Patented SD-WAN technology takes pioneering role in site networking

Stationary retailers are increasingly networking with online retailers. Often retailers have a large network of branches with several branches and also operate online shops. To be successful here, the local networks of the different locations must be connected to each other. Therefore, a powerful IT infrastructure and a stable Internet connection are essential. Also Krämer equestrian, a dealer for equestrian sports with branches in Germany, Austria. France and Switzerland, relying on Peplink’s router solutions.

Krämer equestrian sports develops, distributes and sells more than 25,000 items for equestrian sports. With more than 900 employees, the company currently supplies more than 800,000 customers in Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and through its subsidiary Felix Bühler in Switzerland. The online store www.kraemer.de handles around one million orders every year. In addition to the mail order business, many locations in the DACH region and in France also have so-called mega stores, each with around 1,300 square meters of retail space.

To ensure that Krämer equestrian services can provide optimal service to its customers, the employees of the various locations must be able to communicate without interruption via the company network. A stable internet connection is essential for the continuity of the work processes, for example to process inquiries and orders in a timely manner, to complete payment transactions via the online shop or to send the newsletter. Optimized communication and optimal accessibility are today important components for customer satisfaction and thus also for the company’s success. Even short-term failures in the IT landscape can have serious consequences and significantly affect the work processes. In order to prevent this, Krämer Equestrian embarked on the search for a reliable router solution for networking and connecting its distributed locations, which ensures a stable Internet connection.

High demands on the router solution

During the Internet research, Krämer equestrian informed about various providers of router solutions, such as: Barracuda, Fortigate and Viprinet. “The requirements for the router solution were very high, so that many products from these manufacturers did not even come into question,” says Phil Stricker, Managing Director of Krämer equestrian sports. “The heterogeneous IT infrastructure, deployed across multiple countries, requires a highly flexible solution that guarantees resiliency through shorter and transparent failover times at all times.” Finally, the company relied on the manufacturer Peplink and its distributor in the DACH region, Vitel, attentive. The team around Mr. Stricker contacted the value-added distributor to keep track of the router solutions. Vitel provided advice and support to the company and assisted in the selection of products to find the optimum solution for the individual requirements of Krämer equestrian sports. The Peplink products impress with their integrated multi-WAN functions to ensure the required connection quality. The decision finally fell on the products of the balance series.

Bandwidth aggregation for maximum reliability

Based on the patented SpeedFusion technology, the external locations could be connected to the central corporate network of Krämer equestrian sports. The implementation initially encountered errors with the router protocol OSPF (Open Shortest Path First). However, the initial problems were quickly resolved by Vitel’s experts so that the data packets could be efficiently transported through the connected networks.

The Peplink router solutions support different types of connections such as SD-WAN, such as: MPLS, LTE, DSL and fiber. Their speed and bandwidth are bundled into a single WAN connection. Bundling thus enables stable VPN networking and maximum bandwidth. If there is a network connection failure, the system detects it and redirects the packet-level traffic to an alternative connection. Separate sending of the data packets over available WAN-to-WAN links occurs after the establishment of the Bandwidth-bound SpeedFusion tunnel. Each packet is individually encrypted and thus inaccessible for a man-in-the-middle attack. Connection errors are detected immediately and switched to a pre-prioritized connection. A core function of the technology is also the hot failover with the ability to switch from one WAN connection to another without the risk of session termination. Thus, even in connection switching, e.g. ensure fail-safe communication with the merchandise management system.
The central on-premises management platform InControl supports the executives of Krämer Equestrian as a Virtual Appliance (ICVA) during the rollout as well as in the daily administration and monitoring of the entire site networking. So they can manage and control independently of time and place.

Long-term planning with peplink routers

When selecting and implementing the solution, future requirements were also considered. So the setup has directly provided 100 locations as a basis. In the first six months, four existing locations were initially networked; In the long term, the company plans to gradually equip all 52 sites with Peplink devices.
“The solution is exceptionally reliable in the multi-WAN environment. It does not replace firewalls, but it does clean the core functions, “says Phil Stricker. “For technical problems, Vitel support helped us at all times and responded quickly. In the future, we will continue to contact the distributor’s experts if they have any questions, and together we will push ahead with further expansion. ”

Conclusion

To ensure that all Krämer Equestrian employees can do their job in the best possible way – whether on the move, at the headquarters in Hockenheim or in the field offices – a stable connection to the corporate network is required. With the new router solutions and the patented SpeedFusion technology, the company has a powerful base for site networking. SD-WAN technology bundles different connection types into a single WAN connection. It detects potential connection failures and seamlessly routes packet-level traffic over the other available connections. The Hot Failover feature ensures that sessions continue when the connections change. The routers guarantee location-independent and above all uninterrupted communication as well as the reliable data exchange at Krämer equestrian sports.

Mobile workplaces are common in many industries today, including BOS units. No question that reliable hardware and software is a must in firefighting operations; After all, it’s all about extinguishing fires and / or saving lives as quickly as possible and unerringly. Modern IT is therefore standard in many rescue vehicles. One of the most important points for successful operations is, in addition to reliable equipment, the reliability of the wireless connections to the Internet. The volunteer fire department Wangen im Allgäu consists of seven active, voluntary (volunteer) departments with a total of about 250 active members. In addition to the active departments belong to the fire department Wangen in the Allgäu also the youth fire department with four groups and the age department. So far, the Wangen fire brigade has been using a mobile LTE router with a modem and two SIM slots in its command vehicle, which is equipped with four IT workstations and various communication technologies. Unfortunately, the system always had errors, so that the fire brigade went in search of an alternative solution namely a mobile LTE router with dual-SIM and two modems. She found her way to Vitel, provider of industrial communication and security solutions and Peplink distributor in the DACH region. 

Optimized switching times

The previous router solution represented a challenge that could not be mastered by the fire brigade. When driving in the command and control center, the Internet connection must be secure, even if the router is switching from mobile network A to mobile network B. So far, these switching times were too long, Internet sessions, in which on the way to the site important data (such as satellite images / maps and mission information) are transmitted, were therefore simply interrupted – an unacceptable circumstance.

On the way uninterrupted internet

While browsing the Peplink website, the customer became aware of Vitel. After Vitels detailed advice on the technologies and possibilities of Peplink and the most sensible solution for use in the command vehicle, the fire department decided for Peplink MAX Transit Duo Router. MAX Transit Routers are designed for transportation: With a compact form factor, simultaneous dual-band 11ac Wi-Fi, and up to two embedded cellular modems, the router provides redundancy and additional reserve capacity should the data volume of the first sim slot be used up. Depending on the router, the use of up to 36 sim cards is possible, which offers enormous possibilities. In addition, it protects against white spots (by switching to another mobile network operator, which offers LTE coverage in the respective “white” area). With 2 LTE modems and the Peplink SpeedFusion technology, the router for uninterruptible mobile Internet via LTE provides the innovative management software InControl2. InControl2 makes it easy to control administration, reporting, and bandwidth usage. InControl2 is Peplink Cloud-based device management, monitoring and reporting tool designed specifically for Peplink and Pepwave devices. Each device can be registered with InControl2, providing advanced management tools, full device overview, and extensive reporting, such as bandwidth usage per LTE modem and per mobile network.

Tested. And convinced.

After delivery and installation by an IT integrator as well as extensive tests during a test test lasting several weeks, the fire brigade was completely convinced by the MAX Transit Duo Router – the feedback was and is consistently positive. The device offers a successful interface and scores with simple operation and individual configuration. InControl2 sees the fire brigade as an optimal complement, with which the router can be configured remotely and the router or vehicle can always be kept in view. The connections to both telecommunications providers are now stable. Benedikt Locher, Member of the Leadership Group and IT Admin at the Freiwilligen Feuerwehr Wangen, says: “We are completely satisfied with the router. It’s been in operation for two months now, and we’re excited about how stable and good the internet connection is everywhere. We had the router in various operations and exercises in operation and heart and kidney tested, but found no problems. ”
Also with questions after the purchase we are of course for our customers. With the help of a system integrator, we carried out the delivery and installation of the products. Of course, we also helped set up the modems for the various providers to ensure the best possible operation. As a Value Added Distributor, we do not just sell products or solutions, we also see ourselves primarily as an advisory partner to our customers.

In around 350 transfer and tour buses operated by tourism giant TUI, Peplink’s products provide uninterrupted wireless Internet access

A transfer service provider and tour organizer has equipped all its transfer and tour buses with internet access. For this he uses the routers from Peplink – provided by Vitel.

A subsidiary of global tourism giant TUI AG transports more than 2 million tourists each year and decided to provide all buses with Internet access. After extensive testing of the available solutions, Pepplave was chosen by Peplink.

The company’s IT manager explains that the technologies have been tested over four weeks. After being satisfied with the performance, the products were installed in the vehicles. In the main office, the Peplink Balance routers are used while the buses are equipped with Pepwave products. Via PepVPN the buses are connected to the central office. “The buses may stand for hours in the heat, the internal temperature can therefore rise very high,” said the IT manager. Even at high temperatures and high humidity at the same time, the Pepwave products work without any problems. He also points out that a big advantage of the products lies in the remote management. In the event of a disconnect, the team can connect remotely and solve the problem as quickly as possible.

“We are very pleased with the advice from Vitel, before and after the purchase,” says the IT manager. “Everything has gone very smoothly so far”. As part of the project, Pepwave connections were installed in about 350 buses and in future all buses will be equipped with Internet access.

An urban transport company carries around 800,000 passengers a day. The time passengers spend in public transit vehicles is increasing, as is traffic and congestion during peak hours. For this reason, the city and the transport company decided to extend the free WiFi service to their 1,000 buses. In addition, live feeds from the on-board cameras (six to eight cameras) should be viewed, as well as network video recorder / digital video recorder data for safety reasons.

• • The devices on board should meet the following criteria:
  • No moving parts
  • A completely closed housing (no fans or vents)
  • Wide operating temperature range from -40 to +65 ° C
  • Resistance to shocks and vibrations (EN 61373: 1999)
  • Electromagnetic compatibility (EN 61000 certification)
  • Operability in automobiles (E-Mark certification)
  • Wide input voltage range from 10 to 30 volts and power connection via terminal strip

Pepwave MAX BR1 meets these requirements. In mobile environments, the stability of the 3.5 / 3G connection is very critical as it is difficult to perform maintenance work there. In particular, when the buses are in operation around the clock. If a connection hangs up or is reset by the operator, the device can only reset the 3.5 / 3G module without restarting the entire device. In this way, users receive the best possible and most stable connection on the go.In addition to these requirements, it was necessary to be able to manage and monitor devices and service despite the remote environment.

Peplink’s software InControl2 was therefore used for the central administration of users and devices.

The web-based central software InControl2 fulfills the following functions:

• • • Fleet management of all buses with MAX BR1 via GPS. Live View, GPS Data Storage, Playback of Specific Times and Data.
    • Display which client is connected to which device and at what speed the bus is moving
    • Log of signal quality on a map based on the bus routes
    • Direct connection of online devices via web and with mass configuration
    • Annual, monthly, daily and live bandwidth management of the devices
    • Automatic firmware upgrades
    • Operator access management and configuration change management Object by object

With the GPS module in the device, InControl 2 is able to capture data and display all buses on the map. The positions can be saved and played back.

The InControl2 dashboard menu displays values such as devices that are online / offline or connected users with the same interface:

Exemplary network topology:

To offer a special service to its members in the outskirts and outskirts of the city, a Chamber of Commerce and Industry (for privacy reasons no names may be mentioned here) purchased mobile service buses. Thanks to these buses, the members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry do not have to drive to the main building to clarify their concerns. You can easily check the routes and destinations of the mobile buses on the Internet and get the services you need on the next bus.

The mobile service buses are equipped with Peplink Max-BR1 3G routers. These have two SIM slots, so that the customer can work with two mobile providers at the same time. The router dynamically selects the best provider depending on the signal quality.

The Max-BR1 routers also have two wired and one wireless LAN port as well as a WiFi WAN port. This allows customers within the bus to set up a small wired LAN while having the necessary WiFi coverage for mobile devices. In addition, the WiFi WAN port on the router can automatically connect to public WiFi services as well as corporate WiFi networks. All connections are over VPN for maximum security. In addition to hardware, the customer also uses Peplink’s advanced InControl system for centralized management and monitoring of all devices remotely. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry decided primarily on the following extensive functionality for the Peplink solution:

• Redundant, dual 3G modems
• Robust design
• E-mark certification, which ensures that the devices are suitable for use in vehicles
• Central administration via InControl
• Various connectivity options, such as wired / wireless LAN, wireless WQAN, 3G and 4G