The G520 is a series of cellular gateways from Lantronix designed for industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), security, and transport use cases. While it provides redundant networking capabilities, it lacks critical resilience features such as out-of-band management (OOBM). This guide explains where the G520 falls short and why it matters before describing alternative options that deliver multi-functional IIoT capabilities and network resilience. 

Why consider Lantronix G520 alternatives?

The Lantronix G520 is a cellular gateway that provides network connectivity, failover, and load balancing for IoT devices. However, it lacks serial console management capabilities, which means you need a separate device for remote management and OOBM. Out-of-band management is a crucial technology that separates the network control plane from the data plane to prevent breaches of management interfaces. OOBM also improves resilience by using a dedicated network (like cellular LTE) that gives remote teams a lifeline to recover from equipment failures, network outages, and breaches. 

G520 gateways are managed with the Percepxion cloud platform, while cellular data plans and VPN security are managed separately with the cloud-based Connectivity Services software. These software solutions cannot be extended with third-party integrations, so teams must manage two separate Lantronix platforms and use separate software for monitoring, security, etc. Closed software also prevents teams from utilizing third-party automation and orchestration and creates a lot of management complexity, increasing the risk of human error and reducing operational efficiency.

G520 hardware also lacks extensibility due to an ARM architecture and tiny 256MB Flash storage. This essentially makes it a single-purpose device, with organizations needing to deploy additional appliances to run edge workloads, security applications, and other third-party software. There’s another IIoT gateway solution that combines edge networking capabilities with OOBM, the ability to run or integrate third-party applications, and a unified, extensible cloud management platform that extends automation and orchestration to all the devices in your deployment.

Nodegrid alternatives for the G520

Nodegrid is a line of vendor-neutral, edge networking solutions from ZPE Systems. The closest alternative to the Lantronix G520 is the Nodegrid Mini Services Router (or Mini SR). 

Nodegrid Mini SR vs. Lantronix G520

The Mini SR is a compact, fanless edge gateway small enough to be easily installed in any industrial environment. In addition to gateway, networking, and failover capabilities, the Mini SR provides OOBM for all connected devices, turning it into an IoT device management solution. Nodegrid’s OOBM completely isolates IoT management interfaces and ensures they’re remotely available 24/7 even during ISP outages and ransomware infections.

The Mini SR and all connected devices are managed with ZPE Cloud, an intuitive platform that’s easily extensible with third-party integrations for infrastructure automation, edge security, SCADA software, and much more. The best part is that ZPE Cloud is a unified solution that gives administrators a single-pane-of-glass management experience for convenience and efficiency. 

The Mini SR and all other Nodegrid hardware solutions run on the vendor-neutral, Linux-based Nodegrid OS and come with robust Intel architectures. As a result, they can host Guest OS and even Docker containers for third-party applications, reducing the need for additional hardware appliances in cramped industrial environments. The Mini SR is an all-in-one solution that reduces edge expenses and complexity while improving resilience and operational efficiency.

Other Nodegrid alternatives for the Lantronix G520

Depending on your use case, you may have other reasons to consider G520 alternatives, such as the need for a complete serial console management solution, or the desire to run artificial intelligence (AI) workflows at the edge without deploying expensive single-purpose GPUs. Luckily, the Nodegrid line has solutions for every edge use case and pain point.

Comparing Nodegrid SRs

Get a complete IIoT solution with Nodegrid

The Nodegrid Mini SR improves upon the Lantronix G520 by consolidating edge networking capabilities and offering a vendor-neutral platform to host and integrate all your third-party applications. Schedule a demo to see Nodegrid in action!