Hands-on with the WLINK R230 – A robust industrial router for critical applications

The WLINK R230 is a versatile and reliable industrial-grade router designed to meet the demanding connectivity needs of major business sectors such as energy, banking, manufacturing, and transport.

Secure and reliable connectivity is critical in these sectors, making high-quality networking infrastructure a must-have.

• Click here to get the WLINK R230 industrial 4G router.

The WLINK R230 Industrial Router delivers this, ensuring seamless communication for IoT devices – including motors, sensors, cameras, and actuators – while delivering the reliability and robustness to operate optimally in harsh environments and factory conditions.

These were our findings after testing a WLINK R230 Industrial Router, sent to us by Otto Wireless Solutions.

Watch our review video below and read on for more details about the router.

Setup and technical details

The WLINK R230 offers an extensive port selection and powerful hardware, including:

• 2x cellular SMA antenna connectors – with 4G antenna
• 2x Wi-Fi SMA-RP antenna connectors – with two 2.4GHz Wi-Fi antennas (300Mbps)
• 2x SIM slots – For network failover
• eSIM support – Makes it easy to switch between carriers
• 2x LAN ports – 10/100Mbps
• WAN port – 10/100Mbps
• USB port – For configuration, upgrades, and troubleshooting
• DC input – 9-60V
• Serial interface – RS232, RS485, and DI/DO

Even with all of these ports and peripherals, the WLINK R230 boasts a hassle-free setup that took me less than two minutes.

All I needed to do was connect the router to my PC via an Ethernet cable, attach the antennas, slide in a SIM card, and plug in the power cable.

Once the router had booted up, I entered the R230’s IP address into my browser, filled in the username and password provided with the router, and it was ready to go.

Reliability and failover

The extensive port and input selection provides the WLINK R230 with extensive failover options that make it extremely reliable.

The two 4G antennas and dual SIM slots ensure continuous connectivity for all your IoT devices.

Together with the router’s eSIM capabilities, you are guaranteed extensive redundancy and network failover to ensure industry-leading uptimes for your operations.

eSIM functionality also makes the WLINK R230 perfect for remote or hard-to-reach locations, as you can easily switch carriers without physically accessing the router.

Thanks to their use of the popular 2.4GHz band, the Wi-Fi antennas then produce a wide-reaching network for your IoT devices to connect to. This is complemented by wired connectivity options via the Ethernet ports – ideal for your most critical devices and systems.

For legacy hardware, the router’s RS232 and RS485 serial ports ensure the WLINK-R230 is also compatible with even the oldest systems.

Easy management

The extensive functionality of the WLINK R230 is easy to access and monitor through WLINK’s intuitive management interface.

It gave me an overview of my network, including internet access and the status of the router’s VPN, cellular network, LAN, and wireless network.

I could also view traffic stats and a device list, while Ping and Trace tools made it easy to optimise my network for the IoT devices connected to it.

It let me manage basic and advanced network settings, too, along with WLAN, firewall, and admin features for a fully inclusive management system.

The best part of the WLINK management system was that, unlike most other solutions, it is completely free.

Robust at all times

The advanced hardware and software features of the WLINK R230 remain working at optimal levels even in the harshest environments.

The R230 can withstand extreme temperatures ranging from -40 degrees Celsius to an impressive 70 degrees Celsius.

It is also resilient against strong magnetic interference and can be powered by a wide range of voltages – from 9V to 60V – to ensure it can handle any power fluctuations without hassle.

An essential router for industry

Thanks to its long list of features and easy management, the WLINK R230 is a popular choice in South Africa – and is used extensively in several local industries.

The Wl-R230 router is but one of many products from an extensive range of LTE routers manufactured and supplied by Wlink. Three of South Africa’s banks use Wlink routers in their ATMs, while every traffic light controller supplier uses similar models in their setups.

Many smart solar providers use the Wlink routers, too, and Wlink was essential in a project to roll out Wi-Fi enabled buses in Algoa Bay.

Otto Wireless Solutions is the sole distributor of the WLINK R230 and other WLINK routers in Africa, making it the go-to provider for your industrial connectivity needs.

Contact [email protected] or call +27 11 791 1033 for more information.

Click here to get the WLINK R230 industrial 4G router.