Reliable and convenient Wi-Fi services on North American trains

Mainz, December 19, 2017 – Hundreds of thousands of train passengers in Germany and Railjet ÖBB travelers are already enjoying the benefits of ELTEC Wi-Fi Access Points as they exchange data on the Internet. Now these CyBox AP-W line devices will also be installed on trains operated by the North American UTA (Utah Transit Authority). Just like their German counterparts, these products boast high mechanical and electrical stress resistance to guarantee their secure and dependable operation. Specifically designed for an extended temperature range, the installed components also resist extreme temperature variations. Moreover, they are highly shock, vibration and moisture resistant. CyBox AP Wi-Fi Access Points meet the latest railway standards, such as EN 50155 and have been qualified accordingly by accredited testing laboratories.

The GBS Group (www.TheGBSGroup.us) – a leading system integrator and provider of technical services with comprehensive expertise in railway technology – was commissioned by the UTA (www.rideuta.com) to equip their successful FrontRunner trains with a passenger Wi-Fi system. After considerable research and a lot of development work, the GBS Group delivered a fully functional test solution based on ELTEC's CyBox AP-W (models 1007/1023), which has a proven track record of generating excellent results across the entire mobile communications sector. ELTEC assisted the GBS Group design team in the project planning stage, the selection of suitable devices, and ultimately with the implementation of the antennae for the connection of more than 80 clients per Wi-Fi modem, hence a minimum of 160 clients per device can be connected. Now UTA offers Wi-Fi services on all FrontRunner trains.

ELTEC Wireless Access Points allow mobile Wi-Fi-capable devices to communicate with the Internet on passenger trains, buses or underground trains and to access local data, such as schedule information, videos, etc. During these processes, the personal data of individual users is protected against unauthorized access.

Within its CyBox AP-W product line, ELTEC offers models with one or two Wi-Fi radios in compliance with the IEEE802.11b/g/n/ac standard boasting Wi-Fi bandwidths of up to 2 x 650 Mbit/s with 3 x 3-MIMO.

The integrated wide range power adapter, which is compliant with EN 50155, enables operation at input voltages of 16 to 154 VDC. Furthermore, the CyBox AP-W comes with a PoE input for Class 4 power supply (in compliance with IEEE802.3at).

The dimensions of the compact, wall-mountable CyBox AP-W are 105 mm x 55 mm x 205 mm and a power rating of approx. 20 W. The sturdy aluminum housing is rated protection Class IP30 and allows fan-free operation at -40° C to +70° C (EN 50155, Class T2). It is highly shock and vibration resistant and meets all of the common DIN, EN and IEC industrial standards.

In the interim, ELTEC has already launched its second, even more powerful generation of Wi-Fi Access Points. Among other things, the models of the CyBox AP 2-W family offer more powerful Wi-Fi performance (2 x 1300 Mbit/s) as well as additional interfaces. ELTEC also has product variants for top-hat rail and rack mounting in industrial applications in its product portfolio.