User:Notaehw/Summit Data Communications, Inc.

About
Summit Data Communications, Inc. is a privately held company that manufactures, sells, and supports wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11 or Wi-Fi ®) modules and cards for mobile computers, medical devices, and similar equipment. These devices are typically used in places like factories, warehouses, distribution centers, hospitals, ports, and retail stores- environments that present challenges to reliable Wi-Fi connectivity. The company was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Akron, Ohio, USA. The company’s tag line is “Connected No Matter What”.

History
From 1999 to 2005, 350 Series IEEE 802.11b PCMCIA wireless LAN radio cards and modules from Cisco Systems, Inc. were popular in the Automated Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) industry and related markets. Cisco discontinued 350 Series modules and cards in 2006.

Recognizing a gap in the market for industrial grade Wi-Fi radios, five people left Cisco’s Wireless Networking Business Unit in early 2006 and formed Summit Data Communications. By the middle of 2006, Summit had released three 802.11g-compliant radio modules and obtained Cisco Compatible Extensions (CCX) certification for each.

Products
Compared to consumer grade radios, Summit’s industrial-grade radios provide greater transmit and receive capabilities and operate across a wide temperature range. Summit’s software suite contains device drivers, an IEEE 802.1x-compliant security supplicant, a connection manager called the Summit Client Utility (SCU) and a software developer’s kit (SDK). Summit provides pre-sales integration and certification support and post sales technical support.

Summit radios support PCMCIA, Compact Flash, SDIO, Mini-PCIe and Express Card host interfaces and Windows XP, Windows Mobile and Windows CE host operating systems. Summit radios are compliant with the following standards and specifications:

IEEE

802.11a

802.11b

802.11d

802.11e

802.11g

802.11h

802.11i

802.11n

Wi-Fi Alliance

WPA (Personal and Enterprise)

WPA2 (Personal and Enterprise)

WMM

Cisco Systems

Cisco Compatible Extensions version 4 (CCXv4)

Summit obtains certifications from regulatory agencies and institutes including:

European Conformity (CE, Europe)

European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI, Europe)

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC, United States)

Industry Canada (IC, Canada)

Telecom Engineering Center (TELEC, Japan)

Recognition and Milestones
In 2008 and 2010, the National Business Incubation Association selected Summit Data Communications as a finalist for Outstanding Incubator Client in the Technology Category.

In 2009, the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce presented Summit with its Excellence in Business Award. In 2008, the Northeast Ohio Software Association (NEOSA), awarded Summit its award for Best Emerging Company in Northeastern Ohio.

In January, 2010, Summit announced its fifteenth product, an 802.11n-compliant module. As of April, 2010, Summit shipped more than 800,000 radios.