The Digi IX40 is a 5G edge computing industrial IoT cellular router purpose-built for Industry 4.0 use cases such as robotics, predictive maintenance, asset monitoring, industrial automation and smart manufacturing.

Integrated with Digi Remote Manager, its capabilities are said to improve security and scalability while ensuring speed, reliability and efficiency.

The product supports 5G connectivity and edge intelligence, allowing enterprises to connect multiple machines, wired or wireless, seamlessly in demanding environments, optimising the integration of cloud-delivered operational technology (OT) services with information technology (IT) to enable network-wide visibility, monitoring and control. Its all-in-one design, computing capabilities and integrated memory also promote real-time data processing, remote monitoring and precision analytics, which are important for critical applications in industrial automation, utilities, renewable energy, oil and gas, and digital signage.

Industry 4.0 uses include manufacturing process automation, industrial automation and control, precision monitoring and control, condition-based monitoring, predictive maintenance, robotics, and 5G cellular and fibre failover.

Utility applications include real-time monitoring and control, smart grid distribution automation, commercial and industrial metering, renewable energy, distributed energy resource management system (DERMS), and scada. It can also be used for oil field drilling and pump station monitoring, and for digital signage and traffic management in smart cities.

“For businesses today, especially those leveraging Industry 4.0 technologies, edge computing is a must-have, providing the compute power and real-time data processing for the most data intensive applications,” said Vitaly Kurduban, senior product manager at Digi. “Digi is a long-standing leader in industrial cellular technology. The new Digi IX40 helps our customers quickly and cost-effectively take advantage of intelligence at the edge. This helps them make optimal use of the power and speed of edge computing to enable real-time processing, faster insights, enhanced security and reduced latency. These are some of the key requirements of Industry 4.0 applications.”

The IX40 (www.digi.com/products/networking/cellular-routers/industrial/digi-ix40) integrates Digi Remote Manager (www.digi.com/products/iot-software-services/digi-remote-manager) for rapid configuration, automated security monitoring and simplified management. Remote Manager is a cloud-based command centre for IoT deployments, giving businesses insights into their network operations for more data-driven decisions. It supports secure terminal access for out-of-band management of edge devices via serial ports and a command-line interface.

IX40 features include global 5G and LTE support for public and private cellular networks, and integrated edge computing capabilities for applications requiring edge intelligence and real-time processing.

It uses the firm’s DAL accelerated Linux operating system. Other features include FIPS 140-2 validation for encryption of sensitive data as well as Ethernet, SFP, serial IO and Modbus bridging.

Digi SureLink, VRRP+ and dual SIMs provide resilient cellular connectivity. The GNSS receiver supports GPS, Glonass, Beidou and Galileo. Licence-free enterprise software provides VPN, firewall, logging and authentication. It comes in a rugged enclosure with DIN rail and shelf mounting options. FirstNet-capable models meet the demands of emergency response.

“Digi IX40 is a game changer for Industry 4.0,” said Kurduban “The combination of 5G bandwidth and edge computing makes it possible to process data at the edge before transmitting them to the cloud, which provides cost benefits and real-time response. The higher data rates of 5G enable faster downloads and uploads for data-intensive applications. By combining 5G speed and low latency with reliable wireless connectivity and edge intelligence, we are enabling organisations to deploy applications that require instant interactions, such as autonomous vehicles in manufacturing facilities. Simply put, Digi IX40 empowers enterprises to explore a world of new opportunities.”

On pricing, Kurduban said it was packed with powerful computing and edge intelligence, yet was affordable.

“And Digi IX40 can grow in scale and functionality to meet your needs, with Digi Remote Manager enabling rapid configuration and deployment of additional devices and Digi value added services providing additional capabilities,” he said.

Digi Containers (www.digi.com/products/iot-software-services/value-added-services/digi-containers), a value-added service, augments the IX40 to facilitate cost-effective applications via lightweight Linux containers, giving businesses additional flexibility and scalability for their Industry 4.0 initiatives. Digi also provides vetted access to software from companies in Industry 4.0, Networking 2.0 and industrial protocol fields. The following are all available with the IX40 running Digi Containers:

• Binary Armor in-line cyber security for M2M communications
• Ignition Edge IIoT MQTT-enabled gateway for capturing, processing and visualising critical data at the remote edge of the network.
• Eximprod ES200 virtual remote terminal unit (vRTU) for multi-protocol communication enabling data extraction, concentration, processing and storage
• Atsign Sshnoports for zero-trust, secure, remote connectivity to sites
• Tantalus Congruence.IQ (C.IQ) platform for operator-in-a-box capabilities and any-to-any protocol conversions

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Digi on technology integration that supports next-generation cyber security,” said Dan Smith, cyber programmes director of Sierra Nevada’s Binary Armor division. “We each bring complementary strengths to the table, resulting in a powerhouse of capabilities for customers.”

Colin Constable, CTO of Atsign, added: “Developing sophisticated, open-source Networking 2.0 technology is our wheelhouse. Collaborating with Digi’s team of experts to integrate our software into their industrial cellular solutions is such a win-win. It puts the best of all worlds into the hands of IT and OT managers in the most demanding environments, where zero-trust security is paramount.”

Digi WAN bonding (www.digi.com/products/iot-software-services/value-added-services/digi-wan-bonding), an add-on service available through Remote Manager, provides fast, reliable network connectivity. It lets users centrally set up, deploy and manage the bonding of multiple WAN internet connections together on the IX40 for a combination of increased throughput speeds, WAN smoothing, packet redundancy and seamless failover for always-on internet connectivity. WAN Bonding can scale to hundreds or thousands of sites to ensure robust connectivity for an entire fleet or network that is always ready, always online.

Founded in 1985, Digi (www.digi.com) has helped customers connect more than 100 million things and counting.