“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.”