The Blood Connection Leverages Plum Labs to Improve Router Connectivity
Overview
The Blood Connection (TBC) turned to Plum Laboratories to design a bespoke antenna array built on Plum’s proprietary, class-leading technology. Plum’s patented antenna technology significantly extends the reach of wireless routers, enabling them to connect to a cellular signal up to 40–50 miles away.
About
The Blood Connection collects nearly 250,000 blood donations annually across the Carolinas and Georgia. They operate brick-and-mortar facilities, mobile RVs, and blood towers — self-contained carts that can be delivered to host sites like businesses, schools, and churches to provide convenient access for donors.
Challenge
TBC was looking to improve connectivity for its donor sites. Better connectivity lets TBC reach sites with limited to no existing wireless coverage. Although TBC can operate donation sites without connectivity, doing so slows the process significantly and limits the number of potential donors. TBC wasn’t looking for a complete portable connectivity solution like a Plum Case, because the blood towers were already equipped with Cradlepoint routers. They needed a way to improve the performance of those existing routers — and turned to Plum Laboratories for help.
Solution
The team at Plum leveraged its proprietary technology to build a bespoke antenna plate that fits inside the standard blood towers. The custom plate uses the same technology as the Plum Case to deliver best-in-class cellular reach, providing connectivity in more areas and faster throughput with no additional setup. Its MU-MIMO design supports carrier aggregation, establishing a larger conduit to push data for faster speeds. TBC can simply arrive on site with their Plum-modified carts, connect immediately, and start accepting donations.
Outcome
When The Blood Connection began experiencing cellular connectivity issues, they turned to Plum for a more reliable solution — one that could better support their expanding donor program. Armed with Plum technology, TBC now operates in more areas and has the potential to see more donors in a shorter period. And because any cellular network can be affected by environmental conditions, signal strength, or crowded venues, TBC can rest easy knowing its towers contain proven technology that delivers a reliable, secure, and easy-to-use portable network.