Brave the Elements with the OTD140 Outdoor Router
#2024, #launch
Rain. Snow. Dust. Sand. The weather is undeniably a challenge that outdoor solutions must overcome. The first-ever outdoor router by Teltonika Networks, the OTD140, was engineered to provide seamless and uninterrupted connectivity to your networking solutions – no matter the weather.
Humanity is at a level where we can accurately calculate the speed of minuscule particles and accelerate them with the utmost precision. And yet, predicting whether next Tuesday will be rainy or not remains somewhat of a probability. There’s a good chance it will, expert meteorologists say using cutting-edge technology, so take an umbrella with you. Just in case.
The fickleness of weather is a critical factor when designing an outdoor solution. Your industrial cellular router may be integral for automation, predictive maintenance, or simply providing connectivity support, but all of that goes out the window if it can’t withstand precipitation like rain, hail, and snow, or dust and sandstorms common in many areas of the world.
These give an ultimatum to your networking solution: protect the connectivity device, or have it fail. Unlike you when going to work, a cellular router cannot simply ‘take an umbrella’. A common workaround is taking the extra step and getting an external add-on – an ‘armour’ your device can wear. But a much better alternative is the choice of device itself: a dedicated outdoor router that can brave the elements on its own.
World, meet the first-ever outdoor router by Teltonika Networks: the OTD140.
Beyond elementary specs
The OTD140 outdoor router is a dust and water-resistant cellular router designed to withstand weather conditions. The device is encased in durable, IP55 plastic (PC+ASA) housing. Defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), this means that dust and water jets from any direction do not interfere with the safe operation of the equipment.
In practice, IP55 makes this 4G router perfect for deployment in outdoor applications, including CCTV cameras and sensors, lift stations, wind and solar farms, and more.
Of course, the solution being installed out in the open means the fewer cabling needed – the better. Fortunately, the OTD140 isn’t just an outdoor router, but a PoE+ router as well. This allows it to power end devices using the same cable used to provide that end device with connectivity. It has 2 Ethernet ports with PoE+ capabilities: one with PoE-in and one with PoE-out, with which it can provide up to 15 W for powering an end device.
Now that you know you can safely rely on the OTD140 to protect the connection, let’s talk about that connection. The device provides seamless LTE Cat 4 connectivity with 2 SIM cards, allowing for reliability features like failover, backup WAN, and other switching scenarios to ensure a stable and uninterrupted connection.
This connection is secured using firewalls, VPNs, access control, and VLAN capabilities, among others. In terms of industrial protocol support, the OTD140 covers Modbus, MQTT, SMNP, and many other key protocols you know and love for your networking solutions.
Note that this outdoor router does not have Wi-Fi capabilities by itself. If your solution could use Wi-Fi on top of outdoor resilience, we recommend adding a Wi-Fi access point, such as our TAP100 or TAP200.
Like other Teltonika Networks routers, this PoE+ router runs on RutOS and is supported by our Remote Management System (RMS), enabling simple and comprehensive remote management, access, and control capabilities over both the outdoor router itself and end devices connected to it.
This is especially important for outdoor solutions that aren’t easily or frequently accessed in person, such as those installed on mountaintops or deep in the wilderness, like automated remote weather stations or wildlife protection solutions.
Out in the open
Let’s take a look at an example use case where the OTD140 really shines.
Imagine a construction site with its vehicles and equipment staying on-site 24/7 as construction progresses over the course of months. All that equipment demands constant surveillance of the site, so CCTV cameras and a cellular router are installed on poles throughout the site.
As days become weeks and weeks become months, the weather is ever-changing. Heat waves come and go in the summer, followed by heavy rain in the winter. In some parts of the world, snowstorms rage instead. In other still, dust and sandstorms scour the site regularly.
Not an ideal environment for your average connectivity device, but the OTD140 outdoor router is anything but average. Click on the topology to learn more about this use case.
Want to learn more?
If you’re interested in learning more about the OTD140, as well as the challenges and opportunities of outdoor network connectivity as a whole, join Operational Marketing Project Executive, Pranas Aksamitauskas, and Engineer Vytautas Dalibagas in an upcoming webinar taking place on January 17th at 11 A.M. (GMT+2).
In the webinar, they will examine how to ensure seamless and uninterrupted data transmission even in the face of challenging environments and explore the capabilities of the OTD140 in a wide range of outdoor applications.
Do you have your own solution calling for a dedicated outdoor router? Click below to have a chat with us, no matter the weather!
