Before engaging the services of Altan Technologies, MetaGeek suffered two major disappointments. Initially they utilized the services of a local device development subcontractor, who was paid a lot of money and produced nothing useful. Additionally this first phase program wasted a lot of valuable team hours, and slowed MetaGeek’s progress in a highly competitive marketplace.

In the meantime, adding insult to injury, MetaGeek’s largest competitor was bought out by Cisco for millions of dollars.

After the local consultant debacle, MetaGeek sought quotations from several other wireless consultants, including Altan Technologies and one other large and reputable wireless consulting company. Altan’s quotation was many times more than their larger rival, and so MetaGeek opted to save money – given their already much depleted development budget.

After several months without much tangible progress, MetaGeek had almost given up on wireless consulting company #2. Eventually, they decided to acknowledge their frustration with the second supplier, bite the bullet, and switch the project to Altan.

Altan examined the second company’s preliminary design, and immediately found a number of errors. Furthermore, what the second company had quoted for and worked on was not the complete design that MetaGeek really needed. It was only a portion of the design that would be necessary to implement the complete product MetaGeek envisioned.

Altan then began the development process, and initially worked with the MetaGeek team to develop a complete spectrum analyzer for the 5 GHz to 6 GHz band. The prototype was delivered on-time for demonstration at the InterOp tradeshow in Las Vegas, spring 2008.

Development continued well and MetaGeek asked Altan if they could include an additional feature, measuring the 2.45 GHz ISM band to enable one device to measure two bands. This important feature was added successfully. The finished product, dubbed the Wi-Spy DBx (meaning dual band coverage) allows the user to move seamlessly between frequency ranges and install, analyze, troubleshoot, and optimize both 2.4 and 5 GHz networks. Altan was able to add the extra range to the MetaGeek product while maintaining the product’s extremely compact size.

With the next InterOp tradeshow in New York fast approaching, MetaGeek began the process of manufacturing several demonstration units using a local manufacturing subcontractor. With time running out, the local subcontractor was unable to produce and deliver. Once again, Altan was able to quickly assemble, test and provide the units MetaGeek needed, and they were delivered just as the New York tradeshow began.

Altan’s development program was completed with resounding success. They delivered the product that MetaGeek had asked for, but with even more features than they originally requested.

• Company: MetaGeek, LLC http://www.metageek.net
• Product: Wi-Spy DBx http://www.metageek.net/products/wi-spy-dbx
• Contact: Brian Tuttle – Development Manager