5 Easy Network Upgrades- Unleash Hidden Potential by Leveraging Your Licensing Options

By Jeremy Ladner 6 min read

The best install base investments have some amount of forward-thinking flexibility and future-proofing built in. That said, rapid tech advancements can make some costly rip-and-replace situations unavoidable.

Discovering that your existing infrastructure has capabilities you didn’t know about is like finding $20 in the pocket of a jacket you haven’t worn since last winter… multiplied by several orders of magnitude.

Software add-ons and licensing upgrades allow network operators to ‘grow-as-they-go’. Buy what you require today, and rest assured knowing the increased capacity and capabilities will be accessible when you need them. The trouble is, with so much equipment deployed in the field, it’s easy to lose track of the hidden capabilities that can be unlocked with license upgrades. The right upgrades can quickly, easily, and cost-effectively boost network capacity, performance, and overall user experience.

Ceragon, offer existing clients optimization assessments to help them find ways to get the most out of their existing purchases with inexpensive license upgrades. Ceragon provides the service for FREE to all qualified customers.

Here are 5 easy upgrades for your existing infrastructure

  1. Get More from Your Core – Multi-Core Radios

You may own twice the number of radios you think you do – Back in 2012 Ceragon pioneered multi-core technology with the IP-20C and recently built on that innovation with the IP-50C. Using a parallel radio processing engine, Ceragon was able to double link performance link performance and vastly improve spectrum usage. Before long several other manufacturers began to offer units with multiple radios as well. Most units were sold with the option to enable the license for the second radio as demand for additional capacity grew.

Years pass, personnel move from one position to another, and many built-in licensing benefits simply get forgotten. That means of course that many network operators are unaware that they can quickly and easily increase capacity by simply enabling the licenses for the unused radios they already own. No need to purchase additional radios, additional antennas, or dispatch personnel out into the field for installation. All of that represents a massive win for operators interested in reducing their total cost of ownership (TCO).

  1. Automate Adaptation - Adaptive Code Modulation (ACM)

If you’re looking for quick, cost-effective ways to improve your network's reliability and throughput, dynamic optimization using Adaptive Code Modulation (ACM) is an option you may want to consider - and it’s likely only a license upgrade away. ACM can easily be enabled on all of Ceragon’s family of IP-20 devices as well as many other manufacturers’ units.

Enabling ACM allows equipped radios to dynamically assess channel transmission conditions and adjust the modulation rate as conditions change. For example, if a patch of bad weather rolls in, ACM can adjust the modulation to compensate for any fading or interference that may occur. When the storm passes, and optimal conditions return ACM automatically switches the modulation back. Adaptive Code Modulation helps increase capacity by ensuring that you are always allocating your network’s resources in the most efficient way.

  1. It’s All About Timing - 1588 Synchronization

Everything from online sales to automated manufacturing, to the Internet of Things (IoT), relies on the carefully calibrated and synchronized timing protocols of today’s modern networks. Every aspect of network planning, management, security, and operation requires knowing precisely what events are meant to happen in which order. Proper clock synchronization keeps networks comprised of thousands of independent devices working in tandem and humming along harmoniously. Without proper synchronization, networks could quickly collapse into chronological chaos.

If you’re not already using 1588 Synchronization now would be a great time to upgrade your license. A quick call to your Ceragon sales rep will ensure your network is running like clockwork.

  1. Focus on What Matters - Header De-Duplication

Another way to improve your network’s traffic throughput by 30% or more is by enabling your header De-Duplication or ‘HDD’ license. Once activated your header de-duplication identifies and removes all the redundant information that gets sent with every data packet.

If the bulk of your network traffic is large amounts of relatively small data packets, audio calls, and text messages for example back, Header De-Duplication can have a huge impact on improving throughput. If however, your network’s traffic is mostly large data packets like high-definition video, HDD is less of a game-changer but still worth using.

  1. Keep it Secret, Keep it Safe - AES Advanced Encryption Standard

    Wireless microwave connectivity comes with a ton of benefits, like being fast, affordable, and easy to deploy, just to name a few. One of the concerns occasionally raised by operators involves exposure to Man-In-The-Middle or MITM attacks. This specific type of security threat centers around malicious actors intercepting network transmissions and selling personal data.

    Luckily easy license upgrades are available from Ceragon that provide an Advanced Encryption Standard or AES. It’s the same symmetric block cipher chosen by the U.S. government used to protect classified information. The encryption technique is complicated by design, but in essence, AES uses a method called a ‘key expansion process’ where the original key is used to create a series of subsequent keys called ‘round keys’. The round keys are generated over multiple modification iterations. Each round of modification makes it more difficult to break the encryption.

    If you haven’t already enabled your unit’s Advanced Encryption Standard option now is a great time to level up your license and your network security.

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