Digi Launches New Wireless Remote Device Networking Products with Firs

Digi Launches New Wireless Remote Device Networking Products with First Intelligent High Speed GSM EDGE Gateway

    Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

    MINNETONKA, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 22, 2005--

Cingular selects Digi Connect(TM) WAN GSM for its new Wireless WAN Connectivity Service
    Digi International (NASDAQ:DGII) today announced the introduction of the Digi Connect WAN GSM which provides Ethernet-to-wireless IP connectivity to remote sites and devices via the cellular GSM network. The Digi Connect WAN GSM is the first gateway to offer a cost effective, truly diverse alternative to landline data connections by utilizing Cingular's high speed GSM-based GPRS/EDGE network for backup network connectivity. Cingular, which operates the largest digital wireless voice and data network in the U.S., yesterday announced the product as a component in the company's new Wireless WAN Connectivity Service. Customers such as Florida Power and Light and EnerNOC have also chosen the Digi Connect WAN GSM for primary and back-up remote site connectivity.
    "This announcement represents an exciting extension of Digi's business into a new market area," said Joe Dunsmore, CEO, Digi International. "Paired with Cingular's service, we are making it easy to connect previously hard to reach remote sites and their devices, as well as providing cost-effective backup device network connectivity. These solutions have particular appeal in some of our traditional verticals and applications, such as retail, automated teller machine connectivity, self-service stations, remote industrial sites, power utilities and industrial control systems."
    The Digi Connect WAN GSM is the industry's first commercially available gateway to provide high-speed wireless GSM connections for remote mission-critical data operations. It creates a diverse WAN connection so that when primary wired connections are unavailable, mission critical data continues to flow through the wireless connection. The product also provides reliable primary communications for remote locations. The Digi Connect WAN GSM takes advantage of Cingular's high-speed EDGE network, the fastest national wireless data network in the U.S.
    "The Digi Connect WAN GSM combines with Cingular's powerful, nationwide EDGE network to provide customers with a truly diverse and secure high-speed back-up solution to their wireline data connections at the edge of a company's IT network," said Hamish Caldwell, executive director, Cingular Wireless Business Markets Group. "Digi offers the marketplace a reliable wireless gateway that is easy to install and operate in conjunction with the Cingular EDGE network that fully meets the expectations of our joint customers. We look forward to continue working with Digi as we market the Wireless WAN Connectivity Service to our extensive business customer base."

    Customer's find true network diversity with Digi Connect WAN GSM

    Florida Power & Light (FP&L), which serves more than 4.2 million customers in Florida, began rollout of the Connect WAN as a back up for its primary connections at its remote company sites. FP&L utilizes Digi's Connectware(TM) Manager, an enterprise-class management platform, to manage the devices and their connections wirelessly.
    "We needed a reliable fail-over system to our primary wireline connections for our sites throughout Florida," said Joel De Granda, supervisor of hardware systems development, FP&L. "The Digi Connect WAN GSM made it easy for us to implement EDGE wireless WAN connectivity service and provided a cost effective, truly diverse alternative to landline data connections. The Connect WAN was attractive to FP&L because of its integral IP and routing capabilities and its ability to maintain persistent connections on the Cingular EDGE network. Digi's Connectware Manager software also made it easy for us to configure and monitor hundreds of the devices wirelessly."
    EnerNOC, a leading provider of full-service Demand Response (DR) and energy management solutions, uses the Digi Connect WAN GSM as a primary connection for remote device management. To help customers implement DR programs, EnerNOC installs site servers at each of its customer locations. For customers without landline connections, EnerNOC uses the Digi Connect WAN GSM as its main line of communications to monitor and manage these devices wirelessly.
    "The Digi Connect WAN GSM eliminated the cost and time burden of setting up landline connections for our customers without Internet access," said Craig Rutfield, vice president of engineering, EnerNOC. "It allows us to easily monitor and operate our remote site servers wirelessly when necessary. This saved us money and time. Set up was also easy."

    First Intelligent High Speed EDGE Gateway Fills Market Need

    According to Glen Allmendinger, president, Harbor Research, Inc.: "The Digi Connect WAN GSM with its EDGE technology represents an important step forward for intelligent device connectivity. Up until now, there has been a whole class of intelligent devices that are really 'widows and orphans,' that is, devices that are either in very remote locations or devices needing back-up but where the cost to back-up has been prohibitive. Digi's cellular/wireless partnerships and its new software capabilities will allow Digi to open up a whole new growth opportunity in the larger sphere of wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) communications."
    The Digi Connect WAN GSM is the first Ethernet-to-Cellular gateway to utilize EDGE technology. In addition to standard cellular modem communications, it also offers local intelligence with features such as network routing, persistent connections, firewall and a secure integrated remote management software package. Advanced features include TCP/UDP, DHCP support, NAT, port forwarding, GRE protocol tunneling and access control lists.
    Digi's remote Connect WAN gateway is supported by the Digi Connectware Manager, an enterprise-class management platform that provides customers with the ability to manage thousands of devices and their wireless connections. Connectware makes it easier to deploy and administer devices over a wireless wide area network, in a secure, easy to use, scalable fashion.
    "Our Connectware software makes it easy to configure and manage any number of remote devices wirelessly," Dunsmore added. "Connectware lowers the total cost of ownership of deploying and managing a wireless wide area network by centralizing administration, thus reducing costly visits to remote locations."
    The Digi Connect WAN GSM is currently shipping. For more information about the Digi Connect WAN GSM and Digi Connectware Manager, visit http://www.digi.com/products/remotewirelesscellular/ digiconnectwangsm.jsp. (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.) To view the launch FAQ, visit http://www.digi.com/pdf/pr20050222_qa.pdf.
    For a demo of the Digi Connect WAN GSM, visit http://www.digi.com/products/wireless/digiconnectwangsmdemo.jsp. For more information about Digi's Remote Device Management program, visit http://www.digi.com/applications/remotedevicemanagement/overview.jsp.
    For more information about Cingular's Wireless WAN Connectivity Service, visit http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/ micro_stories.pl?ACCT=088644&TICK=CINGUL1&STORY=/www/story/02-21-2005/ 0003065123&EDATE=Feb+21,+2005. (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

    About Digi International

    Digi International, based in Minneapolis, makes device networking easy by developing products and technologies that are cost effective and easy to use. Digi markets its products through a global network of distributors and resellers, systems integrators and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
    For more information, visit Digi's Web site at www.digi.com, or call 877-912-3444.
    All brand names and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

--30--JC/cg*

CONTACT: Digi International Jan McBride, 952-912-3473 jan_mcbride@digi.com or Mulberry Marketing Communications Matt Serra, 312-836-3716 mserra@mulberrymc.com

KEYWORD: MINNESOTA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: HARDWARE SOFTWARE TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORKING PRODUCT SOURCE: Digi International

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