General Questions

 

1. What Does Sierra Wireless Do? 

 

Sierra Wireless Manufactures secure, manageable, high-performance cellular networking for mission-critical applications. They are a leader in the emerging world of the Internet of Things. Their product mix ranges from cellular components to accessories to turn-key solutions. Specifically, their Airlink division produces secure, manageable and high-performance gateways designed to enable many key IoT applications. These include remote office connectivity, vehicle tracking, in-vehicle communication and more. You can learn more about Sierra Wireless on Novotech's page here.

 

2. What Are the Best Sierra Wireless Products?

 

That depends entirely on your application. Like public safety vehicles, some applications require more complex and high-grade solutions- like Sierra Wireless's top of the line MG90. Other enterprise solutions- like failover for retail applications, require cellular IoT products with different features.

To make their product mix appeal to as many customers as possible, Sierra manufactures a wide variety of cellular gateways to meet their customers' needs.

They are available in various form factors, offer a different level of performance, and have multiple ruggedness levels. So, the best Sierra product is the one that serves your business needs today and in the future. You can compare Sierra Wireless Gateways and Routers on our comparison page here. 

 

3. Is Sierra Wireless A Good Stock Investment?  

 

At Novotech, we're IoT experts; we wouldn't dream of giving out stock advice. If you want to purchase Sierra Wireless hardware or services from us, see the "Buying Sierra Wireless" FAQs below. If you want to check our SWIR Stock summary, you can visit stocknews.com or follow this link to Sierra Wireless Stock Summary or see stock history here. Just about any stock can be a good investment, depending on the current market conditions and its current price. Sierra Wireless may be a stock to consider for those looking at financial exposure to the ever-growing IoT marketplace. However, as with any investment, we recommend that you consult your Financial planner before proceeding.

 

4. Where does Sierra Wireless Operate?

 

Sierra Wireless is a Canadian multinational wireless communications equipment designer and manufacturer headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. It also maintains offices and operations in California, Georgia, Brazil, Germany, Sweden, Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, France, Guangdong and Hong Kong

Buying Sierra Wireless

 

 

5. Can I Buy Directly From Sierra Wireless?

 

No, Sierra Wireless Distributes its product through a partner reseller program. There are many partners around the world, including us at Novotech- we ship worldwide!

As much as the IoT industry has tried to simplify using their products, most people still require specialized expertise to procure and deploy their units. As such, companies like Sierra Wireless have wisely set up Partner Reseller programs through distributors to allow customers to easily and securely set up their products quickly. Novotech is proud to be a part of the Sierra Wireless distribution network!

 

6. Where Can I Buy Sierra Wireless? 

 

You can buy from Novotech today!

 Create an account with us to join our reseller program, and buy online. You can also reach out to our sales team for more information about a product and all the details you need to make the best choice for your organization. 

Why not start with Novotech? You can either start by joining our reseller program or by connecting with one of Novotech's experienced Sales team members.

 

7. How Do I Get Discounts On Sierra Wireless Products?

 

Sierra Wireless's Partner program allows for discounts based on different purchase points and volume of units. More information is available through Novotech's Reseller portal or a member of Novotech's Sales team.

 

8. How Do I Become A Sierra Wireless Premier Partner? 

 

The best place to start is through Novotech's reseller program or by talking to one of Novotech's Sales team members.

The program offers many benefits:

  • Next-day fulfillment is availableNet30 credit terms are available (upon credit check)
  • Deferred Payment programs
  • Inventory levels maintained in Canada and the US
  • Drop shipments directly to end customers
  • Specialized services (provisioning, kitting and custom SKUs) are available

Technical Questions

 

""

9. How Do I Purchase Airlink Management Service?

 

Access to ALMS is included as part of AirLink Complete management and support plan. Access is included in the first year with supported device packages. About AirLink Management Service Managing remote assets and infrastructure is a demanding task. You need to maintain multiple device configurations, update device software, and remotely diagnose reported issues.

AirLink Management Service (ALMS) is the industry's leading network management solution. This highly advanced application supports over-the-air device registration, configuration and software updates. Dashboards display up-to-date views of the entire fleet, and custom reports can be set up to monitor critical events and prevent downtime.

The interactive monitoring dashboard and map show the status, signal strength, and location of all AirLink gateways¹ deployed. Drill down to quickly troubleshoot devices or update older versions of firmware with one-click. Advanced heartbeat reporting and custom alerts can be set up to notify you when devices go offline, resulting in faster issue identification, less downtime, and fewer field trips.

Access to the AirLink Management Service (ALMS) is part of AirLink's management and support plan.

The first year is included with the purchase of a supported device.

ALMS offers functionality that helps to reduce much of the demand for supporting your devices remotely, including:

  • Supporting over-the-Air (OTA) device registration, configuration and updates
  • Displaying the real-time status of your fleet
  • Customized reporting to monitor critical events and prevent unwanted downtime
  • Viewing the status, signal strength and location of your gateways
  • Quickly troubleshooting a device with a single click
  • Alerts when your device goes offline

 

10. How Is Airlink Management Service Different From ACEmanager?

 

ACEmanager allows you to configure an AirLink ALEOS device using a web browser. ACEmanager resides on the device and will enable you to configure only that device. AirLink Management Service provides a one-to-many solution for monitoring all your devices' status and configuring all of your devices. ACEManager is a solution that is designed to offer the ability to communicate with your devices on a one-to-one basis. This communication took place via a web browser. ALMS is a more advanced solution, offering "one-to-many" capabilities to monitor and configure all of your devices.

 

11. Does Airvantage Require My Devices To Have Public IP Addresses? Can Airvantage Work With Operator Private Networks?

 

No. Unlike many other device management applications, AirVantage has been designed to work with device-initiated communications.

This allows for your devices to remain securely behind a firewall and still have the ability to communicate with AirVantate.

 

12. Are Both SMA Connectors Required On Airlink Gateways?

 

When using any of the newer cellular networks (such as 3G, 4G, or soon, 5G), it is always best to use two antennas (more if the device supports it). Simply, this creates a more stable and higher bandwidth connection than if fewer antennas are used.

Sierra Wireless' LTE gateways (such as the RV50 / RV50X) utilize 2x2 MIMO (Multi-in, Multi-Out) technology. This is to improve the level of cellular signal/quality on both the uplink and the downlink. This differs from legacy 2G/3G connections using Rx Diversity.

MIMO uses two distinct Tx/Rx signals, intelligently combined, to increase data throughput speeds where signal multipath is available. This means there is an improvement in performance in areas that may have customarily experienced degradation.

Finally, when using the Verizon Wireless network, two antennas are required for reliable operation.

 

13. Do I have to use both SMA connectors on Sierra Wireless Airlink Cellular Gateways for the Radio Modem antennas?

 

Sierra Wireless Airlink, LTE Cellular Gateways such as the RV50 and RV50X, utilize 2×2 MIMO technology. MIMO equals Multi-In/Multi-out and is designed to improve the cellular signal and quality on both the downlink and uplink.

MIMO for LTE works differently from the older optional 2G/3G Rx Diversity antenna. It utilizes two distinct Tx and Rx signals intelligently combined with increasing throughput where signal multipath is available. MIMO will increase throughput in areas where interference would otherwise cause throughput degradation.

Two antennas must be used to achieve this performance and comply with several updated network operators' transmission requirements. Verizon's TM4, for example, requires two antennas for reliable operation, not just understanding.

 

14. Can I Remotely Change Acemanager Password On ALEOS Gateway

 

ALEOS Application Framework (ALEOS AF) provides developers with a complete set of building blocks and tools for creating applications that run inside Sierra Wireless AirLink GX gateways. ALEOS AF makes on the proven ALEOS built-in embedded intelligence and integrates with the AirVantage M2M Cloud Platform to offer developers and customers a platform for creating tailored end-to-end M2M solution.

ALEOS AF provides M2M and network protocol stacks, remote application and data management, access to existing ALEOS services, and direct access to hardware interfaces for building custom M2M applications.

ALEOS AF gets solutions to market faster, simplifies deployment, and allows for specialized features that yield cheaper and more focused solutions. Intelligence at the edge reduces hardware and communication costs by preprocessing and transmitting only necessary data.

For a visual introduction to what is ALEOS AF and what it enables, please see the ALEOS AF video below. 

https://doc.airvantage.net/alms/reference/monitor/howtos/remotelyChangeACEManagerPassword/

 

 

15. What Is This Difference Between AirLink Manager (AM) AirLink Mobility Manager (AMM)?

 

Follow this link for a chart detailing the key features included in the Sierra Wireless ALMS AM vs ALMS AMM.

 

 

16. Do I Need To Use Sierra Wireless Branded Antennas In Order To Achieve Optimal Device Performance?

 

Sierra Wireless antennas have been tested and certified to provide guaranteed performance with all AirLink routers and gateways. If the Antenna you need isn't available, Novotech can help you find a compatible antenna for your device.