment, as well as simplify ongoing management, providing a variety of capabilities including Over-The-Air configuration and firmware upgrade; batch programming; remote rebooting and debugging; and optionally device statistics reporting through N4A CMS. N4A Device Manager is available free of charge for 90 days with Novatel Wireless engineering support--long enough to run a pilot deployment.

Samples of the 4G LTE SA 2100 are available now from Novatel Wireless.