Digi International is one of the longest-standing names in industrial cellular connectivity. The company has been building M2M and IoT hardware since 1985 – long before most of the market had a name for what it was doing. Its IX-series industrial routers are a credible option for demanding environments, and they come with a mature software platform that many enterprise buyers value.

This post looks specifically at Digi’s industrial router range. If you’re evaluating Digi against alternatives – particularly Milesight – this covers the hardware, the platform, and the practical trade-offs worth understanding before you commit.

We’re covering routers only here. Digi does considerably more than this as a business; a separate post covers the broader Digi ecosystem, including Opengear, Particle, SmartSense, and their embedded module lines.

Who is Digi International?

Digi International was founded in 1985 in Minnesota, initially building serial communications boards for industrial PCs. Over four decades it evolved into a publicly traded IoT company – listed on Nasdaq as DGII – with around 550 employees and annual revenue of approximately $424 million as of 2024. Headquarters are in Hopkins, Minnesota, with offices across Europe (including the UK), Asia-Pacific, and North America.

The company’s industrial router line sits within a broader product portfolio that includes embedded wireless modules (the XBee family), infrastructure management hardware, and several managed service subsidiaries. For the purposes of this post, we’re focused on one area: the IX-series cellular routers designed for industrial field deployments.

The Digi IX-series: what’s in the range

Digi’s current industrial router line is built around the IX platform, which replaced the older WR-series (now end-of-life). There are four active models at time of writing, spanning entry-level 4G through to 5G with integrated edge computing.

A fifth unit, the Digi IX25, was announced as new at time of research. It sits between the IX20 and IX40 – a 5G unit with Wi-Fi 6E, four Gigabit Ethernet ports, serial, I/O, GNSS, and support for 5G RedCap, CBRS, Anterix spectrum, and FirstNet. ATEX and C1D2 rated. TAA-compliant construction. This will be the flagship general-purpose 5G unit when it reaches full availability.

Digi’s platform: SureLink, Remote Manager, TrustFence

The IX-series hardware ships as part of what Digi calls Digi 360 – a bundled combination of device, cloud management, warranty, and support. The three software capabilities worth understanding are:

Digi SureLink

Digi’s patented mechanism for maintaining persistent cellular connectivity. SureLink continuously monitors the WAN connection and automatically takes corrective action – switching SIMs, redialling, or rebooting the cellular module – if the connection drops or degrades. This runs at the firmware level and operates independently of the hosted application. For deployments where uptime is non-negotiable, SureLink is a meaningful differentiator from routers that rely on basic ping-based watchdogs.

Digi Remote Manager

Cloud-based device management platform covering configuration, firmware updates, monitoring, alerting, and scripting across device fleets. Supports mass configuration rollouts, meaning a single template can be pushed to hundreds of devices simultaneously. The platform holds SOC 2 Type 2 certification, which matters for regulated industries. Remote Manager is included with all IX-series devices purchased under the Digi 360 programme.

Digi TrustFence

Digi’s security framework, built into the firmware. Covers device identity (X.509 certificates), encrypted communications, secure boot, and ongoing vulnerability monitoring. IX-series devices are also FIPS 140-3 certified, which is a US government cryptographic standard relevant for federal, utilities, and critical infrastructure deployments. VPN (OpenVPN, IPsec), firewall, and authentication features are included in the base firmware – no separate licensing.

Digi Containers

Available on IX30, IX40, and IX25, this allows containerised applications (Docker-based) to run directly on the router hardware. This enables edge processing, local logic, and protocol translation without a separate edge computing appliance. It’s an increasingly relevant capability for Industry 4.0 applications where processing at the source reduces latency and cloud dependency.

Where Digi performs well

Digi has genuine strengths in specific deployment contexts. These are worth stating plainly rather than dismissing them.

ATEX and C1D2 certification. Multiple IX-series units carry Class 1 Division 2 (C1D2) and ATEX ratings for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. This is a hard requirement for oil and gas, chemical processing, and mining applications. Not every industrial router manufacturer holds these certifications, and the process to obtain them is rigorous. If your deployment site has an Ex zone classification, the IX30 or IX40 are on a short list of options.

FirstNet support. Certain IX-series models are FirstNet Capable, meaning they’ve been certified to operate on AT&T’s FirstNet dedicated public safety network. This matters for emergency services, critical infrastructure operators, and US government deployments. It’s an access-controlled certification – not simply a marketing claim.

Long-established carrier certifications. Digi has been qualifying hardware against major carrier networks for decades. For enterprise buyers who need carrier-approved devices, particularly in North America, Digi’s certification history is extensive.

Digi Remote Manager at scale. For large fleet deployments – hundreds or thousands of devices – Digi Remote Manager is a capable platform. It handles mass configuration, FOTA, and monitoring across heterogeneous fleets. It’s a mature product, not a bolted-on afterthought.

North American market positioning. Digi is the dominant incumbent in several North American verticals: utilities, traffic management, public sector. If you’re integrating with existing Digi-managed infrastructure or working with a North American systems integrator, compatibility with the Digi ecosystem matters.

Where Digi has limitations

For European and UK buyers specifically, there are practical considerations that don’t always surface in Digi’s marketing materials.

Pricing structure. Digi IX-series hardware sits at the upper end of the industrial router market. The Digi 360 bundle – hardware plus Remote Manager subscription plus warranty and support – is positioned as an enterprise package, and the pricing reflects this. For projects where per-unit cost is a significant constraint, the IX-series is rarely the most competitive option.

US-centric design assumptions. The FirstNet capability and C1D2 ratings are valuable in North America. In UK and European deployments, the equivalent certifications are ATEX (which the IX30 and IX40 do carry) and CE. The IX-series holds CE marking, but the product range, documentation, and support organisation are primarily oriented around the US market.

LoRaWAN ecosystem. Digi offers LoRaWAN capability via its XBee gateway products, but these are separate product lines, not integrated into the IX-series routers. If your deployment requires combined cellular backhaul and LoRaWAN in a single device, the Digi IX-series doesn’t provide this natively.

Operating temperature range. The IX-series units are rated to -40°C to +70°C [VERIFY against current datasheets per model], which is standard for the industrial grade. This is comparable to most competitors at this tier.

UK support and stock. Digi does have a UK office, but stock availability and pre-sales technical support can vary depending on the distribution channel. Lead times for specific models are worth confirming before specifying into a project.

Digi vs Milesight: head-to-head comparison

Milesight’s UR-series industrial routers are the most direct comparison point. Both families target industrial cellular deployments, both carry dual SIM, and both include a cloud management platform. The differences are in platform integration, ecosystem breadth, pricing, and where each is strongest geographically.

Criteria	Digi IX-series	Milesight UR-series
Connectivity generations	4G LTE (IX10, IX20, IX30), 5G (IX25, IX40)	4G LTE across UR32, UR35; 5G on UR75 – full range available now
Dual SIM	Yes, all models	Yes, all models – active/passive failover standard
LoRaWAN integration	No – separate XBee gateway product required	Native LoRaWAN on selected UR-series variants; UG65/UG67 gateways integrate tightly with same DeviceHub platform
Cloud management platform	Digi Remote Manager (subscription, bundled in Digi 360)	Milesight DeviceHub – included, no per-device subscription fee for core management
Edge computing	Digi Containers on IX30/IX40/IX25 (Docker-based)	Python scripting environment on UR-series; containerisation available on select models
Operating temperature	-40°C to +70°C [VERIFY per model]	-40°C to +70°C standard across UR range
ATEX certification	IX30 and IX40 carry ATEX rating	Not standard on UR-series [VERIFY] – factor for Ex zone deployments
CE / UK CA marking	Yes	Yes – CE, FCC, RoHS, REACH across range
Enclosure / DIN rail	DIN rail or shelf mount, metal enclosure	Steel enclosure standard; DIN rail mount; IP30 or IP65 variants depending on model
VPN support	OpenVPN, IPsec – licence-free	OpenVPN, IPsec, WireGuard, GRE – all licence-free
GNSS / GPS	Dedicated GNSS receiver on IX30 and above	Available on selected UR-series models
Pricing	Upper tier – enterprise positioning	Mid-market – competitive per-unit cost with equivalent specification
UK stock and support	Available via distribution; primarily US-oriented organisation	IoT UK holds UK stock; direct pre-sales technical support available
LoRa Alliance membership	No	Yes
WireGuard VPN	Not supported on IX-series [VERIFY]	Supported as standard

Where Digi has a genuine edge

For UK and European industrial buyers, two Digi advantages are worth acknowledging honestly. First, if your deployment site carries an ATEX zone classification – oil and gas facilities, chemical plants, grain handling, or similar – the Digi IX30 and IX40 are tested and certified for those environments, and this certification carries weight with site safety teams. Second, if you’re integrating into an existing Digi-managed infrastructure estate, the Remote Manager platform and device consistency make staying within the Digi ecosystem a reasonable decision.

Outside these specific scenarios, the IX-series is harder to justify on a cost-per-feature basis for most UK industrial applications.

Where Milesight has a practical advantage for most UK deployments

For the majority of UK industrial connectivity projects – cellular backhaul for remote monitoring, dual SIM failover for critical assets, LoRaWAN-plus-cellular hybrid networks, or smart city infrastructure – Milesight’s UR-series delivers equivalent or better specification at a lower unit cost, with no platform subscription overhead.

The addition of WireGuard VPN support is meaningful: WireGuard is now the preferred tunnelling protocol for many industrial security architectures due to its lower overhead and stronger cryptographic foundation compared to legacy IPsec implementations. Milesight includes it as standard; Digi does not [VERIFY current firmware].

The broader Milesight ecosystem is also a practical advantage where LoRaWAN is involved. Being able to specify Milesight UR-series cellular routers alongside Milesight UG65 LoRaWAN gateways and Milesight sensors – all managed under a single DeviceHub instance – simplifies both procurement and ongoing management. Digi requires separate product families and a separate management approach to achieve the same outcome.