Apex Waves
Apex Waves is a North Carolina-based specialty distributor of new, surplus, and refurbished National Instruments test and measurement hardware, serving engineers and procurement teams in aerospace, defense, semiconductor, and academic markets worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersCary, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Apex Waves does
Apex Waves is a privately-held North Carolina-based specialty distributor of National Instruments (NI) test and measurement equipment, founded in 2011 and operating from a headquarters and warehouse at 2800 Rowland Rd, Raleigh, NC. The company focuses on the niche of new, new-surplus, and refurbished NI hardware — particularly modules that NI itself has discontinued, declared obsolete, or allowed to mature — across the PXI, PXIe, PCI, PCIe, USB, CompactRIO, CompactDAQ, SCXI, and VXI platforms. The company claims the world's largest inventory of calibrated, fully tested mature and obsolete NI modules, with 10,000+ models in stock and a multi-million-dollar warehouse. Its core product mix centers on modular data acquisition, signal generation, oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, switching, and signal conditioning modules, plus a web-based PXI System Configurator that lets users build complete systems with compatibility checking.
The business model combines one-time hardware resale (at up to 50% off MSRP), a surplus purchasing and trade-in program (cash, credit, or trade-in for customer-owned equipment, now expanded beyond NI to ADLINK, Agilent/Keysight, Ametek, and Teradyne), board and component-level repair services (flat $150 evaluation, 1–2 week turnaround, 1-year warranty), NIST-traceable calibration brokered through NI, and three tiered service packages — Green at $2,000, Blue at $4,995, and Apex at $17,850 — that add extended warranty, expedited shipping, and LabVIEW Life Support. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and direct: 15-minute average response time on quote requests, 24-hour quote turnaround, phone/email access to a real human, e-commerce-style part-number search on the website, and a separate surplus-shop storefront, complemented by content marketing through an active blog, a 40+ free engineering calculator suite, and a YouTube channel. Customer segments are primarily enterprise and government in aerospace and defense (SpaceX, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, US Navy, NASA), semiconductor manufacturing (TSMC, Radiant Nuclear), and academic research (Stanford), with a long tail of engineers and technicians maintaining legacy NI test systems.
Apex Waves firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Apex Waves
- Legal name
- Apex Waves, LLC
- Website
- https://apexwaves.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Apex Waves is a North Carolina-based specialty distributor of new, surplus, and refurbished National Instruments test and measurement hardware, serving engineers and procurement teams in aerospace, defense, semiconductor, and academic markets worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Apex Waves industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Electronic Test and Measurement Equipment
- NAICS
- Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance (811210), Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Electronic Parts & Equipment, Nec (5065), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Power Quality, Metering & Monitoring (HDACAJAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Isolation & Signal Conditioning ICs (Digital Isolators/Instrumentation) (HDAHAIAI)
Keywords
Where Apex Waves is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cary
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Apex Waves business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- NI Hardware Sales: Sale of new, new surplus, and refurbished/reconditioned National Instruments test and measurement equipment including PXI, PXIe, PCI, PCIe, USB, cRIO, cDAQ, SCXI, VXI modules. Products sold with up to 50% off MSRP, with up to 10,000+ NI models in stock.
- Surplus / Trade-in Purchasing: Apex Waves purchases surplus, obsolete, used, new, and even non-functional NI equipment from customers for cash, credit, or trade-in toward new purchases. Covers all NI series including PXI, PXIe, PCI, PCIe, cRIO, cDAQ, and other NI systems.
- Repair Services: Board and component-level repair services with flat $150 repair evaluation fee, 3-5 day assessment, and up to 2-week repair turnaround. Covered by 1-year in-house warranty.
- Calibration Services: NI brokered NIST-traceable calibration services with 1-week turnaround. Offered through service packages (Green at $2,000, Blue at $4,995, Apex at $17,850) with varying warranty and support levels. Free NIST calibration included with standard orders.
- Service Packages: Optional extended service packages (Green $2,000, Blue $4,995, Apex $17,850) bundled with calibration, warranty extensions, delivery speeds, and technical support including LabVIEW Life Support from certified NI architects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard hardware pricing with up to 50% off MSRP |
| Subscription | Annual | Green Package - Calibration Essentials ($2,000) |
| Subscription | Annual | Blue Package - Enhanced Support ($4,995) |
| Subscription | Annual | Apex Package - All-Inclusive ($17,850) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Repair Evaluation - Flat Rate |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Apex Waves product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Apex Waves sells new, new surplus, and refurbished National Instruments test and measurement hardware (PXI, PXIe, PCI, PCIe, USB, cRIO, cDAQ, SCXI, VXI) along with complementary equipment from Tektronix, Keysight/Agilent, Keithley, Fluke, Anritsu, TDK Lambda, and others. The company supports this hardware with board-level repair services, NIST-traceable calibration, tiered service packages, and a PXI system configurator, with a particular focus on keeping discontinued and obsolete NI modules available in perpetuity.
Product overview
Apex Waves is a specialized reseller of new, new surplus, and remanufactured test and measurement equipment, primarily focused on National Instruments hardware. The company's core product line centers on the NI PXI and PXIe modular instrumentation platform, offering modules for data acquisition (DAQ), signal generation, oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, and signal switching/matrixing. Supporting product lines include PCI modules, CompactRIO embedded controllers, CompactDAQ systems, SCXI signal conditioning, USB DAQ devices, and oscilloscopes from multiple manufacturers. The company operates a web-based PXI System Configurator tool for building complete systems with compatible chassis, controllers, and modules. Apex Waves provides ancillary services including free driver and manual downloads for NI products, free engineering calculators, repair and calibration services, and surplus equipment acquisition. The company emphasizes perpetual availability of products regardless of manufacturer lifecycle status, targeting end-users maintaining legacy NI test systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- National Instruments PXI Modules Modular data acquisition, signal generation, and measurement modules built on the National Instruments PXI platform, including multifunction DAQ, digitizers, waveform generators, and digital multimeters, sold as new, new surplus, or refurbished units.
- PXIe (PCI Express Extensions for Instrumentation) Modules Higher-performance PXI Express modules offering faster data transfer and greater bandwidth than standard PXI, including oscilloscopes, signal analyzers, and vector signal transceivers.
- National Instruments PCI and PCIe Modules PCI bus-based multifunction I/O devices, waveform generators, digital I/O, and GPIB instrument control modules for PC-based test and measurement applications.
- CompactRIO (cRIO) Controllers Reconfigurable embedded controllers combining real-time processing with modular I/O for industrial and aerospace applications, programmable via LabVIEW.
- CompactDAQ (cDAQ) Systems USB and Ethernet-connected data acquisition chassis with modular sensor measurement modules for DAQ applications.
- SCXI Signal Conditioning Modules Signal conditioning modules and chassis for connecting sensors and signals to DAQ systems in rack-based configurations.
- USB Data Acquisition Devices Portable USB-connected multifunction DAQ devices for quick measurement setups, including USB-6000 series and GPIB-USB adapters.
- Digital Multimeters and Meters Handheld and benchtop digital multimeters and specialized meters for voltage, current, resistance, and temperature measurement from manufacturers including Keithley, Fluke, Keysight, and Tektronix.
- Oscilloscopes Mixed signal, digital, and analog oscilloscopes from Tektronix, Agilent, Fluke, LeCroy Teledyne, Rohde & Schwarz, and Rigol for waveform display and signal analysis.
- VXI Modular Systems VME eXtensions for Instrumentation chassis and modules from Anritsu, Keysight, National Instruments, and Tektronix for high-density test applications.
- TDK Lambda Power Supplies AC and DC power supplies including DPP, DSP, ESS, Genesys, HFE, HWS, LS, RWS, Vega, Z Plus, and ZUP series for industrial and test applications.
- PXI System Configurator Web-based tool for building complete PXI systems by selecting compatible chassis, controllers, modules, accessories, operating systems, and calibration options, with compatibility checking and service package selection.
- Repair and Calibration Services Board and component-level repair services with a flat $150 evaluation fee, 3–5 day assessment and up to 2-week repair turnaround, plus NIST-traceable calibration services brokered through NI with certificates of conformity and 1-week turnaround.
- Surplus Equipment Purchase and Trade-In Cash, credit, or trade-in acquisition of surplus National Instruments and other manufacturer test equipment, with free shipping and factory reset services.
- Tiered Service Packages (Green, Blue, Apex) Tiered service bundles offering NIST-traceable calibration certificates, extended warranties (up to 5 years), priority and overnight shipping, and LabVIEW Life Support with remote assistance from certified architects.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 50% off MSRP on NI hardware compared to standard distributor pricing
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Apex Waves
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Apex Waves technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Apex Waves partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- PXI Systems Alliance (PXISA)coreApex Waves is an executive member of the PXI Systems Alliance (PXISA). The PXISA is the organization that maintains and promotes the PXI (PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation) standard. This membership provides Apex Waves with industry recognition within the PXI ecosystem and aligns the company with the governing body of the PXI platform that constitutes the majority of its inventory and customer base.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Apex Waves competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Trescal: Global calibration and asset-management services firm with significant T&M equipment distribution. Overlaps Apex Waves on the calibration-services-plus-equipment-supply model, particularly in aerospace/defense.
- Davis Calibration: US-based calibration and repair services provider serving aerospace, defense, and industrial customers. Overlaps with Apex Waves on NIST-traceable calibration and repair of electronic test instruments.
- Axiom Test Equipment: Broker and reseller of used and refurbished T&M equipment, with calibration and asset-management services. Closely overlaps Apex Waves' trade-in, surplus purchasing, and calibration offering for industrial and aerospace test labs.
- TestEquity: Independent distributor of new, used, and refurbished test and measurement equipment from major OEMs including Keysight, Tektronix, Fluke, and NI. Comparable to Apex Waves in serving engineers and labs with multi-vendor T&M hardware, calibration, and rental services.
- TEquipment: Online-focused distributor of new and used test and measurement equipment from Fluke, Keysight, Tektronix, and other major brands. Comparable to Apex Waves' direct-to-consumer web-quoting model for engineers.
- Transcat: Public calibration services provider that also distributes test and measurement instruments and rents equipment. Comparable to Apex Waves in combining NIST-traceable calibration with multi-vendor T&M equipment distribution.
- ValueTronics: Specialty reseller of used, refurbished, and new-surplus test and measurement instruments. Directly comparable to Apex Waves' surplus/refurbished hardware model for oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, and modular instrumentation.
Broad incumbents
- National Instruments (NI / Emerson Test & Measurement): Original manufacturer of the PXI/PXIe, CompactRIO, and CompactDAQ platforms that constitute the bulk of Apex Waves' inventory. As OEM and channel owner, NI is both Apex Waves' primary supplier and the closest large-scale comparable in the broader T&M space.
- Tektronix: Established test and measurement manufacturer (oscilloscopes, signal sources, probes) whose products are stocked and resold by Apex Waves. Serves the same engineering customer base with broader portfolio reach.
- Keysight Technologies: Major incumbent test and measurement equipment manufacturer whose instruments (oscilloscopes, DMMs, signal analyzers) are resold by Apex Waves. Comparable as a broad-portfolio incumbent in the same end markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Apex Waves social profiles
Digital presenceApex Waves financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Apex Waves leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Apex Waves funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Apex Waves M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Apex Waves
What does Apex Waves do?
Apex Waves sells new, new surplus, and refurbished National Instruments test and measurement hardware (PXI, PXIe, PCI, PCIe, USB, cRIO, cDAQ, SCXI, VXI) along with complementary equipment from Tektronix, Keysight/Agilent, Keithley, Fluke, Anritsu, TDK Lambda, and others. The company supports this hardware with board-level repair services, NIST-traceable calibration, tiered service packages, and a PXI system configurator, with a particular focus on keeping discontinued and obsolete NI modules available in perpetuity.
Is Apex Waves a public or private company?
Apex Waves is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Apex Waves founded?
Apex Waves was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Apex Waves based?
Apex Waves is headquartered in Cary, United States, in the North America region.
How does Apex Waves make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. NI Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are surplus / Trade-in Purchasing, repair Services, calibration Services and service Packages.
Who are Apex Waves's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Trescal, Davis Calibration, Axiom Test Equipment, TestEquity, TEquipment, Transcat and ValueTronics. Broad incumbents are National Instruments (NI / Emerson Test & Measurement), Tektronix and Keysight Technologies.
Does Apex Waves have an API?
No public API is recorded for Apex Waves.
What industry is Apex Waves in?
Apex Waves's product category is Electronic Test and Measurement Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDACAJAG, Power Quality, Metering & Monitoring, with a secondary code of HDAHAIAI, Isolation & Signal Conditioning ICs (Digital Isolators/Instrumentation). Its NAICS code is 811210 and its SIC code is 5065.