According to Cradlepoint, the connectivity has enabled the latter organisation to “support multiple sites that had previously faced challenges installing broadband.” Turning Point offers online services to people with learning disabilities or mental health issues, as well as those with alcohol and drug problems.
Discussing a particular use case, a spokesperson said: “One of Turning Point’s local services was facing an influx in demand from people dealing with substance use. This meant a temporary location needed to be set up to help cope with [it] - a new site that required rapid connectivity.
“Installing fixed fibre networking was both too costly and too long a process to justify, so an alternative solution was needed. Following a recommendation from Turning Point’s WAN service provider, Virgin O2, Cradlepoint quickly installed a W1850 router.”
According to the spokesperson, this enabled the site to “operate effectively from day one.”
Turning Point IT project manager, Gary Nightingale, said: “Since we started working with Cradlepoint we have seen first-hand the benefits that cellular connectivity can bring.
“The nature of the work we do requires us to be incredibly flexible as we respond to requests from local authorities for support. Yet, as a social enterprise delivering local authority contracts, the cost of installing new fibre cables for temporary sites is something we can’t justify.
“However, with Cradlepoint’s W1850 routers we have been able to create secure networks quickly and easily. Likewise, being able to manage these networks through its NetCloud Manager has reduced the burden on the team substantially.”
Turning Point employ around 4,800 staff, and support over 170,000 people a year.
