Changing attachment
Tower and carrier transitions can replace the outer address without changing the vehicle’s Atlas identity.
Use case · Mobile fleets
Let vehicles keep their identities while networks keep changing.
A fleet vehicle may change cell towers, private addresses, carriers, and access technology throughout one route. Atlas anchors communication in cryptographic identity and treats every reachable route as measured inventory.
The mobility problem
An internet connection is not the same as a reachable vehicle.
Carrier NAT permits the vehicle to initiate traffic but usually prevents another endpoint from dialing back. Address changes make static tunnels brittle even when inbound reachability exists briefly.
Shared addressing
CGNAT means many subscribers share public addresses and inbound rules are outside the fleet operator’s control.
Correlated paths
Direct and relayed routes over one modem improve reachability but still share the same underlying radio failure.
Along the route
The secure tunnel stays boring while path availability changes.
Atlas applications continue to use the same interface and peer identities as the vehicle moves.
Depart
Relay sessions establish through outbound cellular connectivity.
Discover
A direct carrier path appears where current NAT policy permits it.
Roam
Authenticated packets adopt the vehicle’s valid new outer address.
Degrade
Measurements move traffic away from a weak or disappearing path.
Recover
Reappearing paths rejoin the scheduler without rebuilding the tunnel.
Fleet patterns
One service, several connectivity shapes.
Traversal supports the reachability layer; the wider Atlas configuration defines which peers, routes, and traffic policies each fleet needs.
Hub and spoke
Vehicle to operations
Every vehicle reaches one or more command sites through public, private, or hybrid relay estates.
Peer capable
Vehicle to vehicle
Peers can rendezvous through relays and add direct connectivity where carrier policy allows it.
Mobile edge
Vehicle as a local gateway
Devices behind the onboard Atlas node use the tunnel without each device needing traversal awareness.
Physical diversity matters. Multiple relay paths over one cellular modem provide route resilience, not a second radio. Carrier, modem, satellite, Wi-Fi, or wired diversity is what protects against loss of the underlying bearer.