Gateways and adapters

Digi International has released industrial-grade versions of the ConnectPort X3 gateway and XBee adapters.

The ConnectPort provides ZigBee-to-mobile (GSM) connectivity and is integrated into a NEMA 4X/IP 66 enclosure for protection against dust, water and ice.

XBee adapters featuring lithium batteries for extended life in extreme temperatures provide off-the-shelf wireless enablement of existing electronic devices.

The devices add rugged industrial-grade alternatives to the company’s drop-in networking range, a combination of hardware components and software tools for network-enabling commercial-grade devices where wired infrastructure does not exist or does not satisfy needs.

The ConnectPort is Class 1, Division 2 certified, ensuring safe operation in the presence of flammable liquids, vapours and gases. It is designed for applications like tank or pipeline monitoring, precision irrigation control and automated metering infrastructure.

In addition to ethernet, serial and USB interfaces, the gateway offers four analog input ports for wired sensor connectivity and an open-frame power supply built into the enclosure base. It features a native Python engine for programmability.

The lithium battery-powered XBee adapters are also Class 1, Division 2 certified. They join the company’s current range of XBee adapters that are powered by alkaline batteries or an external AC power supply.

Unlike alkaline batteries, which suffer significant charge loss at extended temperatures, lithium batteries maintain a steady charge over a much wider temperature range.

In most remote device monitoring applications where readings are infrequent, lithium batteries can last for several years.