Industrial connectivity has shifted from being a “nice to have” add-on to being the backbone of modern operations. Whether you’re running CCTV networks, utility infrastructure, smart city assets, rail and vehicle systems, or remote environmental sites, your router is no longer a box you throw in the cabinet and forget about. It has to hold up against extremes, switch networks instantly, run local logic, and stay online when everything else is falling over.

Advantech’s industrial 5G router family hits that brief cleanly. These aren’t consumer routers dressed up in metal. They’re purpose-built machines for real-world industry. The whole range sits under the ICR-4000 platform, with models tailored to everything from compact control cabinets to full-blown edge gateways with multiple Ethernet ports, SFP, CAN, serial, and wide-temperature resilience.

A single manufacturer page exists if you want to explore the full range: advantech.com
(That is the only link included as requested.)

Below is a deep look at the range, how 5G matters in industrial deployments, where IoT SIM cards fit in, and how to position each model correctly for your customers or projects.

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Industrial 5G Routers: Why They Matter

Industrial data is no longer small. High-resolution video, automation telemetry, environmental feeds, predictive maintenance models, and site-level control all rely on bandwidth and uptime. That’s where 5G comes into its own.

Why 5G is becoming non-negotiable

• Bandwidth headroom
  Some sites now run six, twelve or thirty cameras per router. 4G cuts it fine; 5G doesn’t break a sweat.

• Lower latency
  Modern systems need fast acknowledgement: EV chargers, PLC backhaul, ANPR, automated gates, mobile fleets.

• Better device density
  More edge devices per mast, less congestion, more reliable performance.

• Future-proof hardware
  If you deploy equipment expected to run for 7–10 years, 5G makes far more sense than squeezing 4G for its last drops.

What “industrial” actually means

A true industrial router brings far more than cellular:

• Wide temperature operation, often –40 °C to +75 °C

• Metal housings, DIN-rail/wall mounting

• Multiple Ethernet ports

• Serial ports for legacy kit (RS-232/RS-485)

• CAN-bus support for machinery, vehicles, automation

• Digital I/O for alarms and triggers

• Dual SIM with automatic failover

• eSIM support where physical replacement isn’t practical

• Integrated VPN stack (IPsec, OpenVPN, WireGuard)

• Remote fleet management

• On-device edge computing for custom logic or pre-processing

Advantech’s 5G range ticks these boxes cleanly.

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IoT SIM Cards and Industrial Deployments

The router gives you the hardware. The IoT SIM plan determines whether the site actually works in practice.

For industrial projects you generally want:

• Multi-network roaming SIMs so the router can pick the strongest network

• Private APN for locked-down connectivity

• Fixed IP or VPN-based access if engineers need remote login

• High-usage bundles for video-heavy deployments

• eSIM capability for remote profile switching without site visits

• Resilience-first strategy: automatic switching between networks and fallback profiles

The Advantech 5G routers support dual SIM slots plus eSIM-ready variants, making them a strong match for resilient IoT SIM setups.

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The Advantech ICR-4000 Platform

The ICR-4000 series is Advantech’s flagship industrial 5G/LTE router platform. It sits in clear tiers:

• ICR-4100 Series: Compact industrial 5G router for general IoT use

• ICR-4200 Series: Adds serial ports and extended integration options

• ICR-4461 (ICR-4400 Series): High-end 5G gateway with SFP, multiple Ethernet ports, CAN, and serious edge-compute capability

Below is a full breakdown of each.

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ICR-4100 Series

(ICR-4161, ICR-4171 family)

The ICR-4100 range is the entry point into industrial 5G. Not “basic,” just compact and sensibly balanced. It’s ideal when you need hardened hardware and high-speed cellular without the heavier interface load of the larger gateways.

Key Features

• 5G NR with LTE-Advanced fallback

• Dual SIM support (with eSIM-ready variants)

• Quad-core industrial CPU

• Gigabit Ethernet ports (typically two)

• Optional Wi-Fi and GNSS depending on model

• Metal enclosure and industrial mounting

• Remote management capability

• Full VPN stack

Interfaces

• 2 × Gigabit Ethernet

• USB host

• microSD slot

• Dual SIM

• Optional GNSS

• Optional Wi-Fi

Where This Range Fits

A strong choice for use cases that need industrial reliability but don’t require extensive wiring:

• Smart signage / digital screens

• Small CCTV sites (2–6 cameras)

• IoT environmental monitoring

• Retail POS backup connectivity

• Compact plant rooms

• Remote kiosks or terminals

Why Choose It

You get a rugged 5G industrial router without drifting into the higher costs and complexity of the larger models. Perfect balance for smaller cabinets or OEM boxes.

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ICR-4200 Series

(ICR-4261, ICR-4271 family)

The 4200 series takes the 4100 feature set and adds the physical interfaces needed for automation, industrial buses and legacy equipment.

Key Features

Everything from the 4100 series plus:

• RS-232 / RS-485 serial interfaces

• Optional digital I/O

• Enhanced integration for SCADA and industrial control

• Multi-port configuration flexibility

Interfaces

• 2 × Gigabit Ethernet

• RS-232 / RS-485 serial

• USB host

• microSD slot

• Dual SIM

• Optional Wi-Fi and GNSS

• Optional I/O

Where It Excels

• SCADA monitoring in utilities

• Legacy serial equipment backhaul

• Water, gas, energy control cabinets

• Industrial automation systems

• Municipal infrastructure

Why Choose It

If your deployment still relies on RS-232/RS-485, or if you need a combination of Ethernet and serial integration, this is the obvious choice. It’s a proper industrial gateway without stepping into the larger edge-computing tier.

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ICR-4461 Series

(Flagship 5G Industrial Edge Gateway)

This is the heavyweight in the family. The ICR-4461 is built for sites where you’re running multiple devices, complex networks, high-bandwidth workloads, or full edge computing with containerised applications.

Key Features

• Industrial 5G NR router with high throughput

• 5 × Gigabit Ethernet ports

• SFP cage for fibre modules

• RS-232 and RS-485

• CAN-bus interface

• Digital I/O

• Wide voltage input

• Rugged –40 °C to +75 °C operation

• Dual SIM + eSIM readiness

• Large internal storage and RAM for edge apps

• Support for Docker-style workloads and programmable logic

• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth variants available

Interfaces

• 5 × Gigabit Ethernet (including separate WAN)

• 1 × SFP

• RS-232

• RS-485

• CAN-bus

• USB

• microSD

• Digital I/O

• Dual SIM / eSIM option

Where It Excels

• High-density CCTV hubs (20–40 cameras per site)

• Energy sub-stations and grid control

• Transport vehicles: rail, buses, fleet depots

• Industrial automation clusters

• Machine builders and robotics integrators

• Smart city cabinets with multiple sensors

• Edge AI and analytics

Why Choose It

This is the router you deploy when uptime, performance and long-term compatibility matter more than upfront budget. It’s the industrial equivalent of a fully-loaded server appliance: flexibility, ports, environmental resilience and computational headroom.

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How to Pick the Right Advantech Model

Choose the ICR-4100 if:

• You need reliable 5G in a compact industrial format

• Your site only needs a couple of wired ports

• You’re dealing with kiosks, signage, POS, or lightweight CCTV

Choose the ICR-4200 if:

• You need serial integrations

• You’re connecting to PLCs, meters, or utilities equipment

• You want a clean balance between wired, serial and industrial I/O

Choose the ICR-4461 if:

• You need lots of Ethernet ports

• You’re handling high-bandwidth workloads

• You need SFP or fibre uplinks

• Your equipment includes CAN-bus, serial, digital I/O and multiple LAN clusters

• You want edge computing capability and future expansion

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Installation Considerations for UK Industrial Sites

Advantech’s hardware is industrial-grade, but good deployment still matters.

Antennas

5G depends heavily on correct antenna placement. Avoid indoor paddle antennas for anything mission critical. Use external MIMO antennas with low-loss cable runs and mount them where signal conditions are strong.

Power and grounding

Industrial routers expect stable DC. Use clean feeds and surge protection, especially in utility or transport deployments.

SIM architecture

Don’t rely on a single network. Use multi-network IoT SIM cards with automatic failover. Dual SIM + eSIM gives strong resilience.

Remote management

Configure VPN, monitoring, logging and firmware auto-updates during installation. Industrial networks pay for themselves when the number of site visits drops.

Cabinet heat

If the unit goes into a sealed cabinet, be aware of temperature buildup. The ICR-4461 handles extremes well, but heat still kills electronics over time.

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Why Advantech?

Advantech sits comfortably alongside Teltonika, Sierra, Cradlepoint and other industrial networking brands. It fills the gap where customers want:

• More ports than the smaller industrial routers

• Serial plus CAN-bus integration

• Edge compute capability

• Rugged, multi-interface 5G hardware

• Long lifecycle products

• High-end plant, grid and transport readiness

If your customers are running serious infrastructure rather than quick setups, this range gives you a robust alternative to offer.

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Final Thoughts

Industrial connectivity is only getting more demanding. More devices, more video feeds, more automation, more pressure on uptime. The Advantech ICR-4000 series provides the ruggedness and performance needed to keep these systems running.

The ICR-4100 handles compact deployments.
The ICR-4200 bridges Ethernet and serial worlds.
The ICR-4461 stands out as a proper edge gateway for heavy industrial tasks.

Pair them with a solid IoT SIM strategy and good antennas, and you have a connectivity platform that will run reliably for years, not months.