INDIANAPOLIS, April 23, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Spartan Emergency Response ("Spartan"), a business unit of Spartan Motors, Inc. (Nasdaq:SPAR), will demonstrate its revolutionary Mobile Gateway solution in Indianapolis, Indiana during the 2015 Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) April 23-25. The Mobile Gateway provides an extensive group of connectivity features - even if the communications infrastructure is compromised or down – and provides the gateway architecture required to enable fleet management, prognostics/diagnostics and other capabilities. The system will be available for attendees in the Spartan booth (#2409 & 2423) throughout the FDIC conference.
"The Mobile Gateway from Spartan Emergency Response enhances safety, productivity and information access for firefighters," said Dan Slater, President of Spartan Emergency Response. "The unfortunate increase of natural disasters, and the homeland threats throughout the world, illustrates the criticality of communications infrastructure and the negative impact when it breaks down. While not every apparatus in a fleet needs to be equipped with the Mobile Gateway, maintaining 100% connectivity on a sub-set of apparatus in the fleet is vital. We are excited about the market's reaction to this product since it was launched in December (2014)."
After the devastating impact of Hurricane Sandy, it became remarkably clear that maintaining communication was more important than ever for first responders. Soon after Hurricane Sandy made landfall, communications for many first responders became inoperable with over 25% of the local cell towers disabled. Cell towers were overloaded following the tragedy at the 2013 Boston Marathon, which was a considerable problem for first responders. With the Mobile Gateway from Spartan Emergency Response, the challenges associated with a compromised communications grid become much less severe.
The Mobile Gateway boasts a maximum cellular range of up to 25 miles, providing it a better chance of finding an active cell tower, even within a disaster zone. The device can help detect and avoid overloaded cell towers and connect as needed even if the tower is farther away with minimal drop in connectivity speed. The Wi-Fi range of the Mobile Gateway is exceptional, allowing devices to connect up to 1,500 feet away. Even if a firefighter is on scene and away from the truck, they can still connect with and share information as needed.
To ensure that the internet connection is as stable as possible, the Mobile Gateway also supports a number of failover methods. When equipped with multiple cellular cards, the Mobile Gateway can switch from one access point to the other (e.g., with two cellular cards in operation, the system will cut over as needed to ensure continuity of access). Also, the device can failover from a 4G to 3G connection when the vehicle moves into an area with a weak 4G presence. Finally, the system is equipped to offer a satellite receiver*, allowing a satellite connection if the cellular connection fails - providing 100% continuous connectivity.
Additionally, this system can serve as the gateway architecture providing access to a number of additional features including wireless pump control, remote troubleshooting, smart device vehicle checklists, fleet management and other prognostics/diagnostics capabilities.
Spartan Mobile Gateway Features:
- Greater Cellular Range: a range up to 5x greater (up to 25 miles) than normal cellular routers to keep your fleet connected more often
- Increased Wi-Fi Range: with a Wi-Fi range of up to 1,500 ft, stay connected while on almost any scene
- Unlimited Connection: Unlimited users/devices can be connected at the same time
- Dual Carrier Support: connect two separate cellular cards, allowing the user two cell providers to maintain a connection when they get into a different coverage zone or have two connections from the same provider to double bandwidth
- Automatic Failover: change from one cellular connection to another, 4G to 3G, or from cellular to satellite connection* with a system enabled with failover switching
- Diagnostic Reader: read and report J1939 data bus diagnostic information with anytime access
- Fleet Management Interface: a fully featured web accessible fleet management interface, allowing approved users access to the position and status of apparatus at anytime, anywhere
- Gateway Technology: opens your fleet to endless possibilities. An open internet connection provides for a platform which can be built on well into the future
* Additional equipment required
About Spartan Emergency Response
Drawing on more than 130 years of excellence in fire truck manufacturing, Spartan Emergency Response is a world-class leader in the design, engineering and flexible production of the most powerful and reliable emergency response apparatus, cabs and chassis on the market. Spartan Emergency Response manufactures a full line of pumpers, tankers, rescues, aerials, quick-attack/urban interface vehicles and other emergency-rescue vehicles on both custom and commercial chassis from its facilities in Michigan, Pennsylvania and South Dakota. For more information, visit www.spartaner.com.
About Spartan Motors
Spartan Motors, Inc. designs, engineers and manufactures specialty chassis, specialty vehicles, truck bodies and aftermarket parts for the recreational vehicle (RV), emergency response, government services, defense, and delivery and service markets. The Company's brand names – Spartan™, Spartan Chassis™, Spartan Emergency Response™ and Utilimaster® – are known for quality, performance, service and first-to-market innovation. The Company employs approximately 1,700 associates at facilities in Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Indiana. Spartan reported sales of $507 million in 2014 and is focused on becoming a global leader in the design, engineering and manufacture of specialty vehicles and chassis. Visit Spartan Motors at www.spartanmotors.com.