Colleen Guiltinan, director of marketing with NexAira, graciously answered some questions for Quantum-Wireless.com about NexAira, its past, and where she sees the company going in the future.
Could you please introduce NexAira – and tell us what one of your first successful products was?
a) Nexaira is a firmware/software development company, focused on providing third and fourth generation (“3G/4G”) routing products for business customers who want to use our high availability features for network failover, primary access or remote/mobile locations, with the business class features traditionally found only on wire line products.
b) Nexaira NexConnect Router with the Patent Pending i3 GUI has been a very successful product for us.
Please discuss some of the flagship products?
The High Availability Business Class Router includes security and network protocols for business customers who want to leverage the high availability aspects of the cellular networks for failover, primary access or remote/ mobile locations but with the business class features traditionally found only on wire line products.
Who are some of Nexaira’s competitors, what edge does Nexaira have over its competitors?
a) Cradlepoint, Digi, and Sonic Wall
b) Our edge is as follows over all of our competitors:
1. We have a patent pending user interface, which is designed to allow set up time to occur in less than a minute, and which is extremely simple to use, but at the same time provides the user with access to all features if required.
2. We are faster than all of our competitors, sometimes beating them on down loads or up loads on a 3G connection, by 30% to 50%.
3. We have business class protocols, such as IPSec termination and origination, GRE, and VRRP, which none of our competitors have.
What’s on Nexaira’s roadmap for 2010?
We have just announced our newest product called the HANA, a 3G-based High Availability Network Adaptor. It is unlike any traditional broadband network adapter, since this product is an all in one solution with a High Gain 10dbi directional cellular antenna with a built-in a 802.11n 2×2 MIMO 3G router running NexWare firmware. The I3 GUI automatically displays signal strength from the closest or most direct cellular signal path providing quick and simple installation. The HANA is ideal for IT closets and noisy environments that need High Availability.
To demonstrate its efficacy, we typically show a customer HANA, running a speed test and performing other functions on the 3G network. We then create noise in that environment, using a 3G noise generator. Even though all cell phones in the vicinity cannot make calls or receive calls and other 3G connections fail, HANA through the use of our proprietary technology keeps the link up.
Who would be the typical end user for Nexaira’s 3G/4G business class router?
Well, basically two types of end users would deploy the product:
1. An IT manager or a Business owner who needs to add redundancy to their existing network architecture or a small to mid-size business that needs broadband connectivity with advanced security protocols in an area that either does not offer cable or DSL, and deploying a T1 line is just not a cost effective solution. The Business Class router is easy to install and provides instant connectivity with an activated USB or Express Card with the carrier of their choice.
2. A managed service provider, who needs to add redundancy to their existing network architecture or to provide broadband connectivity with advanced security protocols in an area that either does not offer cable or DSL, and the customer will not pay for a T1. The Business Class router provides instant connectivity with an activated USB or Express Card, effectively increasing the number of customers a managed service provider can reach by tenfold.
What challenges do you foresee NexAira having in the next few quarters and how does management choose to face it?
a) The biggest challenge is simply customer or end user awareness. Unless someone has compared 3G or 4G side by side with DSL, cable, or T1 based services, it is hard to realize that 3G and 4G actually provide a better service, at the same or lower cost, than any traditional land line based service. So our biggest challenge is getting the word out about all of the possibilities 3G and 4G provide, out of the box, with our technology.
b) Another one of the challenges we face today is maintaining our edge with evolving broadband wireless technologies such as HSPA+, WiMAX, and LTE. However, our firmware, which is our major differentiator, was built and designed to handle all forms of new cards and evolving broadband wireless technologies. Nexaira supports more carrier data cards than any other 3G or 4G router in the market. Our firmware is wireless mode agnostic, meaning that our firmware architecture supports all forms of 3G and 4G wireless capabilities, and can act as a multi-mode device, switching from 3G to 4G and back if required.
What is Nexaira’s market position?
We are one of a hand full of companies that have fully embraced using 3G or 4G as a business class solution, and we have developed the technology that proves it. However, beyond that we have features that no other 3G or 4G router has today.
With the emergence of smart phones, how is Nexaira positioned to leverage that momentum?
Nexaira’s firmware, NexWare, is hardware agnostic. Meaning that we can see incorporating our firmware into a variety of device form factors, including smart phones. Our firmware architecture was designed to be ported and customized for our customers, and with this customer centric focus we can see a time when NexWare will run on a smart phone.
