Cambium Networks

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Cambium Networks
TypePublic
Nasdaq: CMBM
Russell 2000 Index component
IndustryTelecommunications
PredecessorMotorola (Canopy)[1]
Founded2011
Headquarters
Rolling Meadows, Illinois
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Atul Bhatnagar (President and CEO)[2]
RevenueIncrease US$278.5 million (2020)[3]
Number of employees
700[4]
SubsidiariesXirrus Wi-Fi
Websitewww.cambiumnetworks.com

Cambium Networks (formerly known as Motorola Canopy) is a wireless infrastructure provider that offers fixed wireless and Wi-Fi to broadband service providers and enterprises to provide Internet access. An American telecommunications infrastructure company, it provides wireless technology, including Enterprise WiFi, switching solutions, Internet of Things, and fixed wireless broadband and Wi-Fi for enterprises.[5][6][7] Publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange, it spun out of Motorola in October 2011.[8][9][10]

Products[]

Cambium Networks manufactures point-to-point backhaul, point-to-multipoint communication wide area network (WAN), Wi-Fi indoor and outdoor access, and cloud-based network management systems.[11] In 2020, the company collaborated with Facebook to add mesh networking technology that allows high-speed internet connections where laying fiber optic cable is not viable.[12] As of 2021 the company has shipped 10 million radios.[13]

Products are available in point-to-point and point-to-multipoint configurations. Its cnWave fixed wireless solution provides multi-gigabit throughputs.[13] It includes both the original Motorola-designed products using the Canopy protocol and the PtP backhauls that were rebranded from Orthogon Systems, which Motorola acquired in 2006.

History[]

Cambium Networks was created when Motorola Solutions sold the Canopy and Orthogon businesses in 2011. Cambium evolved the platform and expanded it to three product lines: Point to Point (PTP) (formerly Orthogon), Point to Multipoint (PMP) (formerly Canopy) and ePMP.[14] In 2018, CIO Review named Cambium in its list of 20 Most Promising Wireless Technology Solution Providers.[15] In July 2019, Cambium acquired Xirrus from Riverbed Technology.[16] In June 2019, the company listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange in an initial public offering that raised $70 million.[2] WISPA network operator members voted Cambium Networks the “Manufacturer of the Year” from 2017-2020.[13]

The technology competes with WiMAX, LTE and other long range mobile products, but not effectively with wired Internet, which is capable of much faster speeds and does not have wireless relay round trip delay. Competent Canopy implementations such as the Broadband for Rural Nova Scotia initiative however have demonstrated VoIP, gaming and other low latency applications work acceptably over this system, and in areas of challenging weather including high wind conditions (which cause antennas to move and affect connections).

Typical setup[]

A 2.4 GHz Subscriber Module with Reflector Dish
A 5.2 GHz Subscriber Module with a 'Stinger' Passive Antenna

A typical Canopy setup consists of a cluster of up to six co-located standard access points (AP), each with a 60 degree horizontal beamwidth antenna, to achieve 360 degree coverage. The most commonly used APs are available in 120, 180, or 360 degree models for site-based coverage, thus decreasing the number of APs needed on a tower. Also included would be one or more backhauls or otherwise out-of-band links (to carry data to/from other network occasions) and a Cluster Management Module (CMM) to provide power and synchronization to each Canopy AP or Backhaul Module (BM).

Customers of the system receive service through subscriber modules (SM) aimed towards the AP. The SMs should be mounted on the highest point of a building to get a reliable connection; otherwise, Fresnel zone obstruction will weaken the signal. Under ideal operating conditions, the system can communicate over distances of 3.5 to 15 miles (5.6 to 24.1 km) depending on the frequency using equipment with integrated antennas. Network operators can opt to install reflector dishes or Stinger antennas or to use Canopy models that accept external antennas at one or both ends of the link to increase coverage distance.

Most Canopy equipment receives its power using Power over Ethernet, however, none of its standards comply with IEEE 802.3af. A customer can query the status of their SM by viewing URL 169.254.1.1/main.cgi with a web browser (unless the network operator uses a different IP address or has put the subscriber in a VLAN.

In general, the 900 MHz version is more effective for use in outlying areas because of its ability to penetrate trees.[17] However, it requires careful installation because of the easy propagation of interference on that band. Other frequencies currently available are 2.4 GHz, 5.2 GHz, 5.4 GHz, and 5.7 GHz.

Comparison with other wireless networking systems[]

These products are fixed wireless technology. Canopy protocol products have many advantages over Wi-Fi and other wireless local area network protocols:

  • Transmission timing is explicitly controlled, so that all access points (AP) on all towers can be synchronized by cluster management modules (CMM) to prevent interference. APs of the same band can be placed right next to each other, and back-to-back units can use exactly the same frequency.
  • Designed for wireless internet service provider (WISP) use; polling-based (prevents one subscriber module from "hogging" bandwidth), excellent interference rejection and easy management.
  • Simple to install and configure.

Their main disadvantages are:

  • Proprietary
  • Less reliable than wired systems

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Enabling the digital economy". Reseller magazine. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Today's Bell Ringer, June 26, 2019". CNBC. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  3. ^ "Cambium Networks Sees 5G As Main Source Of Future Growth". Seeking Alpha. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Cambium Networks: From the Thailand Cave Rescue to Chicago's Latest IPO". American Inno. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  5. ^ "Europe's refugee crisis: How one Wi-Fi network is offering a lifeline for Lesbos migrants". ZDNet. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Don't get too excited about Cambium's recent IPO". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  7. ^ "Cambium Networks Teams Up With Facebook to Bring the World Gigabit Wireless Connectivity". Inno & Tech Today. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  8. ^ "Las Telecomunicaciones Que Ayudaron a Rescatar a Los Niños de Tailandia". Network World. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  9. ^ "Cambium Networks' IPO: What you need to know". Benzinga. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  10. ^ "Motorola Spinoff Files First Local Tech IPO in 5 Years". Chicago Business Journal. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  11. ^ "Gartner's 2019 Magic Quadrant for Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure: Key Takeaways". Solutions Review. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Cambium Networks Incorporates Facebook's Terragraph into its 60 GHz Millimeter Wave Radio". The Fast Mode. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  13. ^ a b c "The Race Towards Digital Inclusion Begins With Cambium Networks, With More Than 10 Million Radios Shipped". Inno & Tech Today. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  14. ^ "PE-Backed Cambium Networks Files for IPO". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  15. ^ "A wireless broadband solution facilitating extended connectivity". CIO Review. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  16. ^ "Cambium acquires Xirrus from Riverbed". Channel Vision magazine. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  17. ^ "Motorola Canopy Wireless Broadband - 900 MHz Modules". Motorola. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-16. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

External links[]

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