With the increasing capabilities of connectivity technology for business aviation, the ability to manage the onboard network becomes crucial. Hardware now plays a pivotal role in delivering the overall inflight connectivity experience. The cabin router is responsible for important levers and experience tools, including advanced network management, automated data-gathering, monitoring and troubleshooting. SD recognized the importance of the router and decided to enter the manufacturing space with the acquisition of TrueNorth Avionics in 2016. By engineering solutions to fully integrate communications and better connect the aircraft with secure, reliable routers, we are ultimately able to provide a better user experience for our customers.
In the eighteen months since the acquisition of TrueNorth, we have developed and improved hardware critical for connectivity and aircraft communications. From our industry leading SDR Series to our FANS 1/A Datalink Unit, we are dedicated to manufacturing hardware solutions that have a smaller footprint while improving technology.
Recent Hardware Developments:
- SDR-Gateway v1.20.0 was released on July 17th to adopt the SDR software onto the SDR Gateway, harmonizing the look, feel, and operation between SD routing platforms. This new version also supports a virtual router redundancy protocol (VRRP) for dual SDR Gateways providing automatic, seamless backup and supporting continuous service.
- SDR Revision (Mod K) will be released by the end Q3 2018 and integrates several new features including multiple WAN links, enhanced cyber security, and FlightPath3D. FlightPath3D is an in-flight mapping tool that creates an interactive, info-taining flight experience.
- The WiFi Hub 2.0 received STC approval in June of 2018 and will be available by the end of Q3 2018. The new hub integrates several new features such as two-Dual Band 802.11 AC network capability and higher throughput (1.7 GB per second).