Key questions regarding the Railway Router question
Which router best suits the requirements of my project?
Which router functions are crucial for stable and efficient railway operations?
How can I guarantee the long-term reliability and future-proofing of my router?
In this whitepaper, we explore the most important questions that arise when selecting modern railway routers.
You will learn which functions are truly crucial in practice – such as reliable connectivity, intelligent network management, secure remote access and comprehensive protection mechanisms against cyberattacks.
Furthermore, we demonstrate how the right combination of hardware and software can significantly extend the lifespan of your routers – in many cases almost doubling their service life. The key lies in an often underestimated but crucial factor: continuous software support and professional lifecycle management.
With this knowledge, you can make informed decisions, increase operational safety, better utilize your investments – and make your railway infrastructure future-proof in the long term.Free whitepaperThe whitepaper includes an overview of common railway routers in direct comparison.
Finding the right railway router
Four steps to selection
To help you choose the right router, we offer a clear step-by-step methodology:
Step 1
Define your deployment scenario
- Simple operational communication (Light Rail):
Basic functions such as telemetry and the transmission of vehicle data to the track. - Non-critical, high bandwidth requirement (Heavy Rail): Solid bandwidth for WLAN, video surveillance, basic edge computing and VPN functionality.
- Power-intensive applications (High-Speed Rail): Premium WLAN, real-time communication and multiple parallel edge applications.
Step 2
Plan network capacity
- Design & Mounting:
Check available mounting surfaces, temperature ranges and mechanical compatibility. - Power supply:
Check compatibility (24-110V, PoE). - Network performance:
Ethernet bandwidth (100 Mbit/s, 1-10 Gbit/s). - Mobile communications & WLAN:
Suitable LTE/5G standards and WLAN specifications. - Other interfaces:
GNSS functionality and OT interfaces (Serial, CAN). - Computing power: Processor architecture (ARM vs. x86), RAM capacity and AI acceleration.
Gigabit network technology is usually sufficient for regional projects – those who want to plan for the future should opt for 2.5 Gbit/s. For national projects, 10 Gbit/s and suitable cabling should be planned from the outset.
Step 3
Plan network capacity
- Calculating the required bandwidth
is based on the number of passengers and the expected data consumption. - Determine the number of routers and mobile network connectivity.
Take into account vehicle length, number of passengers, available mobile network technologies and, if applicable, satellite options. - Optimize Wi-Fi coverage:
