GoDirect Router Sets New Standard for Aircraft Manufacturers

It’s easy to see why the GoDirect Router appeals to so many business jet operators. After all, the Honeywell’s newest router delivers the kind of seamless, trouble-free cabin connectivity experience that private jet passengers demand and operators must deliver in the age of the connected aircraft.

Manufacturers of business jets will also recognize the advantages of equipping their aircraft with the GoDirect Router, which delivers the kind of performance that can influence a buyer’s decision in the competitive world of business aircraft sales.  

Dassault Aviation chose the GoDirect Router to enhance connectivity for the newest members of the well-respected Falcon family of business jets, the Falcon 6X, 7X and 8X. The selection builds on a long history of partnership between Dassault and Honeywell.

Engineers from the two companies worked together to develop the EASy Flight Deck for Falcon aircraft. In addition, the Honeywell Forge cabin connectivity and flight services platform powers FalconConnect, which provides a unique connected experience for Falcon operators and their passengers.

The GoDirect Router costs 70 percent less than competing routers. It’s also 65 percent smaller, 45 percent lighter and uses 35 percent less power than comparable products. Honeywell engineers were able to deliver these step-change design improvements without sacrificing the performance and reliability operators and their passengers demand, according to Honeywell’s JP Rains.  

“We took advantage of distributed processing techniques to harness the processing power that already resides on passengers’ connected devices and on the connected ecosystem’s ground-based access points,” he said. “The result is a smaller, lighter and less-expensive router that does everything the operator needs it to do – namely moving data on and off the aircraft, securely and efficiently.”

The GoDirect Router can handle as many as 50 connected onboard devices simultaneously. With its compact size, affordable cost and integrated GoDirect Routing Software, several GoDirect Routers can be installed on the same aircraft to accommodate additional connected devices, provide redundancy and ensure seamless coverage throughout the cabin. The router also adds an additional layer of security through a trusted-personality module.

The router is compatible with a wide range of satellite communications systems, including the JetWave and Aspire systems from Honeywell, and with all the leading satellite networks.

“We’ve nicknamed the GoDirect Router the ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of onboard routers, because it’s the most versatile and flexible router ever devised,” Rains said. “This one unit can be configured to function as a router, wireless access port, data loader or electronic flight bag connection, plus it’s easy to add custom software packages to extend its functionality.”

All these benefits appeal to business aircraft operators and their passengers, which makes the GoDirect Router a great choice for business jet manufacturers.