A fifth generation Aircraft Wireless LAN Unit (AWLU) from Teledyne Controls, the aircraft data and information management business, has been successfully certified by Boeing as a Buyer Furnished Equipment (BFE) option for installation on all new 777 production aircraft.

The AWLU enables the secure, reliable and cost-effective transfer of data to and from the aircraft. In this 777 application, the AWLU provides the wireless transfer of Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) and/or Onboard Networking System (ONS) applications data.

The new AWLU is a compact, lightweight and cost‐effective networking solution that provides high-speed ground based off‐board wireless connectivity for any systems on‐board the aircraft, using 3G/4G cellular and optional WiFi technology. It is designed to be easily upgradeable to newer cellular standards as they become available.

“The AWLU provides a critical component of any airlines e-enabled aircraft strategy,” said Larry Levine, Vice-President of Marketing and Sales at Teledyne Controls. “Using cellular and/or 802.11 WiFi technologies, the AWLU provides a secure, reliable and cost-effective link to connect the aircraft to the airline network to support current and future applications as they are developed. 

Teledyne's wireless solutions include the Wireless GroundLink® system (WGL) and the fifth-generation AWLU . Previous generations of these products have been flying in commercial service for over a decade and have given Teledyne a wealth of experience in the wireless transmission of data for the airline industry. Additionally, Teledyne has recently signed a Technical Services Agreement (TSA) with Boeing to develop and certify in 2014 its Terminal Cellular System (TCS) for the Boeing 787, bringing communications capability similar to the AWLU to that airplane model.