Sierra Wireless has launched the AirLink LS300 gateway, which can be used to connect things as varied as trucks or soda machines to a wireless network.
Sierra's earlier gateways have been used in a wide variety of machine-to-machine applications, including the monitoring of soil conditions in vineyards and vibrations in historic buildings, according to the company.
The AirLink LS300 combines the capabilities of the three previous AirLink gateways into one, with Ethernet, Serial and USB ports as well as GPS location tracking, which can be used to keep track of vehicles or heavy equipment. The gateway connects to mobile networks using HSPA+ or EV-DO, and fall back to GSM or CDMA when needed. It can also be centrally configured and monitored via those networks using Sierra's AirVantage Management Service.
A key part of any device that has been developed for M2M communications is the ability to survive in harsh environments, which Sierra has done its best to address. The AirLink LS300 can operate in temperatures between minus 30 and plus 70 degrees Celsius.
To address security concerns in the M2M sector, the AirLink LS300 has an integrated VPN client.
The AirLink LS300 is now available for the U.S. and European markets, according to Sierra, which didn't elaborate on what the different versions will cost. AT&T, Sprint and Verizon Wireless have all approved AirLink LS300 for use on their respective networks.
