When precision and reliability are non-negotiable, ensuring consistent data transmission can be challenging, especially in remote or rural locations. For sectors like oil and gas, where operations stretch across isolated terrains, the slightest disruption in data flow can lead to significant operational setbacks and safety concerns.
In these challenging locations, relying on a single Internet connection can lead to random outages and fluctuations in available service bandwidth. Digi cellular routers include one or more cellular 4G LTE or 5G radios to provide you with best-in-class cellular connectivity.
This can be further enhanced by leveraging LEO satellite connections such as Starlink as a secondary Internet connection type. Starlink satellite gateways provide high-speed, low-latency Internet access to users around the world, including in remote and rural areas. In traditional setups, satellite is best suited as a failover mechanism for cellular, wired, or both in fixed locations.
In remote or rural locations without a standard wired ISP, a satellite + cellular failover configuration can become even more reliable with the use of multiple modems, and thus multiple carriers — providing fully wireless, fully automatic failover between three different providers. The Starlink gateway connects via Ethernet and IP passthrough to the Digi router which then provides multi-WAN connectivity to the site for network flexibility.
This traditional failover setup allows you to back up your primary WAN connection in case it goes down. Cellular failover for Starlink satellite connections is a process of adding a backup Internet source for when the satellite connection fails. When a failure is detected, the Digi router automatically detects the outage, switches to the failover backup Internet connection, and begins routing traffic through it. This ensures that users can continue to access the Internet and transfer data. However, in this traditional failover setup, the failover and failback occurences result in brief outages for your site, which as we stated in the beginning of this article is not acceptable for mission-critical applications where every packet matters.
At Digi International, we understand these challenges intimately. That's why we are excited to showcase our robust solution tailored for mission-critical applications in demanding environments — Digi WAN Bonding — a value-added service available with a Digi Remote Manager® subscription. With Digi WAN Bonding, gone are the days of primary versus backup Internet connections. Digi routers can leverage the Digi WAN Bonding technology to combine all of the available cellular and Starlink satellite gateway connections into a single bonded interface to provide aggregated speeds and throughput along with optimized WAN performance for latency-sensitive applications.
Why Choose Digi WAN Bonding?
- Guaranteed data delivery: With Digi WAN Bonding, your data packets are duplicated across all available Internet connections, ensuring that essential information is never lost in transit. This is particularly vital for operations dependent on real-time data from field equipment.
- Combat variable latency and packet loss: Locations with fluctuating cellular signals or satellite connections such as Starlink often experience variable latency and high packet loss rates. Digi WAN Bonding combats these issues by leveraging multiple connections simultaneously, providing a stable and consistent data stream.
- Seamless integration and operation: Implementing Digi WAN Bonding is straightforward and does not require significant changes to your existing infrastructure. It integrates seamlessly, enhancing reliability without disrupting current operations.
The result? Continuous access to critical data, allowing for timely decision-making and uninterrupted operations, regardless of your site's connectivity challenges. Digi WAN Bonding is an excellent choice for mission critical operations needing the most reliable, high quality Internet connectivity. Want to learn more about Starlink? Get advice from the expert team at 5Gstore.
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