Cradlepoint Router SDK Adds Value And Saves Money

Router SDK Adds Value Saves Money

MCA CNS TeamCradlepoint, MCA News

Cradlepoint Router SDK Adds Value And Saves Money

Easily Deploy and Manage Custom Router Applications from the Cloud

Every organization has distinct requirements for wired and wireless routers. By using a router software development kit (SDK), each company can tailor these functionalities to its unique specifications.

The Router SDK empowers organizations to develop applications designed to operate on their routers, enabling the creation of custom functionalities tailored to their needs. This approach minimizes costs, enhances efficiency, and boosts the organization's bottom line.

How Does Router SDK Add Value to My Solution?


The Router SDK significantly enhances the value of your solution by enabling the development of custom applications that extend router functionality. This capability addresses challenges that a standard routing solution might overlook.

For instance, certain hardware platforms - like those offered by Cradlepoint - feature dual-SIM capabilities, allowing users to select between two cellular providers. Traditionally, businesses deploying routers across multiple locations must manually assess and select the optimal cellular connection at each site. This involves physically testing connectivity with provider A, then with provider B, and finally comparing the strengths of each connection before configuring the router accordingly. Such a manual process is time-consuming and resource-intensive, requiring repeated actions at each location.

However, a tailored application can automate this procedure with the Router SDK. The application assesses each cellular connection, identifies the strongest option, and automatically selects the appropriate provider. The solution eliminates manual intervention by streamlining this process, reducing costs associated with truck rolls, installation, labor, and time. Consequently, your organization benefits from enhanced efficiency and resource utilization, optimizing the overall operational workflow.

Application Development


Applications can be directly installed into devices set to Developer Mode to streamline development and debugging processes. Once fully debugged and ready for deployment, they can be installed via NetCloud Manager at the group level.

SDK Toolset


Cradlepoint provides a simplified SDK, written in Python, for building and creating app packages. The SDK and sample applications are available in the Cradlepoint SDK GitHub repository.

For application development, the SDK facilitates installation, initiation, termination, uninstallation, and status checks of an application in a locally connected development device. The application package remains consistent for local debugging and uploading to NetCloud Manager for production deployment. Application development is compatible with Linux, OS X, and Windows operating systems using the same SDK.

What Are the Short-Term Financial Benefits of SDK?


The short-term financial benefits of utilizing the SDK are especially pronounced for businesses leveraging Internet of Things (IoT) devices and Fog Computing. Companies can develop applications tailored to their needs by employing the SDK, resulting in immediate cost savings and operational efficiencies.

One key advantage lies in streamlining data collection and transmission for IoT devices. Instead of relying on expensive hardware to facilitate data transfer, businesses can write applications using the SDK to collect and send data directly to its destination. This eliminates the need for costly hardware investments, thereby reducing upfront expenses associated with data management.

Additionally, integrating local intelligence into routers through the SDK enables companies to optimize data transmission. For instance, an application can be programmed to prioritize and transmit only relevant data, minimizing bandwidth usage and associated costs.

The SDK empowers businesses to address unique challenges efficiently. For example, a company operating emergency response vehicles utilized the SDK to develop an application that enables employees to unlock vehicles using their tablets or smartphones. This solution eliminates the need to dispatch trucks or hire locksmith services, resulting in immediate cost savings and improved operational agility.

What Are the Long-Term Financial Benefits of SDK?


The SDK's unparalleled flexibility drives the long-term financial benefits. Unlike traditional router functionalities, the SDK empowers companies to create new capabilities and previously unavailable extensions. This versatility opens avenues for innovation and cost-saving opportunities over the long term.

For example, the SDK facilitates the creation of proactive applications such as a pinging tool, which continuously monitors router activity and promptly alerts IT personnel if any device fails to respond. By enabling early detection and intervention, these applications help prevent network disruptions and mitigate potential losses, resulting in significant long-term savings.

Businesses operating within data or bandwidth constraints can leverage the SDK to optimize resource utilization. Customized applications can be programmed to transmit data to the cloud only when necessary rather than adhering to rigid schedules. This dynamic approach minimizes data usage and associated costs over time, contributing to substantial savings in the long run.

Additionally, the SDK empowers internal IT teams to develop and manage applications independently, eliminating the need for costly third-party outsourcing. By leveraging in-house expertise, companies can efficiently address evolving needs and challenges while maintaining full control over proprietary intellectual property. Additionally, internal IT staff possess intimate knowledge of the applications they develop, enabling swift problem resolution and reducing reliance on external support services.

How Are My Custom Apps Deployed?


Once a software expert has developed a custom app package using the Router SDK, deploying it is streamlined. The IT team can effortlessly deploy the package to all organization routers through the cloud management services provided by the Cradlepoint NetCloud platform, all from a unified interface known as a single pane of glass. All data, including intellectual property and codes, remains confidential and secure throughout this deployment. Custom applications are safeguarded both on the devices and within the cloud.

Cradlepoint’s cloud management platform functions like Apple’s App Store but is tailored for your routers. Thanks to its user-friendly nature, businesses can save additional time and cost. The need for contracted IT engineers to facilitate deployment and management is virtually eliminated, simplifying operations and enhancing efficiency.

About MCA and Our CNS Team


MCA is one of the largest and most trusted integrators in the United States, offering world-class voice, data, and security solutions that enhance the quality, safety, and productivity of customers, operations, and lives. More than 65,000 customers trust MCA to provide carefully researched solutions for a safe, secure, and more efficient workplace.

Our Cellular Networking Solutions (CNS) team (formerly known as USAT) is made up of certified experts in designing and deploying fixed and mobile wireless data connectivity solutions for public and private enterprises nationwide - complete with implementation, training, proof of concept (POC), system auditing, and on-site RF surveying services with optional engineering maintenance contracts.

Our extensive Cradlepoint catalog of world-class routers, gateways, and software designed for remote monitoring and management in even the harshest environments allows us to deliver a full suite of reliable technologies capped with a service-first approach.


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