As a long-time manufacturer of industrial wireless radios, ESTeem seems like it should be spending all its time selling product and designing industrial wireless networks.
But the company is also a true champion of industrial wireless networks, believing wireless is the right solution when an application involves great distances, inaccessible areas or a need for mobile communication.
To support the growth of industrial wireless networks, ESTeem offers a trio of useful tools that any company can use as it researches and develops the possibilities of wireless.
In fact, the company offers its RF Design Tool – along with detailed instructions – at no charge on its website. This simple-to-use spreadsheet requires the input of some basic information concerning distances, elevations and a few other measurements specific to the application.
In the background, the spreadsheet does the necessary calculations to assess whether there’s enough signal and what the expected data rate will be.
In the process, the design tool also provides a great deal of detailed information including calculations for each end of the radio system, key site data, hardware and accessory recommendations and potential trouble spots.
If potential issues are indicated, the software allows for finetuning, say by adjusting antenna heights or the length of coax cables, until the report reflects a wireless network that meets the application’s needs. The beauty of this tool is that it doesn’t spit out a simple pass or fail judgment. It instead provides a running assessment of how well your network will operate.
Being able to test a network plans via software, rather than in the real world, saves real time and money.
Beyond theoretical software models, ESTeem also offers a pair of real-world planning tools, including a Site Planning Checklist, again available for free on its website. This handy document helps ensure there are no steps missed in the process.
The company also offers a specially created spectrum analyzer – a tool usually available only to RF professionals – available at a fraction of the cost of the analyzers used by professionals. ESTeem designed the software-hardware combo package with a simplified user format to enable its use by nonprofessionals.
The analyzer provides a visual representation of what’s happening in the electromagnetic spectrum from the standpoint of frequency and intensity. It basically allows the user to see the radio frequencies available for an application and compare those to the information provided by the RF Design Tool.
As a leading manufacturer of industrial wireless radios, ESTeem goes above and beyond to ensure customers have the tools they need for a successful wireless network that they’re comfortable with and understand.
In the end, every customer success is also a success for wireless technology in general.
Of course, ESTeem isn’t just a champion of industrial wireless networks. As the U.S. patent holder for the wireless computer modem, ESTeem Wireless Modems has a long history of engineering and manufacturing industrial wireless radios for a wide range of demanding applications.
Their radios are used everywhere from water treatment plants to massive factories and critical emergency services. Most of their customers use ESTeem radios in applications with high heat, vibration or difficult environmental conditions that would destroy a commercial wireless device.