About This Device
The W1855 is Cradlepoint's outdoor sub-6 5G workhorse, and the 170900-016 packages its W1855-5GC build - a 3.4 Gbps-class 5G modem - as a North America captive accessory for existing branch routers. In Captive Modem mode the outdoor unit stops acting like a separate router: the controlling router adopts it as a WAN interface, and NetCloud Manager treats the pair as one device for configuration, monitoring, and upgrades. Sites keep their incumbent router, their policies, and their management workflow, and gain an outdoor-mounted 5G radio placed where sub-6 coverage is strongest - typically a wall high point or mast well above the rack.
Most 'bad 5G' branches are really bad-placement branches - an outdoor captive modem converts them without touching the LAN design.
Mount the W1855 outdoors per its guide - pole clamps and brackets are separate accessories - connect it back to the controlling router, and enable Captive Modem mode in NetCloud. Validate throughput and failover before standardizing the design.
Cloud Care Networks stocks the Cradlepoint 170900-016 alongside the gateways and routers it supports, so IT and field-service teams can consolidate antennas, spares, and replacement hardware on a single order.