March 12, 2025
Fleet Management, AirLink, Routers, AirLink OS
Managing a fleet of vehicles equipped with hundreds — or even thousands — of onboard routers is no small feat. Keeping network operations running smoothly and securely can feel like a relentless, high-pressure job.
But what if your AirLink® routers seamlessly integrated with third-party certificate management systems? Imagine your devices automatically enrolling and renewing certificates to support your VPN and Wi-Fi deployments. Suddenly, safeguarding your network’s integrity becomes simpler and far less stressful.
As of January 13, 2025, an operating system release (AirLink OS 5.1) is available for all AirLink OS routers. The certification management feature is even more powerful when combined with the new AirLink Management Service (ALMS) interface that displays the state of all certificates in the fleet and offers capabilities to trigger certificate regeneration and re-enrollment. ALMS also offers a new set of alert templates to let you know when certificates are about to expire. More efficient fleet management can translate to lower costs.
Certificate management isn’t the only robust feature in this release. Let’s explore the other ways AirLink OS 5.1 can simplify your networking solutions.
Support for OpenVPN
OpenVPN is an open-source application of a VPN protocol with flexible encryption options and is a viable alternative to IPsec. OpenVPN operates on the transport layer, as opposed to the network layer for IPsec, and it is versatile, customizable and compatible with many operating systems.
OpenVPN uses the OpenSSL library, which supports a variety of cipher and key exchange options. Its strength is its adaptability to different security requirements and strong cross-platform support. It’s also recognized for its easy setup and configuration. The protocol is well suited for remote work settings; its flexibility supports network access from a variety of locations and devices. OpenVPN is an excellent option for enterprises looking for strong security, simpler configuration, and networking flexibility.
Support for Dynamic DNS
Dynamic DNS (DDNS) saves time by allowing users to connect to a router using a fully qualified domain name (FQDN), eliminating the need to track IP addresses. Imagine an operator managing a fleet of remote SCADA devices that require regular updates for security patches or changes in operational behavior. With Dynamic DNS and IP passthrough, they can connect to the SCADA device to perform these updates without needing to keep track of the current WAN IP address of each router. The entire process becomes faster and more efficient.
The AirLink OS support for DDNS enables uninterrupted remote access to a variety of router-connected devices without manual intervention. This support also provides a cost-efficient way to manage changing IP addresses.
Static Route Configuration
Sometimes, users need to manage communication for networks that are not normally routable. AirLink OS 5.1 allows administrators to manually route custom traffic from any LAN/WAN interface on a fixed path to reach a specific destination. There are several reasons why users may take advantage of this feature. For instance, static routes aren’t advertised, so sensitive data is more protected from hackers. Or certain communication types need to be routed through a dedicated link for security. Network administrators can also use static routes to prioritize specific traffic to meet business needs. Regardless of the reason for static routing, this AirLink OS 5.1 feature allows customers to configure static routes when required.
Other Capabilities
Other networking and security updates in this AOS release include DHCP relay, HPUE coverage trails, a local DNS zone, and other capabilities.
At Semtech, we are committed to developing innovative solutions to solve our customers’ networking challenges. For additional technical information on all new features and capabilities in AirLink OS, see the release notes on The Source.
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