Digi International: Industrial routers, serial device servers and embedded wireless modules

Digi supplies industrial connectivity hardware and management software for connecting serial equipment, remote sites and embedded wireless devices.

Best for: Retaining existing equipment while adding IP or cellular connectivity and fleet management.
Less suited to: Projects expecting a connectivity router to supply energy-meter accuracy or a ready-made register map.
Deployment: Site hardware with cloud or product-specific on-premises management options.
Data in: Model-dependent serial, Ethernet, cellular and XBee radio interfaces.
Pricing: Public pricing was not established from the reviewed sources.

Overview

Digi International supplies the networking and embedded communications layer used by industrial equipment, distributed assets and connected products. Its portfolio combines cellular routers, serial device servers, embedded radio modules and management software. The company overview separates Digi's connectivity business from SmartSense monitoring, Particle's connected-device platform and Opengear's network infrastructure products. Within the Digi catalogue, IX20 connects remote sites through cellular networks, while Connect EZ brings serial equipment onto IP networks. XBee modules address embedded product development. Those distinct product roles make the portfolio relevant both to established industrial installations and to manufacturers designing new connected instruments.

Offering

The Connect EZ family provides one, two or four serial ports through the Mini, 2 and 4 models. Ports are software-selectable for RS-232, RS-422 or RS-485. Connect EZ 2 and 4 offer dual Ethernet ports; Wi-Fi is optional on EZ 4 and 4i, while LTE options cover selected 2, 4 and 4i configurations. The 4i adds industrial temperature operation and Class I Division 2 suitability. IX20 serves a separate role as an industrial 4G LTE router. Its cellular connection, regional modem choices and central administration are packaged within Digi's current router and Digi 360 offering.

Products and platforms

Digi XBee 3
Embedded radio modules

Configurable radio family for OEM designs; select exact firmware, radio network and application support.⁵

Technology

Connect EZ documentation describes serial tunnelling, TCP and UDP socket applications and Digi RealPort virtual COM-port access. RealPort allows existing host applications to retain a serial-port interface while the device server carries communications over Ethernet. The XBee 3 family instead provides embedded wireless networking with configurable Zigbee, DigiMesh and IEEE 802.15.4 firmware options. Bluetooth Low Energy supports local interaction and configuration, and MicroPython supports application logic on the module. These capabilities distinguish a serial device server used beside an existing controller from a radio module designed into a manufacturer's own circuit board and firmware.

Markets

Digi's IX20 management documentation identifies Digi Remote Manager as the central service for administering the router. The Connect EZ offering also includes Digi On-Prem Manager as an alternative management deployment. Connect EZ's LifeCycle Assurance package includes an initial year of technical support and Remote Manager Premier, with cloud or on-premises choices described by Digi. The wider company offers implementation services, application development and wireless design services. Its current markets include energy and utilities, industrial operations, transportation, oil and gas, agriculture and medical equipment, reflecting the breadth of communication infrastructure rather than a single energy analytics application.

Company

Digi International's corporate page dates the business to 1985 and identifies its headquarters at 9350 Excelsior Boulevard in Hopkins, Minnesota. The publicly traded company uses the NASDAQ symbol DGII and names Ron Konezny as President and Chief Executive Officer. Its current business-unit description includes Digi, SmartSense, Particle and Opengear, with different responsibilities across connectivity, monitoring and network resilience. Digi publishes dedicated investor relations, leadership, security and product-support resources. Its support catalogue includes firmware, drivers, documentation and certifications for specific products, alongside professional services for implementation, application development and wireless design.