Winegard Company, a designer/manufacturer of connectivity products and services, acquired WiFiRanger.
“I am thrilled to welcome WiFiRanger into the Winegard family,” said Winegard Company President and COO Grant Whipple. “We’ve worked together for some time now, and they’re phenomenal partners. We’ve come to understand how both companies’ cultures and visions align, and how WiFiRanger’s technology will continue to push the industry forward. They bring so much networking and cloud computing experience to the team. This depth of knowledge will make our combined company stronger as we grow in areas such as 5G, AI, the Internet of Things, and more.”
“The alignment of the two companies makes so much sense. I always envisioned WiFiRanger as a disruptor, bringing new ideas and different ways of doing things to the market. This includes fresh approaches to media and staying connected in general,” added Kelly Hogan, WiFiRanger CEO. “With this mission in mind, it makes sense for us to align with an established industry player like Winegard. They have more than 60 years of experience, along with a stellar reputation that will accelerate our combined drive to remain on the cutting edge.”
Both company’s leaders expressed excitement at the opportunity to bring their engineering, research/development and distribution capabilities together to bring new products to market.
“I’m most excited about the future breadth of products the combined company will be able to offer the industry. It’s no longer going to be a case of building one-size-fits-all products,” Hogan said.
“Essentially, this is about producing tech that is so integrated into people’s lives it becomes almost invisible. It’s about improving people’s quality of life. That’s how big we’re thinking,” Whipple said.
Based in Meridian, Idaho, WiFiRanger produces American-built wireless routers for mobile applications. The RV and marine markets are the company’s primary targets, where it works on resolving security and connectivity issues, especially in weak-signal situations. WiFiRanger will continue to operate as a standalone brand.
Winegard Company designs and manufactures connectivity solutions, including WiFi, 4G LTE, 5G, satellite, IoT, broadband, video and over-the-air technology for residential, commercial and mobile. Founder John Winegard invented the multi-channel Yagi antenna, and since its incorporation in 1953, Winegard has designed more than 1,000 antenna models and been granted more than 90 U.S. patents. The company’s heritage includes recognition by NASA for contributions to the Apollo 11 mission, and the induction of John Winegard into the Consumer Electronics Association Hall of Fame.
Headquartered in Burlington, Iowa, Winegard has locations in Illinois and Indiana. The Iowa-based facility totals 410,000 sq. ft. and includes a state-of-the-art testing, validation, and measurement center.
