FreeWave Technologies
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Wireless networking, communications, computing solutions |
| Founded | August 1993 |
| Founder | Jonathan Sawyer, Steve Wulchin |
| Headquarters | Boulder , United States |
Area served | Global |
| Products | Secure wireless radios, embedded modules, wireless networking solutions |
| Website | freewave |
Free Wave Technologies, Inc. specializes in the development and production of secure wireless networking, communications, and computing solutions designed for machine-to-machine applications. Their radio devices enable data acquisition and transmission from equipment such as sensors, gauges, valves, robots, drones, and unmanned vehicles across extensive distances exceeding 60 miles (96 kilometers), operating effectively in both unobstructed line-of-sight conditions and challenging environments. Free Wave’s radio systems facilitate industrial uses including supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), wireless I/O, cathodic protection (CP), remote monitoring, telemetry, and analytics. The company provides robust, dependable long-range wireless data connections through both licensed and license-exempt radio options.
The company caters to a diverse clientele spanning sectors such as energy, utilities, agriculture, government, defence, water management, wastewater, manufacturing, and commercial enterprises. Additionally, Free Wave delivers network design consultations, path analysis studies, and pre-installation engineering support to assist its customers.
History
Established in August 1993 by Jonathan Sawyer and Steve Wulchin, Free Wave Technologies concentrated on producing secure and reliable licensed and license-free spread spectrum radios tailored for mission-critical data communication. Manufacturing operations have continuously been based in Boulder, Colorado since the shipment of their inaugural radio unit in 1994.
In June 2007, Free Wave secured a $113 million funding round led by TA Associates. Following this investment, the company intensified its focus on key industries including oil & gas, government and defence sectors, agriculture, water and wastewater management, as well as the manufacturing field.
Currently, Free Wave Technologies has installed more than 800,000 industrial radios and embedded modules globally.
Uses
FreeWave’s M2M wireless solutions are utilized across various industries such as oil and gas, government agencies, precision agriculture, traffic management systems, water/wastewater treatment facilities, manufacturing plants, and utility providers. Energy sector clients employ FreeWave radios to optimize production efficiency while lowering expenses in critical military operations and environmental monitoring that enables early disaster alerts.
At Ecuador’s Institute of Geophysics, FreeWave technology is deployed at the high-altitude volcano Tungurahua to detect early indicators of eruptions and transmit visual data that supports evacuation planning for local populations. Similarly, the Geophysical Institute of Peru uses FreeWave equipment to send sensor information over line-of-sight distances at speeds reaching 115 kbit/s or up to 1 Mbit/s.
The Mount Washington Observatory (MWO) in New Hampshire, located at an elevation above , employs FreeWave technology to gather meteorological data from six weather stations. This information—including temperature and wind velocity—is transmitted to an Ethernet gateway to aid climate research efforts and is shared with the National Weather Service as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for improved forecasting accuracy.
A livestock operation in the Rocky Mountains adopted a secure ZumLink IQ edge solution integrated with a customized Node-RED application to remotely monitor water levels in tanks via cloud connectivity. This implementation lowers operational expenses by reducing the need for physical inspections and promptly identifying problems such as leaks.
The Sangamon Valley Public Water District (SVPWD) in Mahomet, Illinois incorporated FreeWave radios into a new SCADA infrastructure that allows centralized remote control of wells and associated equipment. SVPWD has reported a 50% reduction in costs so far, with expectations for further savings as inefficiencies are addressed.
Mounted on drones, FreeWave technology facilitates environmental surveillance by detecting thermal anomalies and downed power lines in real time. These radios transmit vital data to fire departments, insurance companies, telecommunications providers, and dispatch centers to enable swift response actions.
Technology
FreeWave's solutions incorporate edge connectivity and computing capabilities designed to support a wide range of network architectures and applications. Their products operate within the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz ISM frequency bands, accommodating both point-to-point (PTP) and point-to-multipoint (PTMP) network setups. They utilize secure Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) technology and facilitate communication through multiple protocol Serial and Ethernet interfaces. These systems are engineered to perform reliably in extreme temperature conditions, ranging from -40oC to +75oC (-40oF to +167oF), with interface options such as RS-232, RS-422, RS-485, and TTL. Certain models include 128/256-bit AES encryption and hold C1D2 certification. The IQ Application Environment supports application development, deployment, and execution using any Linux-compatible programming language.
Products
FreeWave offers a variety of module, board-level, and enclosed radio products specifically designed for OEMs and industrial clients who need dependable connectivity and embedded computing solutions.