6/22/2017 RobertJ.

Pera'sweblog|

Navigation
Filteringin3Domains:Why
PrismStationistheGreatestProduct
EverBroughttotheWISPIndustry.
byRJPonJune16,2017inBlog

Backintheearlydays,Iwasworkingwithacustomertoreplaceanolder,slower
802.11b2.4GHzminiPCIradiowithUbiquitislatestSuperRange2802.11ghipower
miniPCImodule.ResponsetotheSuperRangeminiPCIcardshadbeen
overwhelminglypositive,butthisuserwasexperiencingsignificantlyworse
performancepostupgrade.AtfirstIthoughtitwasbadhardwareandshipped
anothercard,buttheresultsdidnotchange.Ithenworkedwithhim,tryingto
improveperformancethroughseveralattemptsatdesignmodificationsbutalsoto
noavail.

Atthatpoint,Iboughtasampleoftheolder802.11bcardatissueformyself,which
wasbasedonthePrism2.5chipsetfromIntersil.AndlikethePrismname
implies,Iquicklysawthatthisoldercardalthoughslowerinmaxspeed,hadaradio
designwithasuperiorselectivitytheabilitytofilteroutneighboringchannels.

But,howcouldthisbethecase?TheSuperRange(Atheros802.11a/b/gbased)
radioswerethelatesttechnologyandIassumeditwouldoutperformtheolder
802.11btechnologyinallareas.AftertakingaparttheIntersilPrismradio,things
becameclearer.

TheIntersilradiowasbasedonatruesuperheterodynereceiverarchitecturewhere
thecarrierwasdownconvertedtoanIntermediateFrequency(IF)andfilteredwitha
dedicateddiscretefilter.Meanwhile,theAtherosradio,wasacompletelyintegrated
CMOSchipsetwithoutanyoffchipIFfiltering.

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Sowhatdoesthisallmean?Theabilitytofilteraradiosignallargelydependson2
things:

1.Thefractionalbandwidth:

Filteringouta1MHzchannelat1GHz(.1%fractionalbandwidth)ismuchharder
thanfilteringouta10MHzchannelat100MHz(10%fractionalbandwidth)

2.Thefiltereffectiveness:

Adedicatedspecializedfilteristypicallyfarsuperiorthanafilterintegratedintoan
IC.

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InthecaseofthePrismradio,itoptimizedbothareas.Byhavingadownconverted
IFof384MHz,itwasableincreasethefilteringfractionalbandwidth.Andwitha
dedicatedoffchipSAW(SurfaceAcousticWave)filter,ithadamuchmoreeffective
filter.Incomparison,theAtherosradiowasbuiltforcompletelowcostICIntegration
andhadneither.Itmighthaveperformedwellindoors,butinoutdoorWISP
applications,thePrismradiocouldsurviveinRFenvironmentswheretheAtheros
basedradiohadnochance.

FilteringintheFrequencyDomain

ThisexperiencewouldplanttheseedforwhatweironicallycallourPrism
TechnologyatUbiquiti.WewantedawaytoleveragethespeedsofthelatestWiFi
chipsettechnologybutalsoretainthegreatselectivityoftheoriginalIntersilPrism
radios.

Whatwepatentedwouldbecounterintuitivetomost.Weessentiallyputourown
radioinfrontoftheWiFichipsetradio.Howdoesthisexactlyimproveperformance?
Thediagrambelowhelpsexplainstheconcept

OurPrismtechnologyreceivestheunlicensedbandspectrum(5GHzor2.4GHz),
downconvertstoanintermediatefrequency,appliesspecializedhiselectivity
filteringontheareaofinterest,andupconvertsthechannelbacktoappear
magicallycleantotheWiFiRadio.

Wehaveprovenselectivityimprovementsofupto30dB.Toputthisinalinear
perspective,ourPrismTechnologyreducesnoiseseenbytheWifiradiobyupto
1,000times!

FilteringintheSpatialDomain

Hornantennatechnologyhasbeenaroundforoveracentury,butonlyrecentlyhave
theybeenattractiveandproventobesuccessfulinWISPapplications.Intheearly
daysofthisindustry,antennagainwasmostvaluedandtraditionalsectorsand
reflectorswerebestsuitedfordeployments.Fastforwardtotoday,withbillionsof

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unlicensedradiosinuseworldwide,theabilityofantennaisolationtomitigatenoise
isbecomingmorevaluable.Wewantourantennastoonlyhearandtalkinasingle
directionandignoreallotherdirections.Hornantennasdothisexceptionallywell.

ThechallengeforourantennateamatUbiquitiwashowdowetakeadvantageof
theRFisolationadvantagesofhorns,butstillmaintainenoughantennagain
requiredforhighperformancelinks?

Theansweriswhatwecallasymmetricalhornsandwebelievetheyarethefuture
ofWISPdeployments

FilteringintheTimeDomain

The802.11WiFistandardusessomethingcalledCSMA/CA(CarrierSenseMultiple
Access/CollisionAvoidance).Itisacontentionbasedprotocolwhichmeansifall
clientsonanetworkcanheareachother,everythingcanworkwell.But,inthe
caseofoutdoornetworksandisolateddirectionallinks,mostoftheclientscannot
heareachotherandenduptalkingoveroneanother.Tosolvethisweintroduceda
TDMA(TimeDivisionMultipleAccess)protocolwhereclientsareassigned
organizedtimewindowstotalksotheydonotinterferewitheachother.

ThiswastheessenceofourAirMaxTDMAprotocolwehaveimprovedthroughout
theyears.WhilethisworkswellforclientsconnectedtoasingleAP,whatabout
interferenceissueswithmultipleAPscolocatedtogether?

OurallnewGPSsynchronizationprotocolspecificallyaddressesthischallenge.
PrismStationusesGPStoprovideaglobalsynchronizationtimerforpotentially
everydeploymentintheworld.WhatthismeansismultipleBaseStationscanwork
seamlesslyonasingletowerorneighboringtowersandevenusingthesame
spectrum.AndwecanalsoachievesynchronizationbetweenAirMaxandAirFiber
Basestations(includingourupcomingLTUtechnology)

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Webelievetheculminationoftechnologiesdriving3DomainFiltering(Frequency,
Spatial,Time)willenablethenextstageofhighperformance,highdensityAirMax
networksthroughouttheworld.Wearereallyproudtobringthisproducttomarket
andhopeitwillbetheweaponthatoperatorscanusetofightandbuildhigher
performancenetworkseveninthepresenceofincreasingamountsofRFnoisein
theunlicensedbands.

Comments{0}

UniFiTheBeginningofTheHigher
MarketDisruption
byRJPonMay11,2017inBlog

HowAnOutdoorWirelessCompanyEnteredtheEnterpriseWiFiMarket

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Perhapsnowhardtobelieve,Ubiquitisdecisiontoenteranewmarketwiththe
introductionofUniFiin2010wasgenerallycriticized.Atthattime,somequestioned
whyacompanydrivingexplosivegrowthintheoutdoorWirelessInternetService
ProviderIndustrywouldriskdivertingtheirfocus.OthersquestionedhowUbiquiti,
havinglessthan25employeesandnoneofthemmarketingorsalespeople,could
possiblyenteramarketdominatedbytraditionalsalesmodels.Nevertheless,Isaw
anIndustryripefordisruptionandaperfectopportunityforustoleverageourcore
strengths.

Exactlywhywasitsocompelling?In2009,ifyoutookaparta$1,000+Enterprise
WiFiAPandcomparedittoa<$50consumerWiFiAP,youwouldsee90%
component/materialoverlap.Enterprisevendorswereessentiallyoverengineering
consumerWiFireferencedesignsforoftenlittlemorethanincrementalperformance
benefitandthendramaticallyoverchargingforthem.Ubiquitispastsuccesswas
attributedtoacompletelyoppositephilosophymakingdesignsmorecost
efficient(whileenhancingperformance)andpassingsavingsontothecustomer.
Andourincreasingeconomyofscaleatthispoint(1mm+AirMaxradios/yr)
reinforcedwhatIsawasanexcellentEnterpriseWiFiopportunity.Ibelieveda
solutionatjustafractionofthecostcombinedwithabasicfeaturessetandsome
Ubiquitimagicwouldfinditswaytodisruptingthemarketandbreakingthe
establishedITsalesdynamics.

WhatexactlydoImeanbyUbiquitimagic?Well,markettimingandcostdisruption
alonedonotmakeadisruptiveproduct.Iftheydid,thenmanyvendorsfocusedon
lowcosthardwareplayswouldntbestrugglingwithmarketshareandachieving
profitability.ThereisareasonwhyUbiquiti,acostleader,isalsobymanymetrics
themostprofitablehardwarecompanyintheworld.Makingdisruptiveproductsalso
requiresakindofdesignmagicsomethingthatconveystothecustomer
qualitiesofpremiumcraftsmanship,thoughtfulusability,andingenuitywhichinturn
sparkintrigueandevangelism.Infact,manypeoplethinkitwasouruser
communitythatliftedourbrandandproductstosuccess,butitverylikelywasthe
otherwayaround.

HereareafewexamplesofUbiquitimagicinherentintheUniFiplatformlaunchin
2010:

1.TheUniFimarketingbrand

UniwhichmeanstocombinemultiplepiecesintoonepairedwithWiFi
createsUniFitheperfectnameforasystemthatmanagesmultipleWiFiAPs

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withinasinglecontrolplane.Evenbetter,thiswordtranscendslanguagesnicely
thisisimportantasnonnativeEnglishspeakersmakeupabigpartofourcustomer
base.

2.Theindustrialdesign

InspiredbytheAirportExtremeprojectIworkedonatApple,butoptimizedforwall
andceilinginstallation.Lowerprofiledimensionsforaseamlessmounted
presentationandantennapatternsoptimizedtodirectenergyangledout.Aglowing
circularLEDringwasusedtogivetheproductapersonalitythatchangedcolors
accordingtodevicestate.(adesignelementthatwasquiteoriginalatthetime)

3.The3Pack

AlsoauniqueideaatthetimewastheAP3packwhichframedthemarketing
messagethatUniFiwasascalablesystem.(Todaywehaveevolvedto5packsto
supportthehigherinstallationcountoftypicalUniFideployments)

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ThePerformanceStory

TothosewhohavefollowedUniFishistory,itisnosecretthatwestruggledpost
launchtoimproveperformanceandqualityoftheplatform.Followingtheinitial
successoftheproduct,weurgentlyneededtoimproveacrossmultipleareas
includingfeatureexpansion,wirelessperformance,betterqualitycontrol,andmore
attentiontouserexperience.Disappointingly,wejustfailedtoexecute.Sowhat
exactlyhappened?Sometimesadevelopmentteamthatisgoodintakingaproject
fromconcepttomarketisnottheteambestsuitedtoscaleandperfect.Eventually
wemadethetoughdecisiontopivottowardsacompleterestructuringofthe
platformdevelopmentteamandstrategy.(SimilartoourpivotsintheAirmaxworld
ataroundthesametime).

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Asaresultofthesechanges,westartedexecutingfarmoreeffectivelyacrossall
keyperformanceareasoftheplatformaswellasintroducingnewproductsand
technologiesatarapidpace.Whileitmayhavelookedlikegrowthwasslowingjust
acoupleyearsago,UniFiisnowreaccelerating,growingfasterthaneverbefore
andrecentlybecomingthehighestvolumeshippingEnterpriseWiFiplatforminthe
world.Evenmoreexciting,weareonthebrinkofasecondwaveofdisruption,
attackingthehigherendsofthemarketandnotbecauseofcost,butbecausemany
believeUniFiisnowsimplythebestallaroundperformingplatformintheIndustry
andhereiswhy:

1.Performance

AtrueenterpriseWiFiAPtodayshouldbefast,resilient,andreliable.Itshouldbe
nearethernetspeedunderlightload,providesolidperformanceandlowlatency
underheavyloadsandinterference,aswellasmaintainstabilityatalltimes
evenwhenfacedwithpossiblyanyofthousandsofolderquirky802.11legacy
devicesfightingforairtime.TheUniFiplatformwasalwayseffectiveindelivering
elegantAPmanagement,butitwasntuntillastyearthatweachievedtrue
enterprisewirelessperformanceandwehaventstoppedthere.Infact,bymany
accounts,UniFihasnowquicklyascendedtobethetopperformingWiFiSolutionin
theIndustry.

Togettothislevelofperformancehasbeenanexerciseinpersistentlytestingand
optimizingofthewirelessdriverperformancewithrapiditeration.Infact,wehave
builtteamstodeveloptoolsjusttoallowustoconducttestingmoreefficiently.
Thesetoolscombinedwiththetransparentfeedbackofourcommunity,whohave
collectivelydeployed10mm+APs,hasenabledustomakeexcellentprogressina
shortamountoftime.

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2.UserExperience

ITsolutionsaregenerallyintimidatingtooperateandhaveconfigurationinterfaces
proprietaryinnature.Traditionalcompanieshaveusedtheseasanadvantageby
creatingtrainingandcertificationclasseswhichlockinsystemintegratorsafter
theyhaveinvestedintothedeeplearningcurve.Wehavetakenaverydifferent
approach.WhileUniFihastonsofadvancedfunctionality,weconstantlystriveto
buildauserexperiencethatisvisuallyintuitiveandcanveryquicklybemastered
bynearlyanyonewithageneralnetworkingbackground.Furthermore,theUniFi
interfaceisdesignedtoelegantlymanagedifferenttechnologiesacrossdifferent
geographiclocationsallwithinasingleframework.

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3.CustomerService

ItiswidelyknownthatUbiquitihostsapowerfulcommunityofsystemintegrators
who,togetherwithourR&D,evangelize,improve,andsupporttheUniFiplatform.
ButUniFialsooffersveryresponsiveemailsupportandrealtime24/7onlinechat
builtintothecontroller,availablefreeofcharge.

4.WiFiProductBreadth

UniFioffersacomprehensivefamilyofAccessPointscoveringvariousapplications
includingoutdoorwifi,hospitality,education,andenterpriseseachwithunique
formfactorsdesignedspecificallyfortheirapplicationuse.

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5.FeatureExpansion

TheUniFiteamcontinuestoexpandtheplatformwithnewfeaturesincluding
IntegratedRadiusserverwithinsightsforadvancedinstallations,fullycustomizable
hotspotswithdetailedanalytics,aswellaspowerfuldeeppacketinspection
reportingtocharacterizenetworkuse.

6.TechnologyExpansion

WhileUniFiisknownasaWiFisystem,itisrapidlyexpandingtoadjacent
technologies.TheUniFiswitchingportfolioisquicklygainingmarketshareandwe
arefocusedthisyearonbringinghigherendgateways,applicationservers,and
othertechnologiestomarketallmanagedwithintheUniFicontroller.

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ASecondWaveofDisruption

Interestingly,whileUniFisperformancehasdramaticallyimprovedoverthepast
coupleyears,wehavebeenevenmoreaggressiveinourpricingstrategy.For
example,whereourtopselling802.11nUAPProwaspricedat$229MSRP,we
introducedourUAPACPRO(withseveraltimeshigherperformance)at$149
MSRP.WefollowedthisupwithverylowentrypointsforourUAPACMeshand
UAPACInwalleachat$99MSRPaswellaswithourhidensityPOESwitching
familyalsostartingat$99MSRP.

Theobviousquestionwhywouldwesacrificemarginsandprofitabilitywhenwe
donthaveto?Whileitistruetheaboveproductswouldstillbesuccessfulevenat
significantlyhigherpricing,wemadeaconsciencedecisiontoreduceshortterm
profitsinanefforttomaximizeUniFibrandawareness,buildgreaterlongterm
competitiveadvantage,andforcetheIndustrysattentiontoourmarketsharegains.
Inturn,ourhopewasthatUniFisperformancecouldstandonitsownandultimately
berecognizedasalegitimatesolutionforhigherendmarkets.

Andjustaswehoped,UniFi(evenwithoutasalesforcebehindit)isnowstartingto
makeitswayupmarketintoamoredemandingcustomerbaseonewhovalues
performancejustasmuchasprice.Andinpreparationofthisnextphaseof
evolution,wehavebeenworkingtowardsanewproductportfolioalongwithan
advancedhostingandsupportsolution.SpecificallyourHDandXGseriesof
productsbringshighdensityclientsupportand10GigabitperformanceacrossWiFi
APs,switches,andgateways.ThesenewproductsarecomplimentedbyourUniFi
Eliteservicelaunchingthisyearthatwillofferacompletehostingsolution,
advancedRMAreplacement,lifetimewarranty,andexpertlevelphonesupport.

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Comments{1}

FromIntegratedProductto
ChallengingGoliath:HowairMAXAC
Generation2TechnologyCompletes
ourIndustryVision
byRJPonMarch14,2017inBlog

Tenyearsago,UbiquitiwasjustanewentrantintheWISPIndustry,knowntobe
littlemorethanamanufactureofnicheminiPCIradiocardsthatcouldbeusedwith
Mikrotikrouterboards.Atthattime,IsawthewritingonthewallasMikrotikwas
startingtobringtomarkettheirownradiocards.Theyhadacompletemonopolyon
thegrowingWISPIndustrywithadecadeheadstartandanoperatorcustomerbase
theybuiltaroundtheirroutingsoftwarefoundation.However,Isawacriticalflawin
theirstrategythatcouldpossiblybeexploited.Mikrotikbelievedinanaftermarket
assemblyworldwheretheywouldmarkethardwareand3rdpartycompanieswould
supplythemechanicals,antennas,andcablecomponentsforWISPstoassemble
solutionsthemselvesfordeployment.But,IsawthefuturedifferentlyIbelieved
WISPswouldwelcomeproductintegrationwithagreaterattentiontouser
experience.

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Ubiquitiatthattimewasmadeupofjustahandfulofpeople.MyselfandPatrick
Jabbazworkedtogetherontheschematicdesign,heownedthelayoutanddigital
designwhileIownedtheRFDesign,radiotuning,andmanufacturingtesting.Also
aroundthattime,weputtogetherasmalltalenteddeveloperteaminLithuaniawho
workedonourfirmwarecalledAirOSandwehiredamechanicaldesignconsultant
aswellasanantennadesignconsultantwhichwouldhelpusinourfirstforayinto
manufacturingacompleteproduct.LikeallairMAXproductssince,Ihavetakenan
outsideindesignapproachwhereIworkedwiththedesigneronmyvisionforthe
productfirstandthenwecustomizedthehardwareandantennatoaccommodate.

PowerStation

ThisprojectwewouldmarketasPowerStationandIhopeditwouldbecomean
IndustrystandardforCPEdeployments.TheinitialresponseinourU.S.channels
waspositiveandwereceivedordersforseveralthousandunits.Itwasatthistime,
ItookmyfirsttriparoundtheworldwithaPowerStationsampleinhandtotryand

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garnerinternationalchannelinterest.Withinacoupleweeks,Iwouldtravelfrom
CaliforniatoSouthAmericaandAfrica,thenontoRussia,theMiddleEast,
Europe,andfinallyontoAsia.BythetimeIwasfinishingthetrip,Ihadbecome
quitedemoralized.WhilethePowerStationdesignwasacknowledgedasbeing
beautifulinappearance,itwasuniversallycriticizedasveryexpensive,bulky,and
impracticalforthevariousemergingmarketsweweretargeting.Why?ThePower
stationwaslargeandheavymakingitproblematicforshippingandwitha
manufacturingcostofnearly$100,itjustcouldnotbecompetitiveinthesemarkets
wheresolutionsassembledusingcomponentsfromAsiawerebeingsoldatnearly
1/4theprice.

Evenworse,afterIgothomeandshortlyaftershippingPowerStationsintotheU.S.,
webeganseeingnumerousqualityandperformanceissuesfromfirmwarecrashes
toreportsofourhighgainantennanothavinganygainatall.Thesituationwasa
messIwasfrustratedhavinglittlegainedfromallthedevelopmentefforts,
nervousattheprospectofnotbeingabletocompeteinthemarketasMikrotikwas
quicklymovingtolowercostsolutionsandsolidifyingtheirlead,andconcerned
financiallyspeculatinghowmuchthismisstepwouldcostusasUbiquitiwasa
completelybootstrappedoperation.

NanoStation
Butsometimesyourbestideasandachievementsariseintimesofgreatadversity
andinthosenextdays,wetookahardlookatthePowerStationdesignaswellas
whatIlearnedfrommyrecenttravels.Whatstruckmenowaboutthe
Powerstationsmechanicaldesign(whichfollowedtraditionalpractice)wasitsover
complexitywithseveralplasticparts,variouswaterproofinggaskets,andheavydie
castpartsfortheantennagroundplaneandhardwareenclosure.Coincidentallyat
aroundthesametime,Motorolahadapopularproductgainingattentioncalled
CanopythatwaspricedfartooexpensivelyfortheemergingmarketsthatIsought
after,butwasverysuccessfulwithhigherendWISPintheU.S.Whatintriguedme
mostabouttheirdesignwasaverysimpleplasticbucketenclosurethatwaslight
weight,lowpartcount,andeliminatedallofthecomplexweatherproofgasketing.

Withinthenext6months,PatrickandIexecutedonanewproductideafrom
concepttovolumeshipping(anoutstandingachievement)thatwouldbeknownas
NanoStationWhereasPowerStationwasbulkyandoverengineered,NanoStation
exemplifiedminimalistdesign.Wefoundnewmechanicalengineeringresources
andinspiredbyMotorolasdirection,madetheindustrialdesignevensleekeraswell
astookadvantageofthefullPCBAbacksideandusingitasagroundplanefora
costeffectivedualpolaritydirectiveantennaarray(whichwasdesigned
successfullythistime).Plusweevenintegratedasoftwareselectableexternal
antennaconnector.Weessentiallyaddedthedirectionalantennaand
weatherproofingaroundthehardwareforonlyafewdollarsinawaythatintegrated
seamlessly.WealsohadthefortunatetimingofsolvingcriticalSWissuesonthe
heelsofthefailedPowerStationexperience.

AssoonaswehadNanoStationprototypesready,Iwentbackaroundtheworldto
pitchthenewproducttothesameinternationalchannels,andthedemandwas
overwhelming.Supplyconstrained,wewouldshipoveronemillionNanoStations
withinthatnextyearitwasthecompanysfirstgrowthinflectionpoint.

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airMAXSoftwareStrategyComingTogetherAtLongLast:A
CompleteSetofSoftwareTechnologies

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BringingNanoStationtotheWISPIndustryputusonthemap,butourambitions
havealwaysbeenmuchgreater.Wehaveneversettledforbeingatypical
equipmentprovider.Wedonotmarkettobigtelecomcarriersnorhavesales
teams.Insteadweoptedtodisruptthestatusquo.Wewantedtogivethetoolsto
anyambitiousentrepreneurevenoneswithoutfinancialbackingortechnical
trainingtocompeteinthebigcarrierdominatedISPIndustry.Wecreateda
communityplatformwheretheseveryentrepreneurscouldshareexperiencesto
helpmakeourcollectivetechnologybetter.OnewayIliketothinkofourstrategy
isessentiallysupplyingtheslingshotinDavidsfightagainstGoliath.

Unfortunately,asmanyofyouknowfirsthand,wehavehadbumpsalongtheway
towardsreachingourendvision.Butjustlikehowwehardpivotedsuccessfully
fromourfailedPowerStationproducttoNanoStation,wehavemadehardpivotsin
ourdevelopmentstrategyoverthepastcoupleyearsthathaveachieved
outstandingresults.

Onthesoftwareside,Ibelievewehavefinallyachievedatrueendtoendsolution
foroperatorstonotonlydeployandmanagetheirnetworks,butalsotoscaletheir
business.ThisimpressivecollectionofsoftwareresourcesUbiquitiprovidesfreeof
chargeinanefforttoleveltheplayingfieldagainstlargercarrierswithmore
financialresources.

Fromlinkplanning(AirLink),todeploymentease(UMobile),radiooptimization
(AirOS),networkmanagement(AirControl),andbusinessoperations(UCRM),we
areempoweringthisIndustrywithanunprecedentedsoftwaretechnologyarsenal.

RadioConfigurationandLinkViewingTheNewAirOS
NearlyallWISPproducts(includingpriorairMAX/AirOStechnology)haveUIdesign
rootsbasedintheWiFirouterworld.ButwhereasWiFiroutersaredeployedin
indoorenvironments,outdoorwirelessisaboutlongdistanceslinksfocused
betweentwopointsinawidelyvaryinganddifficulttoassessoutdoorenvironment

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Lookingatthingsfromthisperspective,IrealizedagoodUIforWISPapplications
shouldsharplyfocusonprovidinginsightintotheoutdoorenvironmentandhowit
affectsaspecificlongdistancelink.

Ourdevelopmentteamhasdoneafantasticjobincreatingbyfarthemost
impressiveWISPproductUIbroughttomarket.ThenewAirOSquicklygives
insightintolinkdistanceandsettings,capacityineachdirection,andairtime.In
addition,itgivestheoperatoraninstantoverviewofthetotalspectrumbehavior
(poweredbyourdedicatedAirViewalwaysonspectralanalyzerradio)aswellas
providesfantasticinsightintotherelationshipbetweensignalstrength,modulation,
andcapacity.Finally,cumulativedistributionchartsgiveinsightintothelinkstime
dependentvariation.

RadioDeploymentTheNewUMobile(bothAndroidand
iPhonesupport)

Inlessthanayear,UniFimobilehasinexcessof120,000activeusersandover1
milliondownloads!So,thethoughtoccurredtousletsputthesameteamon
buildinganequivalentappfortheairMAXworld!Withthisplaninmind,we
designedintoallairMAXACGen2hardware(moreonthislater)anadditional
dedicatedUMobilemanagementradioallowingforadirectconnectiontoany
smartphoneortabletviawifi,greatlyimprovingthedeploymentexperience.

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NetworkAnalysisTheNewAirLink
AirLinkhasbeensuccessfulasasimplepointtopointperformanceestimator,butin
ordertomakeitapowerfultoolWISPscanusetobetterunderstandtheirexisting
networks,weareintroducingterrainsignalmappingformultipointcoverageanalysis
togreatlyreducetheneedforinpersonsitesurveys.AirLinkwillalsohavean
increasinglyimportantroleinourfutureWISPtechnologyroadmap.

NetworkMonitoringandManagementTheNewAirControl
Yes,AirControlhasahistoryofstumbling.TheoriginalAirControlhadawell
receivedWebUI,butwasquitesluggish.TheupgradedAirControl2wasveryfast
andscalable,butrequiredJavatothedismayofalargepartofthemarket.The
cloudaspirationsofAirCRMwaspoorlyarchitected.Wefinallytookastepback,
cameupwithafinalplanandhaveexecutedverywellinthepastcoupleyears.

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ThenewAirControl(v2.xtobeexact)hastakenthebestpiecesofthepast
experiences.Ithasapowerfulandscalablebackend(likeAirControl2),anelegant
WebUIfoundationwithrapidfeaturedevelopment(muchlikeUniFi),andanative
developmentpathtooptionalcloudhosting.

CustomerandOperationsManagementTheNewUCRM
AswithAirControl,UCRMdevelopmenthadsomechallenges,butinthepastyear,
anewteamhasdoneafantasticjobinmakingitintoanoutstandingtool.UCRM
offerstightlevelsofintegrationbetweenUbiquitidevicemanagementandcustomer
managementsuchascustomerInternetaccesssuspensionforpastduebillsand
advancedQoScontrols.Withnearly1,0000WISPsusingUCRMinitsearlystages
ofdevelopment,wearehopingthesolutionhelpstosolvemanyofthechallenges
associatedwithscalingfromastartupWISPtoalargeserviceproviderbusiness.

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NewGeneration2airMAXACHardware
Traditionally,wehavedesignedairMAXtechnologyforlongdistanceopen
environmentlinks.Inthiscase,antennagainiskingashighersignalstrengthleads
tohighermodulationratesandincreasedcapacity.Thiswasthelogicbehindourhi
gaindishes,sectors,andintegratedradioproducts.However,astrongfocusofour
Generation2airMAXAChardwaredevelopmentwasurbandeploymentswhere
signalcontainment(andnoiseisolation)wereoftenmoreimportantthanpurelink
gain.

TheIsoStationisadiecastmetalenclosedairMAXACGen2radiothatcomes
standardwitha45deg15dBihornantennathathasphenomenalenergyisolation
performanceandisdesignedspecificallytoperformwellintheharshestofRF
environments.ThePrismStationtakestheconcepttothenextlevelbringingour
PrismactiveRFfiltering(inadditiontotheextremeantennaenergyisolation)
performancetotheradio.EitherproductcanbeusedaseitheranAPoraStation
andcanbeupgradedwithavarietyofaftermarkethornantennaswithvarying
coveragepatterns.

Urbanvs.Rural

IsoStation&PrismStation

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ThePrismStationandIsoStation(alongwithallGen2hardware),containan
independentAirViewspectralanalysisradioaswellasadedicatedwifimanagement
radioallowingUMobilesupportfromanytabletorsmartphone.Inaddition,Gen2
hardwareESDprotectionhasbeensignificantlyenhancedinattempttoeliminate
ethernetfieldfailures.Bestofall,thereceiversofGen2radioshavebeen
redesignedwithhardwaretrickswehavelearnedallowingthemtobefurtherresilient
toRFnoise.

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Finally,theLiteBeamandPowerBeamGen2hardwarehavesignificantlyimproved
mechanicalmounting.

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BreakthroughairMAXWirelessPerformance
PerhapsthemostimportantfocusofourrecentairMAXdevelopmentwasimproving
theupgradepathofnewnetworksfromairMAXtoairMAXAC.Althoughithasbeen
achallengingpastfewyears,wefinallyseethelightattheendofthetunnel.
RecentAirOSfirmwareadvances(especiallywithV8.1),haveshownterrificresults
inaddingairMAXACradiostoexistingairMAXnetworks.Combinedwith
Generation2hardwareimprovements,airMAX

ACisnowconsistentlyoutperformingexpectations.

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ComingUpNext.

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Comments{0}

TheEvolutionofHomeWiFiPart2
byRJPonDecember16,2016inUncategorized

Part2:Welcometo3DMeshHomeWiFi

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InPart1,ItalkedabouttheinspirationbehindtheAmpliFirouterdesign,butyou
mayhavenoticedtheAmpliFiMeshWiFisystemalsoincludesuniquepiecesof
hardwarecalledMeshPoints.

AsproudasIamabouttheAmpliFirouter,IbelievetheMeshPointisthestarofthe
platform.Thedesignrepresentstheultimateexampleofformmeetingfunction,
poweringcompleteubiquitousWiFicoverageinanyhome,includingmultistory
homes.Inotherwords,MeshPointsweredesignedtoexpandcoverageinthe
horizontalplane(onefloor)andintheverticalplane(acrossmultiplefloors)
achievingthreedimensionalor3DMeshhomeWiFicoverage.

Letslookatthekeyfeaturespoweringthiscapability:

AmpliFIMeshPointHD

TheIntegratedSuperAntenna

Thegeneralruleofantennaperformancefollowssomethinglikethis:thelargerthe
surfaceareaoftheantenna,themoresignalcanbesentandreceived(whichis
whytheantennasthatsend/receivesignalintodeepspacearemonstrouslylarge).
Andthisispreciselywhytraditionalroutershaveuglyexternalantennasthey
areabletoextendrangemoreeffectivelywiththesebigantennas.Thisisalsowhy
largerdevicessuchaslaptopsandPCsgenerallyhavebetterWiFirange
performancethansmallerdevicessuchassmartphones.Thelargerdeviceshave
moreroomforlargerantennas.

Forameshsystem,antennaperformance(andantennasize)iscritical.Why?
Becauseintuitively,consumerswillplacemeshaccesspoints(APs)inareas
wheretheycurrentlydonothavegoodWiFicoverage.ButiftheirexistingWiFi
devicescannotconnectbacktotheirmainrouter,howwillasecondarymeshAP
(withasimilarlyweakantenna)doanybetter?

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CommonMeshDeviceLimitations

Therecommendedcompromisebymanymanufacturersistoplacethesecondary
meshAPsomewherebetweenthemainrouterandthedeadspotarea.Thisallows
themeshAPtohaveastronglinktothemainrouteryetstillextendtheoverallWi
Finetworksignal.Butthisleadstoanotherproblemthesemiddleareastendto
beinhallwaysinsteadofrooms.AndwhowantstohaveaboxandACpowercable
lyingonahallwayfloor?

CommonMeshDeviceinHallwayRequirement

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TheAmpliFiMeshPointsolveseachoftheseproblemsbycleverlydisguisinga
superantennainsideaverypowerfulhardwaresystem,enablingittoachievea
muchstrongerlinktothemainroutercomparedtocommonWiFidevices.This
allowsuserstopracticallyinstalltheMeshPointdirectlyinsidethedeadzonearea
andsolveWiFiconnectivityissues.Bestofall,theMeshPointcanbeplugged
directlyintoanyoutletwithoutaclumsyACpowercable.

MeshPointPlacementFreedom

Inaddition,iftheconsumerwantstolocateMeshPointsclosertotherouterto
improveperformance,thisapplicationisalsocleverlycoveredbythesamedesign.
BecausetheMeshPointhasaverysmallfootprint,itisabletositflushagainstthe
wallinvirtuallyanywallACsocket.Andwiththeaveragehomehaving70AC
outlets,thatrepresentsalotofplacementfreedom!

HighPerformance33MIMOIntegration

TosaytheMeshPointantennaisdisguisedinapowerfulhardwarehostcannotbe
understated.Infact,theMeshPointpacksdual33MIMO802.11acradiosrunning
atboth2.4GHzand5GHzbandssimultaneouslyalongwithaBluetoothLEradio
andanaudiospeaker.Having33MIMOWiFiperformancenotonlygivesfurther
rangeadvantage,buta50%maximumthroughputboostaswell.Thisgreatly
benefitsmeshnetworkperformanceandprovidesfasterspeedswhenlinkingto
highendPCsandnotebooksthatalsoutilize33802.11actechnology
somethingnotrealizablewiththegeneral22MIMOMeshWiFisolutions(and
unfortunatelythemajorityofreviewershavenottakenthisadvantageintoaccount).

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ExplodedviewoftheMeshPointHDDesign

IngeniousDirectivityFeature

Thesuperantennaand33MIMOtechnologypowertheMeshPointssuperiorrange
performance.However,inordertofullyrealizethegoalof3DMeshWiFi
coverage,weneedawaytoaggressivelyextendWiFicoveragenotjustinthe
horizontalplane,butalsointheverticalplane.NearlyallWiFisolutionsinthe
markettodayhaveantennasthatsendandreceivesignalinthehorizontalplane
onlywithverylittlesignalextendingintheverticaldirections.

MeshPointDirectivityRangeAdvantage

TheMeshPointssuperantennahasomnienergycoverage,butitalsohasa
directiveantennabeamthatcanbeusedforlongerrangeconnectivitywhenaligned
inaspecificdirection.Thechallengewehadwasfindingamethodtogivefull
rotationalandtiltmovementtothisdirectionalantennabeamwhilemaintaininga

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compactproductsizeandkeepingtheinstalleddevicerelativelyflushagainsta
wall.

Thesolutionwecameupwithisquiteelegantessentiallydividingtheproduct
into2segmentsconnectedtogetherbyamagneticjoint.Thiskeydesignfeature
allowstheMeshPointantennadirectionalfreedomwhilepluggedintoanoutletand
atthesametimeprovidesbasiccommunicationsandpowerbetweenthebaseand
themainhardwareunit.

MeshPointFlexibilityEnablesTrueUbiquitousPerformance

Now,wehaveawaytoaggressivelypullsignalfromamultistoryhomeandeven
intoadeepbasementorahighattic.Ifneeded,therearealsosignalstrength
indicatorsontheMeshPointsaswellasaudiospeakerassistancetooptimize
installationandperformance.

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AmpliFi3DMeshinAction

AmpliFiHD3packincludesanAmpliFirouterand2xMeshPoints

Comments{0}

TheEvolutionofHomeWiFi
byRJPonDecember8,2016inBlog

Part1:FromAppleAirPorttoAmpliFiMesh
Technology
RobertJ.Pera
RobertPerastartedhiscareeratAppleComputer,wherehewasahardware
engineerfollowingM.S.andB.S.studiesinElectricalEngineering.Fromtherehe

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wentontobootstrapUbiquiti,providing
connectivitytechnologybridgingthedigitaldivide
forhundredsofmillionsofpeoplearoundthe
globewhilealsobecomingamodelofefficient
businessoperationsorganicallyevolvingfrom
bootstrappedstartuptoapubliccompanywith
billionsofdollarsinhistoricalrevenueandan
operatingmarginprofileof37%oneofthebest
intheindustry.HeisalsotheControllingOwnerof
theMemphisGrizzliesfranchiseoftheNational
BasketballAssociation.

Alongtimeago(atleastintechnologyyearsand
evenbeforeiTunesoriPhone),Istartedmy
careeratAppleComputeraspartofthewireless
hardwareteamwheremyinitialprojectwould
becometheindustrysfirst802.11grouterwitha
blazingtopspeedof54Mbps!(Prettyfastatthetimethiswas2003.)

TheAppleAirportRouter
Althoughthatdesigniswelloveradecadeold,itsimpactonthenextgenerationof
wirelessroutersisnowevident.TheAppleAirportproductfamilydidacoupleof
thingsverywell.ThefirstwasasmootheruserexperiencewhichintegratedintoOS
Xautodetectionandaconfigurationutility.Thesecondwasanimpressiveindustrial
designwhichintegratedtheantennasinsideaslicklookingenclosuremakingthem
invisiblefromtheoutside.

(NearlyallthemeshWiFientrantsintotheconsumerspacenowmarketaround
theseatonetimeveryuniqueattributesoftheoriginalAppleAirportdesign.)

AppleAirportExtreme

UniFiEnterpriseWiFiTechnology
Yearslater,IwoulddrawinspirationfromtheAppleAirportwhendesigningthenow
ubiquitousUniFiwirelessAccessPoint.ForthosenotfamiliarwithUniFi,itisa
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softwaredefinednetworking(SDN)platformfromUbiquitiNetworks(www.ubnt.com)
whichallowsmultiplenetworkingdevices(routers,switches,APs,andmore)tobe
unifiedacrossunlimitedgeographyandmanagedwithinasinglesoftware
controller.Recentadvancesinfeaturesandperformancehaveacceleratedits
growthintobecomingthehighestvolumeshippingEnterprise(ormanaged)
AccessPointintheworldwithincreasingshipmentsofseveralmillionsunitsper
year.UniFisystemsarenowubiquitouslydeployedinhotels,schools,offices,
airports,andmore.

TheindustrialdesignoftheUniFiaccesspointsdrawsinspirationfromtheoriginal
AppleAirportrouterIworkedon,bututilizesamuchslimmerprofilespecifically
foraestheticplacementonwallsandceilings.Italsohasadefiningpersonality
LEDintheformofaglowingringwhichcanchangecolorsorblinktodescribethe
stateoftheAP.

UniFiEnterpriseWiFiTechnology

Thisyear,UbiquitiLabshasintroducedUniFislittlebrothertotheworld:AmpliFi.If
thegoalofUniFiwastounifyenterprisenetworkingdeploymentsforcentral
management,thegoalofAmpliFiistoamplifymodernhomenetworkcoverage
andperformanceessentiallyeliminatingdeadspotsthroughouteverysquarefoot
ofeveryhome.

Oftenwhenstartingaproject,wedrawinspirationsfromothergreatdesigns.Inthe
caseofAmpliFi,thereweretwospecificindustrialdesignsthatgaveourteam
inspiration.ThefirstwasaproductfromApplethatIconsideraclassicinthe
historyofindustrialdesign:theG4cube.Whythecube?Becauseitlooksfantastic
onadesk.WhereasUniFiAPsweredesignedtolookcompletewheninstalledon
aceilingorwall,Ifeltthecubewasthestartingpointforarouterdesignbecauseit
justlookscompletesittingonashelfordesk.

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ThesecondwastheNestThermostat.Specifically,itscircularLCDhasawow
factorwhichisalsoquiteusefulinprovidingstatusandfeedback.

AppleG4CubeandNest

IfyoulookcloselyatAmpliFisrouterdesign,thenyoucanspottheinspirations
fromnotonlytheG4cubeandNestThermostat,butalsofromUniFiaswell.
BecausetheUniFiAPisdefinedbyitspersonalityLED,Iwantedtoportitto
AmpliFitoprovidesomekindofcontinuitybetweenthedesigns.Inthiscase,the
personalityLEDglowsfromthebaseoftheunitandisalsocontrollablebythe
AmpliFimobileapp.

AmpliFiHDMeshRouter

Aswithmanygreatdesigns,youwillfindalevelofattentiontodetailinsidethe
productthatmatchesthatoftheoutside.TheAmpliFirouterschallengewasto
reconcile3criticaldesignrequirementstooptimizeformandfunctionasdescribed
below:

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1.Physicalfootprint
Noonewantsadevicethattakesupalotofdeskspaceandsoweneededto
compactAmpliFisfootprintasmuchaspossible.WemanagedtogetAmpliFi
Routersfootprintdowntoaveryslimsize,lessthan4inchesineachdimension.

AmpliFiHDMeshRouternexttoXboxOneS

2.Antennaperformance
Goodantennarangeperformanceiscorrelatedwithphysicalareaandisolation,
whichiswhybestperformingrangeAPshaveantennasthatstickout.Wetook
advantageofthecubegeometryanddedicatedthefulltophalfoftheproducttoa
wellisolated33MIMOSuperAntennawhichbeatsouteveryrouterwehave
testedwithtraditionalexternalantennasinrangeperformancecomparisontesting.

AmpliFiHDMeshRouter33DualBandSuperAntenna

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3.Thermalperformance
AmpliFiscombinationofdualradio33,1750Mbpsperformancealongwith
5portGigabitswitchplusBluetoothandseparatecontrollersforaudioandtheLCD
requirehardwareplacementspacingandairflowconsiderations.Wesplitupthe
boardsintoastackingstyleandbelowanindependentgroundplane.Thisprovides
increasedairflowwhilekeepingthefootprintsmallandprovidinggreatisolation
betweenthehardwareelectronicsandantennaforgreatwirelessperformance.

ExplodedviewofAmpliFiiHDMeshRoutermechanicaldesign

Formepersonally,usinggreatnewproductsandbeingabletotracebacktheir
inspirationsthroughdesignobservationsishighlyenlightening.Althoughoften
invisibletotheendmarket,nearlyeveryinnovation,fromsmartphonestoelectric
cars,hasbeenanexerciseinleveragingandimprovingpreviousinnovationsin
creativewaysthattapintonewvalue.

Ubiquitiwasinauniquepositiontosolvethegeneraldissatisfactionwithconsumer
WiFitechnologybyleveragingmypersonalexperienceintheoriginalAppleAirport
RouterproductdesignscombinedwithourdevelopmentexperienceandIPfromthe
EnterpriseWiFiUniFiplatform(whichisquicklybecomingthestandardforhigh
performanceWiFiapplicationsinprofessionalapplications).Theresultisthe
elegantAmpliFiMeshWiFitechnologyplatformwhichwehopewillsetanew
standardforconsumerWiFinetworkingdesignandperformance.

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AmpliFiHDMeshRouter

Comments{5}

TheTransparencyRevolutionandWhy
BusinessIsAbouttoChange
byRJPonJune17,2013inUncategorized

Irecentlyattendedthe
ForbesPhilanthropy
SummitinNewYorkwhere
BillGates,WarrenBuffet,
Bonoandotherstalked
aboutthestateofvarious
globalsocialinequalities.
Inoneinterestingsession,
Bonogavehistakeon
whathecallsthe
TransparencyRevolution
andhowinformation
transparencyisthekeyto
BonoSpeakingatTheForbesPhilanthropyEventLast
fightingthecorruption
sustainingthesesocial WeekinNYC

inequalitiesinThirdWorld
Countries.Theideaisthat
ifcorruptpoliticalmanipulationswereknowntothepublic,thosebehindthemwould
bedeterredfromsuchpracticesfearingtheycouldfacetheconsequencesoftheir
actions.

Justasinformationtransparencyisworkingtoexposeanddetercorruptioninthe
PoliticalWorld,itisalsobeginningtoexposecustomerexploitationintheBusiness
World.Butfewseemtograspthemagnitudeofwhatitisabouttomean.

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ForthoseofyouintheInformationTechnologyIndustry,thereisafamoussaying
thatgoessomethinglikethisNooneevergetsfiredforbuyingCisco

IfirstheardthephrasewhenIwasincollegeandassumedittoreflectwidespread
customerendorsementofthegreatvaluepropositionofCiscossolutions.Thatwas
myunderstandinganywayfromanOutsiderpointofview.Lateron,inmy
professionalcareer(designingInformationTechnology),Ibegantoseethings
entirelydifferentlythistimeasanInsider.IsoonrealizeditwasnotCisco
customerspromotingthissaying,butratheritwasaninstrumentdesignedbya
collusionofthecompanysownInsidersworkingtogethertostrengthentheirprofit
holdontheircustomers.

So,whoaretheseInsiders?Theyareacollectionofdifferentgroupsbrought
togetherbyasingularalignedcommoninteresttomakethecustomerpayas
muchaspossible.Fromhugesales,marketing,andbusinessdevelopment
organizationstomultitiereddistributionchannels,tocomplexuserexperiencesand
certifications,professionalsystemintegrators,andpostsalesreoccurringsupport
andlicensingparties.Whethertheyknowitornot,customershavebeenlargely
payingforasetofrelationshipsthathavenothingtodowithtechnologyvalueof
theproducttheyarepayingmoneyfor.Theyareessentiallygettingrippedoff.

TheOldModelvs.TheFutureModel

Traditionalcompanybusinessmodelsarentbuilttoempowercustomersandpass
onvaluetothem.Theyarebuilttoextractprofitabilityfromthem.Andinformation
asymmetrygivesthemtheperfectcover.But,withanincreasinglyconnectedworld
pavingthewayformoreandmoreinformationtransparencytothecustomer,allof
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thisisabouttochange.NolongerareInsidersabletocontroltheflowof
information.Ifaproductisgreat,sooncustomerswilltellothercustomersonthe
Webandravereviewsspreadlikewildfire.Similarly,ifaproductisbador
customersrealizetheyarebeingrippedoff,relationshipswillprovidelittlerecourse
tocontainthatinformationfrombeingwidelydisseminated.

Whatdoesthismeanmovingforward?AsanEngineerfirstwhoenjoysbuilding
greatproducts,andaBusinessmansecondwhohasnopatienceforpoliticsand
inefficiencies,Ifeelveryfortunatetobeattheearlystagesofmycareerinthis
pointoftime.Movingforward,Icansaywithcertaintythatthemostsuccessful
techcompaniesofthefuturewillbetheoneswhodeliverthebestproductsand
technologyvaluefirstandforemostwhichempowercustomers.Thisisvery
differentthanthetraditionalbusinessmodelwhichleveragesrelationshipstocontrol
informationasymmetriesandextractprofitfromcustomers.

ThreecompaniesthatIbelievearepositionedwellinanincreasinglyinformation
transparentworldare:Tesla(ElectricVehicles),Xiaomi(Smartphones),
andUbiquitiNetworks(Enterprise/CarrierTechnology).Whatisimportanttonoteis
thatalthoughthesecompaniesdelivertechnologyvalueveryefficiently,alltake
concentratedR&Dapproachestoproduceleadingedgeperformanceproductswhich
inturngenerateevangelismfortheirbrands.

Comments{6}

Tesla:TechnologyBaitandSwitch101
byRJPonMarch30,2013inUncategorized

Recently,anewTeslaModelShasbeenparkingnexttomeinmyapartment
garage.AndeachtimeIseeit,Ifeelagrowingimpulsetobuyone.Thereare
manyarticlesaboutTeslasbusinessmodelandwhethertheyhavefuturestaying
power.IthoughtitmightbeinterestingtogivemyinsightonTeslaandthe
successfullaunchofthemodelSfromaproductdesignerperspective.

WhenpeoplethinkofTesla,theythinkofacompanybettingbigontheideaofa
futureautoIndustrydominatedbyelectriccars.Thecompanyspublicrelationsand
marketingcampaignsarebuiltaroundthesavingtheplanetidealsoftheirelectric
drivetrainarchitecture.Andithasworkedbeautifullyhugeawarenesshasbeen
createdforthecompanyvirtuallyovernight.

However,behindTeslaswhimsicalvisionofelectriccarsisamultitudeof
impracticalitiesincludingthecarshighpricetag,costofmaintenance(batterylife
depreciation),andcharginginconvenienceswhichbasicallyrendersitsusetoa
secondarycommutingvehicle.Nowordinarily,thiswouldbeenoughtoscareaway
potentialbuyers.Butnotinthiscase.Why?Becausepeopleultimatelydontbuy
Teslacarsbecausetheyareelectric.Infact,whenwasthelasttimeyouhave
seenasavetheplanetactivistdrop6figuresonacar?

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ThereasonpeoplebuytheModelSisbecauseitisanawesomeproductwithkey
innovationsbothinindustrialdesignanduserexperiencethathypnotizeprospective
buyersintolookingpastimpracticalitiesoftheelectricdrivetrain.Ineffect,Tesla
hashookedinprospectivecustomersusingamonsterPRandmarketing
campaignleveragingtheuniquenessandearthfriendlyattributesoftheelectriccar
vision,buthavesuccessfullyconvertedthemtoownerswiththeirgreatproduct
designdespiteitbeinganelectriccar.

Whenpeoplechoosecars,itsaverysimilardecisionprocesstohowtheychoose
theclothestheywear.Theyselectdesignswhichreflectqualitiesoranidentity
theywouldliketoprojecttoothers.Teslasdesignersdidagreatjobofgrafting
certainqualitiesintotheirindustrialdesignwhichstronglymatchthosequalitiestheir
financialanddemographictargetmarketwanttoproject.Essentiallytheyhave
takenatraditionallyconservative/functionalsedancategoryandhavereinventedit
withanunderstated,wickedlycoolfactor.

Thebestproductdesignscanillicitemotionalresponsesfromtheirusers.Often
times,userscantevendescribewhytheyaresofondofaparticularproduct
experienceandthisispreciselyareflectionofgreatdesign.Itsanalogoustoa
brilliantlycraftedscenefromaclassicmoviewhichgraspstheviewer,butonlyafter
reviewingthesceneoverandoveragain,canonerecognizeandappreciateallthe
greatdetailsthathadtocometogethertomakeitspecial.Teslasindustrialdesign
incorporatesseveralsmallinnovationsthatcollectivelycreateahypnoticeffectto
theoutsideviewer.Thedesignisequalpartselegant,fierce,andprogressive
somethingdifficulttodowithoutappearingoverthetop.Itscompletelycoolwithout
tryingtobeandthatiswhatmakesitsoattractivetoitstargetmarket.

Hereareafewofmyfavoritedetailsoftheindustrialdesign

A.Thelights:Thereissomethingveryelegantaboutcleanandbrightpurewhite
light.Teslausesthislightingstrategythroughoutthecar.

B.Theremote:Teslahasdesignedthecoolestremoteentrykeyoutthere.A
detailnotnearlypaidenoughattentiontobytheautoIndustryitssomethingthe
driveralwayshastocarryaround.

C.Integratedlargerrims:Lotsofcarownersupgradestockwheelrimstomuch
largerrimstogivetheircarsamoreaggressivelook.Althoughitlooksgreat,it
projectsanoverthetopmessage.InherentinthemodelSdesignisasymmetric
balancethatincorporateslargerwheelrims.Theresultisapowerfulbutunder
statedlook.

D.Seamlessretractabledoorhandles:Thisisanothersmalldetail,butithasa
hugepsychologicalimpacttotheuser.Itencouragesmetotheconclusionifthey
putallthisthoughtintothistraditionallyoverlookedsmalldetail,theneverydetailof
thecarmusthavehadequalattentiontodetail.

E.Greatdesignsymmetry:Bycurvingthesidewindowsandtaperingtheinterior
cabinwidth,Teslahascreatedalookthatisequalpartssedanandsupercar.From
thesideangle,itlookslikeabalancedsedan,butfromthebackside,itappears
powerfulwithalowcenterofgravitymorecharacteristicofasupercar.Again,they
havemanagedtodothiswhilemaintaininganunderstatedimage.

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ModelSIndustrialDesign

TheuserexperienceofthemodelSisjustasimpressive.

EventhoughtheoriginaliPhoneprovedthatapuresoftwarebasedinteractive
experiencewasasuperioruserexperience,Industriesoutsideofmobilecomputing
havebeenslowtofollow.Mechanicalbuttonsandcontrolsarecompletelyprimitive
bytodaysstandardsandsofrustratingandcumbersometouse.Yet,theauto
Industryhasbeenslowtocatchon.

Teslagetsit.

AttheheartofthemodelSuserexperienceisthegianttouchscreen.Theycould
havesettledfora7or10screen,buttheywenttoafull17screenfromthestart
withacompletelysoftwarebasedinteractiveexperience.Itssoobviousand
superiorineverywaytoatraditionalcaruserexperience.Moreefficient,intuitive,
caneasilybeupgradedanytime,andjustfeelswaycooler.Teslaisthefirstcar
companyIhaveseenwhounderstandsthatthefutureofgreatcarsisnotjustabout

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howtheydriveorspecifications,butabouthowtheyinteractwiththedriver.Ina
sense,themodelSwasdesignedtobeacomputingdeviceitself.

ClosingThoughtsandWhatIwoulddoifIwereElonMusk

InadditiontoTeslassuperiorindustrialdesignanduserexperiencemastery,they
havealsoexposedanotherhugeinefficiencyintheIndustry:howcarsaresold.In
myopinion,thewaycarsaresoldtodayiscompletelyinsane.Dealershipslocated
inthemiddleofnowherewithhugeamountsofdiverseinventory?Cluelesssales
peoplewhojustwastecustomerstime?Andwhydoesbuyingacarhavetotakea
fulldayofsittingatadealershipcompletingapurchase?Andaretestdrivesreally
thatimportant?Mostpeoplealreadyknowwhethertheywillbuyacarornotbythe
timetheydotheirresearchandjustsitinitespeciallythesedayswithallthe
informationtransparencytheInternetprovides.

OneofTeslasRetailStores

Teslasretailstorestrategyisasobvioustomeastheirdesigndirection.Itsfar
lesscostlythantraditionaldealershipstooperateanditisfarsuperiorformarketing
thecar.Theretailstorescaneffectivelydemonstratethequalitiesanduser
experiencethecaroffersaswellasbestrategicallypositionedatdiverselocations
withhighconsumertraffic.Bestofall,theyarenotcolocatedwithanyother
competitorsliketraditionaldealershipsare.

AlthoughTeslasmissiontogrowanIndustryofpureelectricvehicleshasprovento
havegreatleverageinbuildingpowerfulPR/marketinginitiativesandpublicmarket
valuations,Iamnotsosureithasgreatleverageinbuildingacompanythatwill
disrupttheautoIndustryandtakethelionsshareoftheprofits.

Now,ifIwereElonMusk,Iwouldfullyexploitthemomentumofthebaitandswitch
success.Specifically:
1.KeepthecurrentmessagingofTesaintact,emphasizingthebenefitsofelectric
vehicles,butshutoffR&Dspendingonpureelectricaldrivetrainvehiclesand
abandonthecharginginfrastructurenetworkbuildout

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2.Taketheincrediblecorestrengthsofthecompany(Industrialdesign,user
experience,retailstores)andquicklyrefocusthemonarobustlymanufacturable
<$50Khybridcarthatcanbesoldtothemasses

3.Lookforoverseasproductionfacilitiesandfocusveryquicklyonexpanding
capacityandoperationalefficiencytoclosetheoperationalcompetitiveadvantage
gaptherestoftheautoIndustryhastoday.

ThechallengeTeslafacesistheyhaveexposednowobviousdesignandsales
inefficienciestotherestoftheircompetitorsintheAutoIndustry.Atthesametime,
theydonothavetheproductioncapacityandoperationalefficienciestobecost
relevantagainstthesesamecompetitors.So,iftheyreallywanttodisruptthe
entireIndustry,theywillhavetoaddresstheiroperationaldisadvantagesbeforethe
AutoIndustrytakesnoticeandstartstoincorporatethecompanysowndesignand
userexperienceinnovations.

Comments{5}

MemphisGrizzliesPressConference
byAdminonNovember8,2012inBlog

ThisweekIwasinMemphistotalkwiththelocalmedia.AlthoughIamnotthe
mostexperiencedpublicspeaker,itwasalotoffunandIamverythankfultothe
cityandpeopleofMemphisfortheirwarmwelcome.

MemphisGrizzliesOwnershipIntroductionfromRobertJPeraonVimeo.

Comments{4}

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TheChallengeofEducationalReform
inTheUnitedStates
byRJPonSeptember7,2012inBlog

UbiquitiNetworkshasengineeringofficesinSanJose,LosAngeles,Irvine,
Chicago,Kaunas(Lithuania),Moscow,andTaipei.Eventhoughweonlyhave
upwardsof100employees,itisquitethegeographicmix.Ironically,wenever
intendedtobuildtheseremoteofficesandweneverhadaspirationstosavecosts
onengineeringsalaries.Wejustsomehowmanagedtorecruitoutstandingpeople
(irrespectiveoflocation),andovertime,teamsandofficesnaturallygrewaround
them.

Ioftenenjoytravelingtothedifferentofficesandhelpingmakesureeachonehas
whatitneedstobesuccessfulinproductdevelopment.Overthepastseveral
years,Ihaveflown1,000sofhoursintheairandIhavetrainedmyselftothepoint
whereIwillnaturallyfallasleepassoonasIgetonplane.Itdoesnotmatterwhere
intheworldorwhattime,typicallyIwillbeasleepontheplanebeforeittakesoff
throughwhenitlands.

Today,ontheflightbackhome,Ihappenedtowakeupearlyandwasabletocheck
outamoviecalledWaitingforSupermanwhichdetailsthestateofthecountrys
educationalsystem.IwassointriguedbythefilmthatIwentontodosomefurther
research.IthoughtIwouldsharewhatIfound:

ForthoseofyouwhoarefansofthebookFreakenomics,youmightrecallthatin
2001,StevenLevitt(UniversityofChicago)andJohnDonohue(YaleUniversity),
publishedapapertitledTheImpactofLegalizedAbortiononCrime.Backedby
compellingstatistics,theyclaimedthattheRoevs.Wadedecisionof1973,in
whichtheU.S.SupremeCourtlegalizedabortion,directlyresultedinthesharp
decreaseincrimeratesseeninthe1990s.

Theirargumentisthatthislegalizedabortionhadacompellingsideeffectit
essentiallyreducedthenumberofunwantedchildrentypicallygrowingupin
severelyunderprivilegedcircumstancesthatwouldeventuallygoontoleadcriminal
adultlives.

Now,iftheirargumentweretrue,itwouldappearthatbyextension,thekeytoa
brighterfuturedependsonfindingawaytosolvetheproblemofunderprivileged
circumstancesaltogether,right?

ThedocumentaryWaitingforSupermanisastudyofhowwearefailingtodeliver
aqualityeducationtomuchoftodaysyouth.Itarguesthatthepoorperformanceof
theU.S.publicschoolsystemisdirectlyrelatedtothepoorqualityofitsteachers.
Andchangingthesituationisincrediblydifficultbecauseofthehighlyinefficient
governmenteducationalbureaucraciescombinedwiththechangeresistantnational
teachersunionwhostandinthewayofimprovingteacherqualityandperformance.

Oneofthemostinterestingscenesofthefilmshowstheilleffectsofasystemthat
accumulatesbadteacherscombinedwithaunionwhichmakesitnearlyimpossible
tofireanyofthemoncetheyenterthesystem.NewYorksrubberroomisa

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buildingwhereteacherswhoareonjobrelatedprobationarerequiredstaywhilethey
awaittheirdisciplinaryhearingawaitthattakesonaverage3years!Here,they
spendtheirdayscollectingfullpayandbenefitsbasicallydoingnothingatacostof
$100mm/yeartothestateofNewYork.

RubberRoom,NewYork

AnothermemorablescenestudiesthestatisticsofaPennsylvaniajailinafailing
schooldistrictwhere68%oftheinmateswerehighschooldropouts.Theinmates
stayinsidethejailatacosttothestateof$33,000/yearperinmate.Meanwhile,
thecostoftheaverageprivateschooltuitioninthecountryisjust$8,300year.For
theamount,theinmatescouldhavebeensenttoprivateschoolasyouths,highly
unlikelytohaveendedupinjailinfirstplace,andpossiblypayingtaxesand
contributingtotheworkforceaswell.

CharterSchools

CharterSchoolshaverecentlybeenpromotedasasolutiontothefailing
performanceofthecurrenteducationalsystem.CharterSchoolsarepublicschools
fundedbypublicmoney,butcompletelyredesignedandfreeoftheagentsresistent
tochangeinthecurrentsystemTheyarebackedbyphilanthropistsandbusiness
leaderssuchasBillGates,ReidHoffman,andPittHydeandaimtobridgethe
inequalitybetweentheprivilegedtopprivateschoolsandthefailingpublicschools
throughoutthecountry.Charterschoolsbelieveinsmallerclasssizes,longer
schooldays,andtighterscreeningofteacherquality.Althoughtherearestatistics
showingthatsomecharterschoolshavebeenverysuccessful,otherstudiesshow
thattheiroveralltestscoreshavenotyetshownsignificantimprovementcompared
withtheexistingpublicschoolsystem.

FINLAND

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AfterreadingconflictingaccountsaboutthesuccessofCharterSchools,I
proceededtoresearchwhohadthebesteducationalsystemintheworld.Itturned
outtobetheScandinaviancountryofFinland(homeofNokia).Finlandhas
consistentlyrankedatthetopoftheworldineducationaltestresultsacross
virtuallyeverystandard.HereareafewofthephilosophiesfromFinlands
educationalsystemthatIammostimpressedwith:

DisciplinedPursuitofPerfectingtheTeachingProfession:Teachersarevery
highlyrespectedinthecountryandbecomingateacherinFinlandsschoolsystem
isevenmoredifficultthanbecomingadoctororlawyer.Allteachersarerequiredto
obtainamastersdegreeandgainingentranceintotheseprogramsishighly
competitivewithonly10%oftheapplicantsbeingaccepted.

Eventhoughthenewteachersarehighlyqualified,theystillgotheextramile.
Groupsofthesestudentteacherswillregularlyvisitschoolsandsitinonclasses
foryearsbeforeactuallyteachinglessons.Aftersittinginonthelessons,the
studentteacherswillcongregatewithseniorteachersinfeedbackdiscussionsabout
howlessonscanbefurtherimproved.

EncouragingStudentDiscovery:Whileanaverageteacherspends1100hours
peryearinaclassroominwhichtheydominate85%ofthespokenwords,in
Finlandteachersspendjust600hoursintheclassroomanditisthestudentswho
speak60%ofthetime.Thereisverylittlehomework(afewhoursperweek),very
littletesting,andnotrackingorseparatingstudentsbasedontheirlearningability.
Infact,teachersoftenstaywithacoregroupofstudentsforseveralyearsand
focusonhoweachchildlearns.Differentteachingstylesareadoptedasneededto
fitindividualstudents.Finnishteacherssaytheydontwantstudentstolearn
lessonsbutratherdiscoverlessons.

DesignedfortheModernWorld:Finlandsstudentsareintroducedtohandson
learninginvolvingcomputersandelectronicsatanearlyage.Inaddition,lessonsin
entrepreneurshipandinnovationareembeddedacrosstheschoolsystem.But,
whatismostinterestingtomeisthathighschooldivergesintotwoseparate
tracks:thereisageneraltrackwhichleadstohigherstudiesaswellasa
vocationaltrackthatfocusesonhandsonengineeringskills,immediatelypreparing
studentsfortheworkplace.Interestingly,40%ofthestudentsvoluntarilychoose
thevocational,handsontrack

ThereisagreatdocumentarydonebyHarvardsTonyWagnerthatcanbeviewed
herethatcoversalotoftheabove:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up0JdxYl5h0

MyClosingThoughts:

Finlandssystemremindsmeofagreatcompanyculturewhichempowersthe
valuecreators(inthiscasetheteachers)tocollaborate,innovate,andfocusona
qualityproduct(thestudents).AsSteveJobsmightsayitisanenvironment,
whichpromotesAplayersworkingtogetherwithotherAplayers,andeveryone
sharingadisciplinedfocusonconstantlyadvancingthequalityoftheproduct.

TheU.S.systemincontrasthasmanyattributesofabloated,inefficientcompany
thathasbeenoverrunbyCplayerswhoareblindedbyselfpreservationand
politicswithlittlecareforproductquality(thestudents).

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Sohowdoyoufixit?IthinktheCharterschoolideaisagoodstart.Oneofthe
strategiesIhaveusedingrowingUbiquitiisidentifyinggreatproductsandfinding
thepeoplebehindthem.So,whynotjustrecruitFinlandsleadingeducational
systembraintrustandemploythemtodevelopacharterschoolsystemhereinthe
U.S.?

Comments{10}

ManufacturinginChinaandIP
Protection
byRJPonJuly30,2012inBlog

Overthepastdecade,electronicsmanufacturinghaslargelyshiftedintoChina
becauseofcostsavings.However,thesecostsavingscanoftenbemisleadingas
manufacturinginChinaalsocomeswiththeriskofIPtheftthatcanpotentiallylead
tofinancialdamagesfarinexcessofthecapitalsavedinmanufacturingthere.

Asahivolumehardwaremanufacturingshippingmillionsofdevicesperyear,
UbiquitiNetworkspartnerswithcontractmanufacturesbasedinChina.For
entrepreneurslookingatmanufacturinginChina,Iwanttogivesomeadvicein
hopesofpreparingothersforthepotentialdangerstheymayface.

BeforeIstart,Iwanttopointoutsomethingthatisoftennotcommunicatedenough
totheWesternWorldregardingbusinessethicsandthegeneralintegrityofthe
justicesysteminChina.LookingatthecountryofChinaaswholeandmaking
generalitiesaboutthebusinesscultureissomewhatunfair.Itiswellknownthat
Chinahasthelargestpopulationofanycountryintheworld,butitisnotaswell
knownthatitisverymuchstillacountrywithagreatrangeofinternalvariance
(probablymoresothananycountryintheWorld)whenitcomestotheevolutionof
businessethicsandintellectualpropertyprotectionamongstits23provinces.(to
beexact,23provinces,4directlyadministeredcities,2specialadministered
regions(HK/Macau),and5selfadministeredregionsbyethnicminoritiessuchas
TibetandInnerMongolia)

Infact,afriendofmineinChinasummarizedthevariancebestwhenhebrokedown
3regions

InShanghaitheattitudecanbestbeexpressedbythephrase:
meaningdontdoitunlesstheauthoritiessayitsoktodoit

InBeijing,itsiftheauthoritiesdidntsaydontdoit,itisokto
doit

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AndinShenzhen,
doitevenifthe
authoritiessayyoucant
doit

UnfortunatelyforWestern
technologycompanies,a
largepartofmanufacturing
todaytakesplaceinthe
Shenzhenregion.

Withthat,herearemy3
piecesofadvice
ChinaMap

1.Takewhatyourcontract
manufacturingpartnertellsyouwithagrainofsalt:Whenyoufirstengage
withamanufacturingpartnerinChina,theywilllikelytellyouWewillsignan
NDAorwehaveaverystrictinformationpolicyorwehaveverytight
security,etc.inanefforttomakeyoufeelcomfortablethatyourIPcanbe
protectedintheirhands.Realityoftendeviatesfromwords.Themotivationfor
factorypersonneltoleakIPortaketheirmanufacturingandprojectexperience
tolucrativecounterfeiteroperationsisveryhigh.Thisisespeciallytrueifthey
arebasedintheShenzhenregion.Itisthereforeveryimportanttodoreality
checkswithyourpartnerstomakesuretheyhaveeffectiveinternalIP
protectionprocessesandareinfactdoingtheirbesttoprotectyourIP.Ifthey
arenot,itistimetochangepartners.
2.ApplyforIPregistrationinChinainadvance:Registeringtrademarksand
patentsinChinaisalongprocessthatcantakeyears.Youmuststartthis
processimmediatelyandideallywellinadvanceofanyplanstomanufacture
there.EnforcingthisIPincertainpartsofthecountrycanbeverydifficult,but
thereisamoreimportantreasonforfiling.TherewillbeothersinChinathat
willattempttofraudulentlyfileyourIPonceyoushowupontheirradarandwill
lookforwaystouseittoprofitatyourexpense.
3.UsemanufacturingIPtoprotectyourproductIP:Thisisthemostvaluable
pieceofinformationIcangive.IfyoucanprotectyourproductIPatthe
source(manufacturinglevel),thepotentialagentsofIPtheftcanbeeffectively
neutralized.AtUbiquiti,wedevelopedapowerfulsystemofproduct
counterfeitprotectionthatisvirtuallyunbreakable.Itconsistsof(a)asecurity
ICwithaauniquewatermarksignature,(b)asoftwareapplicationrunningon
ateststationthatloadsthebinaryfirmwareimageontothehardware,and(c)
acloudbasedserverwhichauthorizesonlystationswithapprovedIPand
MACaddresses,authenticatesloadinginstancesbasedoncryptography
involvingseveraldynamicvaluesaswellasthesecurityICsignatureandlogs
allactivity.Thesystemalsousespasswordsthatmustbechangedona
frequentbasisatthemanufacturingline.Usingananticounterfeitmechanism
suchastheonedescribedisyourbestprotectionagainstthefuturethreatof
roguecounterfeitmanufacturingfacilities.

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UbiquitisAntiCounterfeitSystemOverview

Comments{3}

DisruptingMarkets:TheWalmartStory
byRJPonJuly27,2012inBlog

LastweekendIhadthepleasureofhavingdinnerwithPittHyde,theFounderof
AutoZone(NYSE:AZO)andjustanoverallimpressive,humble,andgreatperson.
PerhapsmyfavoritestoryofhiswaswhenherecountedhistimeservingonSam
WaltonsWalmartBoardofDirectorsintheearlydaysofhiscompany.Accordingto
Pitt,Samwouldpickhimupfromtheairportinarundowncarandtakehimbackto
theWalmartofficeswheretheywouldpropupafoldouttableandchairstohave
theirboardmeeting.

ApparentlywhenSamWaltonwasfirststartinghisbusiness,hehadauniquevision
wherehecouldservetheunderservedcommunitiesareasinwhichlargerstore
chainsdidnotwanttoenterastheyfounditimpossibletomakeprofitablebusiness
casesfordoingso.NotonlydidWaltonsucceedinhisstrategy,hewasableto
makehisbusinessimmenselyprofitable.

Oncecommittedtodiscounting,Waltonbeganacrusadethatlastedtherestofhis
life:todrivecostsoutofthemerchandisingsystemwherevertheylayinstores,in
themanufacturersprofitmarginsandwiththemiddlemanallintheserviceof
drivingpricesdown,down,down,

JohnHuey,1998FortuneMagazine(alsocoauthoredWaltonsautobiography)

Waltonstartedfromhumblingbeginningsandwasseenasanunderdogwithan
unorthodoxstrategy,butthroughtheyears,Waltonwasnotonlyabletoapplyhis
strategyeffectivelytounderservedmarkets,buteventuallywouldgrowtodominate
thewholecountryenroutetobecomingthelargestrevenuecompanyintheentire
World.
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Todaywhenpeopleaskme
tocompareUbiquiti
Networksstrategy,
businessmodel,andstory
toanothercompany,Ilike
tobelieveitsmostsimilar
toSamWaltonandhis
earlydaysinstarting
Walmart.Wehavefounda
waytodeliverpowerfuland
sophisticatedplugandplay
hitechconnectivity
WaltonsFirstWalmartStore solutionstounderserved
areasoftheworldwhile
makingaprofitable
businessoutofit.Unlikeothercompaniesinourspacecompetingforexisting
marketshare,Ubiquitihascreatednewmarketsandopportunitiesthatdidntexist
beforeinplacessuchasAfrica,SouthAmerica,MiddleEast,India,andChina.
Althoughweareintheveryearlystagesofthecompanyandpredominately
representedinunderservedareasoftheworld,IalsoaspiretodriveUbiquitis
transformationfromDavidtoGoliathonedayjustasWaltondid.

Comments{8}

WhatistheFutureofTV?
byRJPonJuly15,2012inBlog

IwanttoprefacethispostbysayingIhaveverylittleknowledgeaboutthebusiness
sideoftelevision.Thebelowanalysisistheresultofsomesurfaceinvestigation
combinedwithmyownexperienceinbuildingnewtechnologyplatforms,attacking
distributioninefficiencies,anddisruptingmarkets.

Thisweekend,IdecidedtofinallytakealookattheHBOseriesGameofThrones.
AfterwatchingafewepisodesoniTunes,ItooktotheInternettodosomedeeper
researchonthecharactersandthecreativeprocessinmakingtheseries.But,I
unexpectedlyfoundsomethingelsethatwasveryinteresting

GameofThronesstandstobecomethemostpiratedTVprogramof2012.Infact,
piracyforSeason2hasreachedbeyond25milliondownloadsalready.Nowthe
interestingpieceasignificantamountofthesepirateddownloadsareoriginating
fromviewersthatwouldgladlypaytoviewtheshow,butcannot.

Howcouldthisbe?Well,HBOownstheshowandtheonlywaytoviewthecurrent
seasonistobeanHBOsubscriberthroughCableorSatellite.HBOdoesofferthe
HBOGostreamingInternetservice,butthisisonlyavailabletoexistingHBO
cable/satellitesubscribers.WhywouldHBOallowthispiracytobecomeso

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rampantwhentheycoulddistributeGameofThronesthroughiTunes/Netflixand
monetizeitmoreefficiently?

Tofindtheanswer,letstakeastepbackand
lookatthedistributionofcontent.HBOfunded
thecreationofGameofThronesandownsit
rights.HBOisanetworkthathasdeep
relationshipswiththecableandsatellite
companies,whichitusesfordistribution.
Together,thisnetwork/distributorpartnershiphas
createdaviewershipbasethatitcancontroland
monetize.

UnlikethepreiTunesmusicIndustry,the
traditionaltelevisionindustryandthe
network/distributorpartnershiphasstillmanaged
tomaintainprofitabilityevenwiththeadventof
pervasivebroadbandInternetbecauseviewers
stillspendalotoftimewatchingcableand
satelliteTV.However,theGameofThrones
piracysituationhasexposedthetraditionalmodelasbeingincrediblyinefficientby
todaysstandards.

Ibelievethistraditionalmodelwillchange.ThetelevisionIndustrywillinevitably
undergoamassivechangewheretraditionaldistributionmediumslikecableand
satellitewillbecomeincreasinglyprimitiveandeventuallycompletelyreplacedby
Internetdistribution.Inthisfuture,therewillbenotelevisionchannelsortraditional
remotecontrols.Everythingwillconvergetotheidealuserexperiencetheability
tochoosethecontentyouwanttobuyandviewitfromanywebconnecteddevice.

However,thischangeisnot
necessarilyinthelongterm
financialbestinterestofthe
network/provider
partnership.Andthatisthe
reasonwhyIbelieveGame
ofThronesisnotavailable
forInternetdistribution
today.Thetraditional
playersareinadifficult
positionastheyknowthat
themoreviewershipis
shiftedtoInternetplatforms,
themorethefinancial
viabilityoftheirtraditional
modelbecomesexposed.Naturally,theyaredefensiveaboutenablinganewmodel
thatwillcompromisetheirmainleverageposition(theirviewershipbase).

Intheend,thetraditionalmodelwillfadeaway,buthowfastthishappenswill
dependonwhocanenterthemarketwithadisruptiveInternetdistributionplatform
onethatquicklycanowntheviewershipbase.Oncethishappens,Ibelieve

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traditionalnetworkswillbereducedtooldercontentlicensingcompaniesand
contentcreatorswillhaveanewfoundcontrolovertheirfinancialdestiny.

AlthoughNetflix,iTunes,andHuluhavemadesignificantprogress,Ibelieveforthe
televisionIndustrytobechangedovernight,amoredominantplatformmustbe
establishedthathasamissionofaggressivelybuyingtheviewershipbase.With
thatinmind,letsseewhatApplehasinstorefortheirupcomingiTVplatform.

Comments{3}

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AboutRobertJ.Pera

Currently:
Chairman/CEO,Ubiquiti
Networks
Owner/GP,MemphisGrizzlies
Background:
HardwareEngineer,AppleInc.
Education:
BSEE,MSEE,BA,Universityof
California,SanDiego

RecentTweets

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2017RobertJ.Pera'sweblog.AllRightsReserved.

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