ActiveControl, located in Ontario, Canada, develops robust certified IS (Intrinsically Safe) network and wireless solutions for harsh and demanding mine environments, while offering easy maintenance and improved safety and productivity enhancements, Northern Light Technologies CEO Heidi Levitt said.

“I am very excited about this acquisition,” she said. “It allows us to combine the best of both our technologies to bring even more solutions to end users in mining markets around the world.”

With the newly acquired technology, NLT can now offer Gigabit Ethernet speeds, which allow for a multitude of Wi-Fi client devices to run on the network without compromising transmit speed or throughput.

These nextgen access points offer the latest in 802.11n technology, providing higher bandwidth and more volume of data to be transferred.

Applications requiring high speed, volume data, such as HD video, real-time monitoring, Vehicle Monitoring Systems, (VMS) and VoIP, are now confidently provided.

The new model AM1000 nodes can be configured with up to four radios to allow for increased coverage areas underground and for communication along multiple roadways from a single access point. Ultimately, this will result in cost savings to the mines.

“All around us commodity prices are in flux, mining groups are reducing costs and consolidation continues in the industry,” Levitt said. “As we assimilate the ActiveControl product line in to our own, we now have the building blocks for next generation networking solutions for global mining and tunnelling markets.

“I am thrilled that NLT is able to continue innovating in these tough mining times so we can ensure we're providing our customers the best mining and tunnelling network systems on the market.”