Sierra Wireless Announces AirLink® RX55 Cellular Router Optimized for the Rapidly Expanding Industrial IoT

A new ultra-low-powered Cellular Router solution powered by AirLink OS enables next-generation networking capabilities for industry 4.0 applications.

Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ: SWIR) (TSX: SW), a world-leading IoT solutions provider, today announced the AirLink^® RX55 LTE cellular router solution to bring advanced networking capabilities to the Industrial IoT (IIoT) and deliver intelligence securely at the edge for mission-critical applications on both public and private networks.

Optimized for Industrial IoT and Industry 4.0 Adoption

The new AirLink^® RX55 cellular router solution provides ultra-low power consumption, which combined with its wide operating voltage, makes it ideal for solar or battery-powered remote monitoring installations. Its’ compact, rugged design is built to withstand harsh conditions and with edge intelligence capabilities, the router’s future-proof design enables applications including grid modernization, smart city, automation, and remote machine and sensor monitoring.

The AirLink RX55’s design along with its’ ultra-low power, ethernet, and dual-serial port makes it ideal for use in both fixed and mobile industrial applications including power and water utilities, oil fields, pipelines, mines, agriculture, manufacturing, waste management, private networking, and SCADA applications.

“For IT/OT Managers who need to connect, manage and gain intelligence from critical assets in extremely harsh or distributed environments, the RX55 family of industrial cellular routers enables edge intelligence through secure IIoT/Industry 4.0 deployments,” said Tom Mueller, VP of Product Management, Sierra Wireless. “Unlike other products on the market, the ultra-low power and rugged RX55 not only supports advanced network designs but also enables new edge applications through container support, with centralized remote management services. This makes it perfect for industrial IoT customers looking for a future-proof solution for connecting remote fixed assets in challenging environments.”

“Enabling IIoT for a smarter grid requires flexible computing technologies that can power wide-ranging applications – from protocols such as OpenFMB^™ for messaging and interoperability to light-weight distributed intelligence at the edge,” says Mr. Dileep Rudran, VP of Product Management for the OpenDSO^™ platform at Open Energy Solutions, Inc. “With the new AirLink^® RX55 router, Sierra Wireless has further expanded its broad portfolio of edge technologies for modernizing grid operations.”

“Sierra Wireless has been an active contributor in the Open Field Message Bus (OpenFMB) users group for its open-source data models, interoperability testing procedures, and foundational use-case,” said Dr. Stuart Laval, Chair, UCA OpenFMB users group. “With the edge computing capabilities of their router solution, distributed intelligence applications can be run to help enable secure device-to-device communications between grid automation and Distributed Energy Resource (DER) systems. I look forward to seeing these capabilities demonstrated again with other early adopters at next month’s UCA OpenFMB interoperability PlugFest event.”

Multi-Band Network Support for Global Public and Private Networks

The RX55 solution delivers multi-band, worldwide support providing extensive public network coverage and best-in-class private networking coverage. The router supports Band 71 as well as most private networking bands including CBRS Band 48 in the U.S., and private Band 42 and Band 43 in Europe.

Modern Networking Capabilities for Always-On, Secure Connectivity

The AirLink^® RX55 solution includes AirLink Complete, which provides remote management of the solution via the AirLink Management System (ALMS), a cloud-based management platform, and 24/7 technical support to quickly and remotely detect, diagnose and troubleshoot issues. Managed by ALMS, the RX55 router leverages Sierra Wireless’ next-generation web-based multi-network router operating system, AirLink OS. With its flexible WAN routing capabilities, AirLink OS enables industrial customers to create multiple concurrent data sessions through a new multi-APN solution. This multi-APN allows the separation of different traffic types, for example separating network management traffic from SCADA traffic.

AirLink OS seamlessly integrates with the ALMS management platform to manage these features remotely and securely. Further, AirLink OS delivers industry-leading end-to-end security capabilities including multi-layered device-to-cloud security with unique cryptographic keys that connect the router to ALMS, VPN for secure transport, secure firmware updates, and use of the Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA-3) protocol.

Industrial IoT Market Set to Expand

The global Industrial IoT market value in 2022 was estimated at $321.81 billion USD and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.1% from 2022 to 2030, with revenue forecasted at approximately $1.69 trillion USD in 2030, according to a market analysis report by Grand View Research. Key market drivers include improved ROI, productivity and quality improvements, leveraging new technology such as edge computing, and following the Industry 4.0 roadmap.

Availability

Sierra Wireless’ AirLink^® RX55 LTE cellular router solution is expected to be available commercially in Q4 of 2022.