Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/555101
COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | AUGUST 2015 35 lowing drivers to connect their personal devices to a high-speed mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. Akin describes the Portabella appliance as "a cube" installed in a vehicle. The cube is about the size of a household cable modem but ruggedized to withstand extreme temperatures and vibration. Multiple modems in this cube create a multilane wireless highway; if one traffic lane gets congested or starts to suffer, the device pushes the wireless traf- fic toward the SIM cards that are performing better. The Portabella uses a patented technology called Broadband Bonding to spread the traffic among all SIM cards and coordinate the sending and receiving of packets from multiple wireless networks. Suppose a fleet has 10 trucks; rather than purchasing 100 gigabytes worth of data per month from Verizon, the fleet could purchase 25 gigabytes of data from four dif- ferent wireless providers and use all of these networks simultaneously to maximize coverage and speed. If four cards each had uniform speeds of 10 megabytes per second, the data streaming into and out of a truck would be four times faster at 40 mbps. If one of the cards started having issues, the system could con- tinue streaming with the remaining SIM cards at 30 mbps. "The goal is to optimize the user experience," Akin said. "We intelli- gently orchestrate the modems to increase speed and reliability." The Portabella comes in two different models. The 5200i supports SIM slots for three embedded modems, while the Portabella 7200i supports up to six embedded modems. Mushroom Networks has agreements in place with value-added resellers, many of which include device installa- tion in the price. As the amount of data continues to increase, products that deliver mobile broadband Internet access will become more widespread and affordable for motor carriers. It's easy to imagine Broadband Bonding technology growing in the trucking space just like mushrooms in damp fertile soil. AARON HUFF is Senior Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. E-mail ahu@ccjmagazine.com or call (801) 754-4296. The goal is to optimize the user experience. – Dr. Cahit Akin, co-founder and chief executive, Mushroom Networks INTERESTED IN TRUCKING TECHNOLOGY? Scan the barcode or go to www.goo.gl/Ph9JK to subscribe to the CCJ Technology Weekly e-mail newsletter. A LK Technologies and SkyBitz an- nounced the integration of ALK Maps with SkyBitz InSight, an asset tracking and management Web applica- tion. The combination is designed to provide SkyBitz customers real-time visualizations of interactive street-level maps with satellite imagery. "The new mapping integration can help customers to visualize their assets with much more contextualized infor- mation," said Henry Popplewell, senior vice president and general manager of SkyBitz. InSight users now will have truck- specific map overlays for fuel and truck stops, weigh stations, toll roads, land- marks, commercial restrictions and hazmat designations. Customers also can set up geofencing and create and edit landmarks. – Aaron Huff C onversion Interactive Agency an- nounced the next generation of its LeadFlex digital media platform, with new features that include social job shar- ing, responsive landing page design, job search functionality and job posting. LeadFlex 2.0 is a search engine- optimized digital platform designed to streamline the driver experience and make generating leads more efficient and manageable for carriers while allowing them to reach potential drivers while they search, engage, text and interact. – Aaron Huff SkyBitz adds ALK Maps to trailer-tracking application Conversion Interactive upgrades media recruiting platform Dr. Cahit Akin