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The CradlePoint MBR1000 instantly creates a Wi-Fi hotspot that any Wi-Fi enabled device can connect to—laptop, camera, PDA, etc. The MBR1000 connects devices to the Internet in two ways: via 3G/4G mobile broadband using an EVDO or USB air card, providing high-speed web access virtually anywhere. Or it can also be plugged into a DSL or cable modem. |
CradlePoint Keeps HBO’s “Entourage” Production Company Connected
MBR1000 Broadband Router Provides Web and Email Access to Members of TV Production Company While They’re Filming “Entourage” On Location
Situation:
The award-winning hit series ”Entourage‘ on HBO is shot almost entirely on location. Yet even though the production company is out of the office, they can’t be out of touch. Producer Wayne Carmona explains: ”We’re always on the move, always on location. But I still need to be able to communicate and have web access. The reason I have three cell phones with three different carriers is because if one phone isn’t getting a signal, I have the other two for back up.‘
Challenge:
The company had used a couple of different 3G cellular broadband router solutions before using the CradlePoint MBR1000 Mobile Broadband ‘N’ Router. ”We were upgrading our air cards. We asked the company we work with that specializes in routers if they’d recommend anything new. They told us about the MBR1000.‘
Solution:
”CradlePoint has designed a terrific piece of equipment,‘ Wayne reports. ”I don’t know if it’s because it has three antennas, but I works better than anything we’ve had before. Technology is always advancing.‘
Wayne notes that when the company is on location, the MBR1000 is usually near him. ”At any given moment, there are a half dozen people with iPhones using [the MBR1000] two or three laptops using it,‘ he explains. ”I’m instant messaging, working on a budget, working on a schedule, reviewing dailies≈and I’m doing all of it over the Internet. I have to.‘
Benefits:
- Simple. ”[The MBR1000] is plug-and-play,‘ Wayne reports.
- Good Support. ”The second time we used [the MBR1000],‘ recalls Wayne, ”We had a small problem with the configuration. I called [CradlePoint] tech support and they helped me reconfigure it. The young man that I spoke with knew the product backwards and forwards.‘
- Reliable. ”We’ve had no issues,‘ reports Wayne. ”The only problems we’ve experienced are inherent in the cellular system. It seems like we’re never in an ideal place, transmission-wise. But the [MBR1000] unit itself is solid.‘
- Affordable. Contrary to popular perception, budget is always a concern one TV show set. ”The price was competitive,‘ notes Wayne.
Wayne summed up his feelings about the MBR1000: ”If I wasn’t doing this [producing a hit HBO] series,‘ Wayne jokes, ”I would look for a way to market [the MBR1000]. I would certainly do that.‘ Wayne recalls a recent incident that illustrates the MBR1000’s value: ”Someone had cast some talent without all of us seeing the actor’s photo. When the actor arrived on set, we realized that individual wasn’t right for the part. With the MBR1000, we were able to get on the Internet, look at photos of potential replacements immediately and get a new actor without delaying our schedule.‘
