Digi International Delivers FirstNet Ready Digi WR54 for Public Safety

Digi International, a leading global provider of Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity products and services, announced that its Digi WR54, an extremely reliable, secure, high-performance wireless router for complex mobile and industrial environments, is now tested and approved for use on the FirstNet communications platform.

FirstNet is built with AT&T in a public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) – an independent agency within the federal government. It’s designed for first responders and those critical to their emergency response. With this much-needed technology upgrade, first responders can connect to the critical information they need every day and in every emergency.

The FirstNet Ready Digi WR54 supports the FirstNet Band 14 spectrum and gives public safety access to the dedicated, physically separate FirstNet network core. The certification and approval for use of the Digi WR54 makes it one of several wireless LTE-Advanced Pro Cat-12 routers available for the FirstNet communications platform.

The Digi WR54 is specifically designed to meet the connectivity challenges inherent in multi-location, on-the-move conditions. With a MIL-SPEC certified design for durability and dual cellular interfaces for immediate carrier failover and near-constant uptime, the Digi WR54 is ideal for providing continuous connectivity throughout a city or locations with marginal cellular coverage.

Additionally, the Digi WR54 comes with built-in Digi TrustFence® security framework to simplify the process of securing connected devices and adapting to new and evolving threats and Digi Remote Manager, Digi’s central, secure management application that allows users to monitor and control their distributed IoT devices.

“FirstNet devices and modules go through extensive review, so first responders can be confident that Digi International’s Digi WR54 meets our highest standards for reliability, security and performance,” said Bob Sloan, Chief Operating Officer, FirstNet Program at AT&T. “The more tools public safety has access to on their network, the more we can help them achieve their mission.”

Before being approved for use on FirstNet, devices are subject to hundreds of tests that cover a number of aspects, from security and durability to network impacts. This helps make sure that they can meet the needs of first responders. All FirstNet Ready devices are listed on the FirstNet device page.

The Digi WR54 meets the demands of public safety networks with:

• Dual-core 880 MHz MIPS processor: designed with this high-speed architecture, the Digi WR54 is future-built with a CPU capable of supporting higher network speeds and capabilities as infrastructure is updated to support them
• SAE J1455, MILSTD-810G and IP-54 rated: tested and certified to withstand water, dust, heat, vibration and other environmental challenges suitable to emergency applications
• Optional dual-cellular radios for continuous connectivity between carriers: public safety cannot afford downtime, so if the primary cellular carrier drops out, the Digi WR54 automatically and immediately switches over to the secondary carrier
• Four Gigabit Ethernet ports: beyond the LTE-A cellular module, the Digi WR54 is capable of supporting performance requirements with wired systems and the latest 802.11 ac Wi-Fi which combine to support the needs of any user
• Digi TrustFence®: a device-security framework that simplifies the process of securing connected devices and adapts to new and evolving threats
• Digi Remote Manager®: with this Digi web-based management tool, users can simply manage their devices, receive alerts and monitor the health of their deployed devices

“The Digi WR54 was designed for high-performance, mission-critical mobile applications and built to survive harsh operating environments,” said Rick Gretsch, Vice President of Cellular Routers for Digi International. “Today we are thrilled to be able to announce a FirstNet Ready version of the WR54 in order to bring its performance, reliability and security to first responders and the public safety market.”