Western Telematic, Inc.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Networking equipment manufacturing |
| Founded | 1964 in Arcadia, California, United States |
| Founder | Irving Ross, David Morrison, Herbert "Pete" Hoover III |
| Headquarters | Irvine , United States |
Key people | David Morrison (president 1975–2008) |
| Products | Serial console servers, power distribution units (PDUs), A/B fallback switches, automatic transfer switches |
Western Telematic, Inc. (WTI) is a U.S.-based manufacturer specializing in networking equipment, with its corporate headquarters located in Irvine, California.
History
Established in 1964 in Arcadia, California by founders Irving Ross, David Morrison, and Herbert "Pete" Hoover III, WTI was an early innovator in communication technology. Among its initial developments was the TM150, created in partnership with IBM, which facilitated the connection of multiple remote terminals to a single computing system.
In 1974, WTI designed a specialized device for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that converted data from magnetic card typewriters into teletype code and punched tape formats. David Morrison held the position of president from 1975 until his retirement in 2008.
The company launched a console server in 1984 that enabled remote access to numerous RS-232 ports simultaneously. Three years later, WTI moved into a 25,000-square-foot facility in Irvine and introduced the Lasernet product, designed for printer sharing applications.
During the early 1990s, WTI collaborated with Sprint Communications to address telephone fraud by developing the Pollcat II+ call accounting system for PBX environments. This system identified unauthorized long-distance calls and provided capabilities for remote alerts and management.
David Morrison tragically died in a plane crash near Jean, Nevada in 2018.
Recent developments
At the 2010 Cisco Live event, WTI was highlighted by Cisco Systems for its secure remote management solutions. That same year, it released the RSM-8R8 series—a hybrid device combining console switching, remote reboot features, and an automatic transfer switch within a compact 1U chassis.
In 2016, Western Telematic supplied remote management equipment to SpaceX for their Falcon 9 autonomous drone ships. The following year marked the debut of their first remote power distribution unit equipped with an integrated 4G LTE modem and an AC-powered control relay switch.
By 2019, WTI enhanced its out-of-band management offerings by integrating automation capabilities compatible with DevOps tools and telemetry-driven network automation platforms.
Products
Western Telematic provides a range of hardware solutions focused on network management and connectivity. Their portfolio includes serial console servers, power distribution units (PDUs), A/B fallback switches, and automatic transfer switches—products designed to facilitate remote access, power management, and environmental monitoring across data centers and distributed IT infrastructures.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, WTI introduced multiple devices addressing telecommunications challenges, printer sharing, and port management. The PSU-81B printer-sharing unit (1987) sequentially scanned up to eight RS-232 input ports to relay data to a connected printer and offered configurable options for baud rate and handshake protocols.
The Call Power switch (1986) allowed computers to be powered down remotely or on a schedule via modem commands. It also incorporated surge protection features along with a manual bypass function for local control.
The SS-16 (1984) was a smart switch featuring sixteen RS-232 ports with independent port configuration capabilities and support for local networking involving up to eight concurrent connections.
Introduced in 1986, the RAB-14 switching system accommodated as many as 196 A/B switches housed within a modular chassis, enabling electronic switching of RS-232 lines between systems or modems.
The TAS-41 (1985) permitted four users to share a single RS-232 port with command-driven access controls and adjustable session timeout settings.
Earlier innovations included the DB-1 (1984), which functioned as a data line amplifier for RS-232 connections by filtering interference and improving signal quality to extend communication ranges.
In collaboration with Sprint Communications during the 1990s, WTI developed the Pollcat II+, a call accounting solution designed to detect unauthorized long-distance calls within PBX systems while incorporating fraud detection mechanisms.