Rapid Wi-Fi: Enterprise-Grade Connectivity in Minutes, Anywhere
Portable 5G network in a box
Get your team online in minutes, wherever they work
Rapid Wi-Fi is the all-in-one, ready-to-deploy platform that gets crews connected in minutes, on remote substations, off-grid sites and moving vehicles, anywhere permanent networks cannot reach.
- Operational within minutes, no install and no fixed line
- Secure 5G with automatic 4G/LTE failover, Wi-Fi 6
- Rugged and portable, tool-battery or mains powered
Prefer to talk? Call +44 (0)1452 764694
Connectivity that lets teams down in the field
For utilities, construction, civils, industrial and emergency teams, a connectivity gap is not an IT inconvenience. It is an operational liability that costs time, money and, at worst, safety. Today the choice is a bad one: permanent infrastructure that takes months to plan and deploy at heavy cost, or basic portable kit that falls over the moment you ask it to move real data.
- No signal where the work is. Remote sites like substations, pylons, reservoirs and water assets often have little or no mobile coverage.
- Unstable connections. Even where a cellular network exists, multiple users and heavy data quickly make it unreliable.
- Slow to deploy. Temporary routers and local infrastructure can take hours or days to stand up.
- Tied to the mains. Standard networking kit needs mains power and cannot run off the batteries crews already carry.
- Not built for the field. Rain, dust and extreme temperatures cause consumer-grade equipment to fail outdoors.
A complete network in a box
Rapid Wi-Fi is not just a router. It is a complete, field-ready platform that pairs an extremely powerful high-gain antenna with a ruggedised industrial 5G gateway, so it pulls a usable signal in places a phone or a standard router simply cannot. Everything your team needs is built in and ready to go: gateway, antenna, secure Wi-Fi, power and cabling, in one rugged case or mounted to the vehicle.
Developed by Cherry & White in partnership with Lantronix (Nasdaq: LTRX), Rapid Wi-Fi delivers connectivity speeds up to 70 times faster than legacy portable solutions in low or no-coverage environments, and it can be operational within minutes of arriving on site.
Two ways to deploy
Vehicle Connectivity Solution
Mounts to fleet and response vehicles, extending secure, enterprise-grade connectivity as the vehicle moves through the field.
Peli Case Solution
Houses the platform in a ruggedised, portable hard case, engineered for rapid setup in the harshest conditions, from emergency staging areas to remote substations.
Key features and specifications
Deploy in minutes
Operational within minutes of arriving on site. No engineer install, no fixed line, no Openreach.
Up to 70x faster
Connectivity speeds up to 70 times faster than legacy portable solutions in low or no-coverage environments.
5G with 4G/LTE failover
5G NR Release 16 with automatic LTE and 4G failover keeps you connected as conditions change.
Wi-Fi 6 and gigabit networking
Dual-band Wi-Fi 6, high-speed WAN and four gigabit LAN ports handle multiple users and heavy data at once.
Powerful high-gain antenna
A rugged, low-profile multi-band 4×4 MiMo antenna pulls a usable 4G and 5G signal where phones and standard routers fail.
Built for extreme environments
IP69K water and dust protection and IK10 vandal resistance, with a weatherproof Peli case for the portable unit.
Flexible power
The portable unit runs on the tool batteries crews already carry; the vehicle unit runs off the vehicle battery (8 to 40V DC) with ignition sensing to prevent drain.
Multi-constellation GPS
Built-in GPS and GNSS (GPS, Glonass, Galileo, QZSS) for fleet, asset and lone-worker location awareness.
Remote management
Centralised remote management via Lantronix Percepxion cuts costly site visits.
Secure by design
Enterprise-grade, secure connectivity suitable for mission-critical infrastructure.
*“Up to 70x faster” is based on Cherry & White field testing in rural Kent, summer 2025.
Book your free demo
See Rapid Wi-Fi in action. Tell us about your sites and we will be in touch.
How it works
1
Capture
A powerful high-gain antenna picks up cellular signal where phones and standard routers cannot.
2
Convert
A ruggedised 5G gateway (the Lantronix NTC-552) turns that signal into a fast, secure Wi-Fi network for your whole team.
3
Connect
Powered by the tool batteries your engineers already carry, or by mains, so it is ready wherever the work takes you.
By integrating our Rapid Wi-Fi technology with Lantronix’s advanced industrial gateway, we can bring high-bandwidth connectivity to locations that previously lacked reliable access, enabling organisations to deploy critical communications infrastructure faster, more securely and at a significantly lower cost.
David Bayley, COO, Cherry & White
More than connectivity: safer lone working
Rapid Wi-Fi was designed with a welfare benefit as well as a practical one. Because it provides a stable connection in remote areas, it supports real-time remote assistance and integrates with lone-working processes and connected sensors.
That means field staff stay continuously connected and visible while they work in isolated locations, so help is only ever a call or an alert away. For utilities and infrastructure teams, that is a measurable step up in both safety and productivity.
Who it's for
Real-time monitoring on remote sites
Treatment works, pumping stations and remote reservoir sites where crews need to monitor and report from beyond mains coverage.
Connectivity anywhere on the network
Distribution and transmission operators working on substations, pylons and remote gas assets, on foot or from the vehicle.
Site data, uploaded from anywhere
IDNO, UIP and land survey teams uploading scans, drone capture and setting-out data from off-grid and temporary sites.
Backhaul where there is none
Fixed, mobile and full-fibre field and integration teams building and maintaining networks in hard-to-reach locations.
Connectivity that moves with the team
Rail infrastructure, fleet and roadside assistance crews that need reliable data on the move and at the incident.
One kit, every site
Main contractors, housebuilders and civils teams bringing site offices, welfare units and compounds online from day one, long before any fixed line is available.
Why Cherry & White
Others sell a router, or build you a bespoke fixed network for a single site. Rapid Wi-Fi is different: a complete, portable, ready-to-deploy platform that goes where your people go. Antenna, gateway, secure Wi-Fi, power and rugged case are built in and ready to switch on, with no installation and nothing tied to one location.
It is developed in partnership with Lantronix (Nasdaq: LTRX), combining our Rapid Wi-Fi technology with a ruggedised industrial 5G gateway trusted in critical infrastructure, and backed by more than 30 years supporting the UK’s critical national infrastructure, utilities and transport sectors.
Rapid Wi-Fi is proven with UK Power Networks (UKPN). In independent field testing across remote sites with low or no mobile signal, it delivered a working Wi-Fi connection where a standard phone hotspot could not, reaching download speeds of up to around 70 Mbps.
Case study: UK Power Networks
Connectivity that held up where phone signal didn’t
UK Power Networks engineers were losing connection at remote substations and assets where mobile coverage is poor or absent, unable to reach the systems they rely on. Fitted with a vehicle-mounted Rapid Wi-Fi unit, they were tested across remote low and no-signal sites.
It delivered a working connection at every site tested, with download speeds up to around 70 Mbps in areas as weak as -114 dBm. Engineers reached their ADMS network manager, carried out live circuit-breaker switching and stayed contactable throughout, all from locations where a phone would not connect.
Up to 70 Mbps download at sites where a standard phone hotspot could not hold a connection.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly can Rapid Wi-Fi be set up?
It is designed to be operational within minutes of arriving on site. There is no engineer installation and no fixed line required.
Where does it work?
Anywhere with some cellular signal, including low and no-coverage locations where phones and standard routers struggle. A powerful high-gain antenna captures signal, and 5G automatically falls back to 4G/LTE to keep you online.
How is it powered?
It runs on the tool batteries field crews already carry, or on mains AC power. Batteries are easy to carry and swap in the field.
How many devices can connect?
It supports multiple users and heavy data at once, with Wi-Fi 6 and 2.5Gbps WAN throughput.
Is it secure?
Yes. Rapid Wi-Fi provides enterprise-grade, secure connectivity and can be managed and monitored remotely via Lantronix Percepxion.
What is the difference between Rapid Wi-Fi and a mobile Wi-Fi or MiFi device?
Small consumer MiFi devices are fine for email on a single device, but fall over on significant files or bandwidth. Rapid Wi-Fi is ruggedised and far more powerful, built to run a whole team in demanding field environments.
Do you offer a vehicle-mounted version?
Yes. Rapid Wi-Fi comes as a portable Peli case unit or mounted to a vehicle, so connectivity moves with your team.
See Rapid Wi-Fi in action and find out how quickly we can get your crews online. Book your free demo today, or call +44 (0)1452 764694.
