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Data hubs on wheels
David Rush reflects on how connectivity evolved from a vehicle afterthought to mission-critical infrastructure
For years, the conversation around vehicle connectivity has been based on speed, with each generation of cellular promising more bandwidth. Today, as vehicles stream camera feeds, log telematics, take fare payments, and even provide Wi-Fi for passengers, the connectivity question is no longer about speed but about how much a single device can be trusted to manage.
David Rush, Senior Product Manager at Digi International, has seen vehicle connectivity evolve from an afterthought to a critical element over the last ten years. We sit down to discuss his career, the industry, and where connectivity is heading – as well as how being the holder of more active Guinness World Records than anyone alive translates into his professional life.
Let’ s start with an introduction to you and your career. I’ ve spent over a dozen years owning cellular router product lines across transportation, enterprise, and industrial IoT, and I’ ve been fortunate to be first to market at nearly every major cellular transition from LTE to gigabit LTE to 5G. I’ d formerly worked with Tony Puopolo, now our GM, and Landon Reese, our VP of Product Management, and I have tremendous respect for them both. So, when they asked if I’ d be willing to join the rocket ship at Digi, I jumped at the chance. Today, I lead the transportation router portfolio, including the new TX65 5G platform, and outside of work, I hold more active Guinness World Records titles than anyone on Earth, which keeps my appetite for pushing limits well-fed.
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