Pop-Up Network Kit (PNK)

“We needed to provide Wi-Fi service in areas with poor or no cellular coverage—especially regions impacted by storms or natural disasters. After discussing the issue with our cellular provider, we were advised to look into portable routers. We explored a few vendors and ultimately chose RCN Technologies’ Pop-Up Network Kit (PNK) featuring the Cradlepoint R1900 Ruggedized 5G Router. Its rugged design allows us to use it both in our mobile command center and in the field.”

“The flexibility of the PNK has made a real difference in our operations. It’s fully mobile—we can run it from a vehicle, deploy it on-scene, or use it at a facility that’s lost Internet. We even installed an external antenna on our mobile command trailer for improved range, but when rapid deployment is needed, we just switch to the internal antenna in the case. Even without the external antenna, we were able to maintain a 5G connection nearly 200 feet away at a recent event.”

“One standout moment was during a lightning strike at our courthouse—on election day, no less—which knocked out the Internet. We quickly deployed the PNK to the Clerk’s Office. Six computers connected seamlessly and stayed online for nearly a week until service was restored. That single moment proved the unit’s value.”

“If you’re in public safety or emergency response and considering the PNK, I can confidently say it’s a rugged, reliable solution. It even supports dual-carrier connectivity for added resilience. It’s an essential tool in our mobile operations toolkit.”

“During a six-hour outage at our largest hospital, we deployed nine PNK units, and the impact was immediate. Critical services remained operational, trauma teams stayed connected, and care continued without disruption or stress. We even maintained connectivity in two separate command rooms with high-level hospital administrators. It’s no exaggeration to say this technology potentially saved lives.

PNK has proven to be an outstanding disaster recovery tool. In our view, it should be a staple across all sectors — from healthcare to business to government.”

“Thanks to RCN’s PNK solution, our mobile blood drive units now have the same connectivity and functionality as our physical locations. The wireless connection has been incredibly reliable, and once configured, it’s easy for our staff to operate. Management now has real-time visibility into all blood drive operations, which was never possible before. We’ve also eliminated the cumbersome manual processes we had to use when our systems ran offline. This has truly transformed the way we operate in the field.”