Rajant was established in 2001, after founders Robert Schena and Paul Hellhake recognized the significant shortcomings in traditional wireless mesh technology, particularly when it came to mobile voice and data networks used by first responders. The Rajant team envisioned a new, more robust mesh technology that would allow these networks to be fully mobile and mobility-enabled, and operate reliably in even the most demanding environments.
Interview with Erich Smidt, Vice President Sales: EMEA at Rajant Corporation.
Easy Engineering: Price: tell us something about the costs from a ROI perspective?
Erich Smidt: Rajant traditionally exceeds ROI expectations because a Rajant Kinetic Mesh® wireless networking generally requires fewer radio nodes, known as BreadCrumbs®, to provide a high-performance, low-latency, high-bandwidth Layer 2 network. Rajant works closely with customers and integration partners to support their purchase models, and networks can be purchased via CapEx or OpEx.
E.E: What about the costs for maintenance / future upgrades etc.
E.S: Rajant Kinetic Mesh is backward compatible by design so that any new BreadCrumbs can interface with existing BreadCrumbs. Maintenance costs are minimal and generally are related to antennas or equipment being damaged through accidents. Service programs can be arranged with the integration partners.
E.E: Quality: tell us something about the quality behind your products / solutions.
E.S: When Rajant wireless networking was first deployed in very harsh mining environments, far away from the Rajant headquarters in Pennsylvania, the company founders were determined to provide equipment that would never need any on-site repair. The motivation was a win/win value proposition that Rajant achieved. For 20+ years and 80+ countries, Rajant has provided some of the most reliable equipment on the market, outshining other high-risk networking options. Our over 320 mining customers can attest to this.
E.E: Characteristics: what important features should clients search and what features do your products / solutions offer?
E.S: Key features include:
- Dynamic, full mobility without disruption and around obstacles. There is no need to break a connection to make a connection.
- Multiple radios and multiple frequencies in every Rajant BreadCrumb node. This eliminates throughput loss and latency caused by innumerable mesh hops. Multiple radios and multiple frequencies in every BreadCrumb also mitigate RF interference risk.
- Ease of deployment means the network can be operational within minutes, and additional BreadCrumbs can be added and integrated with speed and no extensive engineering.
- Security is to military-grade standards with the highest level of encryption. All Rajant BreadCrumbs can provide up to 256 AES-GCM encryption/decryption.
- Rajant is a Layer 2 network that integrates seamlessly within a Layer 3 network. Layer 2 limits latency to milliseconds versus 10s/100s of milliseconds in competitive equipment.
- Rajant Kinetic Mesh is, in principle, a “self-healing” network because there is no single point of failure and multiple paths for data transfer. There is also no central controller.
E.E: Functionality: tell us something about ease of use, integration with other solutions or other innovative features of your products / solutions?
E.S: A Rajant network can be operational within minutes…just add power! With Rajant Kinetic Mesh, it is possible to achieve Five 9’s of reliability if desired. Rajant is a Layer 2 network that integrates seamlessly within a Layer 3 network. Rajant Kinetic Mesh networks are much easier to scale as well. Rajant uses unlicensed and lightly licensed frequencies that offer more significant amounts of bandwidth and are more readily available around the globe to support various applications. Unlike traditional high-risk networks, which require base stations, tower placement, and additional access points that quickly add expense, Rajant requires none of these. What’s complicated for others is made simple with Rajant.
E.E: Comparison: what key features do your products / solutions have compared to others on the market?
E.S: The Rajant technology provides a “self-healing” network. There is never a single point of failure for the network; the clients on the network never have to break a connection with a Rajant node to make a connection to the next node when they are in motion because the Rajant system always has multiple paths for the data to travel.
E.E: Feedback: what was the feedback from clients about your products / solutions?
E.S: Referrals are one of Rajant’s primary sources of new business. The reason is that we never let a customer down. Customers trust Rajant for their operations. With Rajant installed, reliability, low latency, and high bandwidth wireless communications are practically guaranteed. Based on our advocacy, testimonials, and case studies, Rajant has a worldwide fan base. Moreover, a good number of our employees were customers or integrated other technology with customers to know the fantastic value proposition of using Rajant. Nothing is cookie-cutter but instead customized to solve end-user problems.
E.E: Are there any “buy-back” upgrades or other opportunities available?
E.S: Rajant takes pride in its longevity in the field. From time to time, Rajant offers a buy-back program for deployed legacy BreadCrumbs to make way for the latest models. Please contact your local Rajant partner or sales representative.
E.E: What purchasing advice do you have for clients in your fields of activity?
E.S: Rajant is a low-risk, high-performance wireless mesh alternative to 5G/LTE or conventional Wi-Fi mesh. We have deployed BreadCrumbs globally over the last 20 years in demanding industrial environments, including 320+ mines. Once a customer has experienced a Rajant Kinetic Mesh, they never want to change because of the ease and peace of mind the technology provides for their operations. Simply put, Rajant brings continuous connectivity anywhere.