In-vehicle Wi-Fi: internet that rides along

The vehicle carries a router with several paths to the internet: two modems with SIM cards from different networks, or one modem plus Starlink Mini as an Ethernet WAN. A single modem with two SIM slots only switches over. SpeedFusion bonds all paths into one connection that runs through the Ascend Hub in the data center. If one network drops, the session stays alive. This provides the Wi-Fi for passengers and on-board devices as well as the vehicle position on the control center's InControl map.

A vehicle changes cells every few minutes. Each change costs seconds during which a single connection stalls. On the motorway you notice it as a stuttering stream, in an ambulance as an interrupted transmission, in a coach as forty passengers staring at the Wi-Fi icon at the same time.

That is why we use Peplink routers with two modems for bonding, such as the MAX Transit Duo Pro, each SIM card on a different network. A router with only one modem can hold two SIM cards but always uses just one of them. SpeedFusion joins the paths into one encrypted tunnel all the way to the Ascend Hub. If a network fails, the data stream continues over the others without any device in the vehicle having to reconnect. That is the difference between failover, where the connection breaks briefly, and bonding, where the session is preserved.

For routes with no cellular coverage at all, such as rural emergency services or vehicles at construction sites and event grounds, we add Starlink Mini as a further WAN path. How the combination works technically is described on our page Starlink with Peplink. Which routers we use depending on the vehicle is shown in the overview of routers for SIM cards.

InControl 2 is Peplink's cloud platform for its own routers. Because the vehicle routers include a GPS receiver, network management turns into a fleet map without any additional device.

Locate. Every vehicle appears on the interactive map. One click on the device shows cellular reception, the network in use and the number of connected users.

Track. The route history can be replayed in 24-hour segments, in real time or in time lapse. This lets you see when a vehicle was where and how fast it was traveling.

Monitor. Color coding shows speed and signal strength along the route. You manage data usage per SIM, firmware and configuration centrally for the whole fleet, and roll out changes by group.

InControl is not a replacement for telematics with CAN bus data, driver card or tachograph. If you need that, combine the router with a Teltonika telematics tracker. For location, reachability and network quality of your vehicles, InControl 2 is enough, and without any further SIM card in the vehicle.

For RKT Rettungsdienst OHG in Regensburg, Ascend equipped an emergency vehicle with a mobile bonding router. The reason was practical: patient data should reach the hospital while the vehicle is still on the road, and during larger operations with many rescue workers, coordination needs access to cloud information at all times. A smartphone hotspot cannot deliver that reliably on country roads.

The software-defined bonding router combines several transmission paths into one logical network. All devices in the vehicle use the same connection, regardless of mobile standard or end device. In December 2018, RKT deployed the vehicle at an event held by a car manufacturer in southern Europe and accompanied all driving program items from the emergency vehicle itself. The control center rode along instead of staying in the office.

The same principle applies to fire services, workshop vans, measurement vehicles and event fleets: the router turns the vehicle into a mobile site on the company network, permanently installed or as a rental unit for a project. The pages on the Peplink MAX Transit and the MAX HD2 Mini show which hardware we use for bonding on the move.

Ascend has been a network and Wi-Fi systems house in Nuremberg since 2010 and has worked with bonded cellular connections for over 15 years. We are a partner of Peplink, Teltonika, Starlink and Poynting and operate the Ascend Hub through which our customers' SpeedFusion tunnels run.

You get the hardware from our shop, installation by our technicians and the matching SIM: our multi-network SIM automatically registers in Germany with Vodafone, Telekom or O2 and applies EU-wide at the same price. It is prepaid, stops at 0 euros and can be cancelled monthly, with a breakout in Frankfurt and a German IP address. More on this on the page Unlimited data on the move.

In operation we monitor the routers via InControl, roll out firmware and respond to faults around the clock. For projects and events we also rent out vehicle routers such as the MAX Transit Duo or the MAX HD4 MBX at short notice. You will find everything else about the brand and the device families on our Peplink brand page.