Digi EX61 Joins Digi Ventus: Rugged 5G for Every Site, Delivered by Subscription
The newest hardware in the Digi Ventus lineup captures 5G where the signal lives, indoors or out, with no large upfront purchase.
The best cellular signal and the network closet are rarely in the same place. A vending machine sits in a concrete stairwell. A micro market lives in the back corner of a break room. An EV charger stands at the far end of a parking lot. A traffic cabinet bakes on a street corner in July and freezes in January. Each one depends on a connection that stays up, and each one sits where a conventional router struggles to reach.
As of November 2026 Digi EX61 is available through the Digi Ventus Managed Connectivity Program (MCP). Using MCP organizations get the hardware, carrier data, monitoring and support in one monthly subscription instead of a capital purchase.
What Digi EX61 Brings to the Edge
Digi EX61 runs on the Qualcomm SDX72 platform with 5G enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) based on 3GPP Release 17 and LTE-Advanced Pro fallback. In practical terms, it has the capacity for payment traffic, video surveillance and cloud applications at the same time.
The hardware is designed for the conditions unattended sites actually face:
- IP66 enclosure rated from -40°C to 70°C (-40°F to 158°F), with wall, pole and ceiling mounts included
- Internal cellular and GNSS antennas, with no external RF connectors to seal, leak or fail
- Two 2.5 GbE ports, configurable as WAN and LAN, so the Ethernet link never limits 5G speeds
- 802.3af PoE or USB-C power, so one weather-sealed cable carries both power and data
- An RJ-45 serial port that connects directly to the console port of common enterprise equipment
- A Nano-SIM plus an embedded Digi eSIM, with Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) on the North America model
The antenna design matters more than it first appears. Because every antenna sits inside the enclosure, Digi EX61 delivers the same radio performance whether it hangs on a pole or sits on a ceiling indoors. There is no connector loss, no weather seal to degrade and no second model to stock. One device covers both installs, which simplifies inventory for installers and shortens time on site.
DSDS deserves a closer look. Most dual-SIM devices check the backup carrier only after the primary fails, and that switch can take a minute or two. Digi EX61 keeps both carriers registered and watches them in real time. When the primary degrades, the secondary is already confirmed healthy, so failover takes seconds. That is about 10x faster, and for a payment terminal or a charging session, those seconds are the difference between a completed transaction and a lost one.
Why Subscription, and Why Now
Three forces are pushing organizations away from large hardware purchases and toward subscription models.
First, public sector budgets are tightening. States and cities face slowing revenue, shrinking surpluses and uncertainty about federal funding.[1] A city that wants to connect its intersections or a transit agency that wants to modernize its kiosks may not have the capital budget to buy hundreds of devices at once. A predictable monthly operating expense is easier to approve, easier to plan around and easier to scale as funding allows.
Second, hardware is getting more expensive. The AI infrastructure boom is consuming a growing share of the world's memory and semiconductor supply, and the resulting shortage is raising component prices across the technology industry, including networking gear.[2] Analysts expect the pressure to last for years.[3] Buying hardware outright means absorbing those price increases upfront and then carrying a depreciating asset. A subscription spreads the cost over time and shifts the hardware lifecycle burden to the provider.
Third, speed matters. A subscription removes the procurement cycle that often stalls a deployment for months. With the Digi Ventus MCP, organizations reach production faster and start seeing value from day one, without a major upfront investment.
What Digi Ventus MCP Adds to Digi EX61
The Digi Ventus MCP turns Digi EX61 from a piece of hardware into a complete managed service. Here is what that means in practice:
- Zero-touch deployment. Devices arrive pre-staged and ready to install. There is no staging, configuration or shipping burden on the customer or the installer.
- Fast delivery. Hardware ships in about three business days, one unit at a time, so a single site can go live as quickly as a hundred sites.
- One monthly subscription. Hardware, multi-carrier data, Genesis monitoring and customer care roll into one bill. The subscription reduces upfront investment and avoids depreciation.
- Carrier flexibility. Software-selectable switching across AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, FirstNet and CBRS, with Digi eSIM for remote carrier changes. No truck roll and no SIM swap.
- Warranty for the life of the subscription. Warranty and customer care stay in force as long as the subscription is active.
- New revenue for partners. Because Digi EX61 is rated for outdoor use, partners can offer managed services for smart city, traffic and other outdoor projects where an indoor router cannot go. Optional white labeling lets partners present Genesis as their own value-added service.
Where Digi EX61 Fits
Digi EX61 is a natural fit for the applications Digi Ventus already serves, especially sites that are unattended, outdoors or far from the network closet.
Vending machines, unattended retail and micro markets. Cashless payment only works when the connection does. Digi EX61 mounts where the signal is strongest, even when the machine sits deep inside a building, and DSDS keeps transactions flowing through a carrier outage. Learn more at ventus.digi.com/applications/kiosk-vending-micromarkets and ventus.digi.com/industries/retail.
EV charging. Chargers often sit at the edge of a lot, far from any building. A weatherproof enclosure, internal antennas and single-cable PoE make Digi EX61 a clean fit for outdoor charging stations that need reliable connectivity for payment, session data and remote diagnostics. See ventus.digi.com/applications/ev-charging.
Smart city intersections. Traffic signal controllers, cameras and sensors need connectivity that survives heat, cold and weather. Digi EX61 mounts on a pole or cabinet, operates from -40°C to 70°C and connects the equipment inside over 2.5 GbE. See ventus.digi.com/applications/smart-cities and ventus.digi.com/industries/smart-city.
Digi EX61 also supports point of sale, digital signage, remote locations and network failover. Explore all applications at ventus.digi.com/applications.
Simple Management with Digi Ventus Genesis, Powered by AI
Every Digi EX61 on Digi Ventus is managed in Genesis, the Digi Ventus cloud command center. Genesis gives teams one place to monitor connectivity, act on alerts and manage carriers across every site, on any desktop or mobile screen.
Genesis automates routine management steps, so a fleet of ten sites is as simple to run as ten thousand. Maps show the health of every connection, alerts flag problems the moment they occur and over-the-air updates keep firmware current.
AI makes Genesis even easier to use. Digi Artificial Network Intelligence (DANI), available as a value-added service, is a conversational AI agent that answers questions in plain language about device telemetry, cellular data and configuration history. No scripts and no specialized expertise are required. Genesis is also compatible with the Digi MCP Server, built on the Model Context Protocol, so teams can securely connect the AI tools they already use to their Digi Ventus infrastructure.
Security and Compliance Built In
Unattended sites handle payments, public infrastructure and sensitive data, so security cannot be an add-on. Digi EX61 and Digi Ventus deliver protection from the device to the cloud:
- FIPS 140-3. Digi EX61 meets the current federal standard for cryptographic modules, a clear answer for public sector, financial services and other regulated buyers.
- Digi TrustFence. Digi's device security framework provides secure boot, protected hardware ports, authentication and secure connections as standard.
- SOC 2 Type 2. Digi Ventus Genesis operates under SOC 2 Type 2 controls, giving customers independent assurance about how their data is handled.
- PCI-DSS. Digi Ventus supports PCI-DSS compliance for payment environments, which matters for vending, micro markets, EV charging and any site that processes cards.
Together, these give security and compliance teams a unified, auditable story from the edge device to the management platform.
Remote Reach: Market-Leading Out-of-Band Access
When a device behind Digi EX61 stops responding, the traditional answer is a truck roll. Digi Remote Reach offers a better one.
Remote Reach provides secure, peer-to-peer access to the equipment connected behind Digi EX61, with no VPN and no third-party cloud proxy in the middle. Technicians reach a point-of-sale terminal, a charger controller or a traffic cabinet device in seconds using the protocol that equipment speaks:
- SSH
- Telnet
- RDP
- VNC
- HTTP/HTTPS
- Serial/COM
Digi EX61 has the processing power and memory to run Remote Reach. Its RJ-45 serial port connects to the console port of a router, switch or firewall with a standard rollover cable, so technicians keep a path in even when that device's own network is down. The result is faster resolution, fewer site visits and lower operating cost.
How Digi EX61 Compares
Several 5G extenders compete for the same sites. Digi EX61 stands apart on the points that matter most to unattended and outdoor deployments:
- One device, indoors or outdoors. Some alternatives are rated for indoor use only and publish no IP rating. Digi EX61 carries an IP66 rating and a wider operating temperature range than many competing units.
- The newer encryption security standard. Digi EX61 ships with FIPS 140-3 as standard. Some competitors document no FIPS validation, while others carry only the earlier FIPS 140-2.
- A true WAN extender. Some outdoor alternatives offer a single Ethernet port and require a separate router. Digi EX61 provides independent 2.5 GbE WAN and LAN ports plus serial for out-of-band management.
- No external antennas. Some competing extenders rely on external paddle antennas and RF connectors. Digi EX61's internal antennas remove connector loss and weather-seal failures and leave nothing exposed to tampering.
- An all-inclusive subscription. Many competitors sell hardware bundled with a separate, required management subscription on top of the purchase price. Digi Ventus combines hardware, data, Genesis, warranty and support in one monthly fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Digi EX61?
Digi EX61 is a rugged indoor/outdoor 5G extender with an IP66 enclosure, internal antennas, dual 2.5 GbE ports and single-cable PoE installation. It captures 5G where the signal is strongest and delivers it to the site's existing network.
Does Digi EX61 include Wi-Fi?
No. Digi EX61 has no Wi-Fi radio. It works as a standalone connection for a single device or pairs with a router, switch or access point already at the site.
How does the Digi Ventus subscription work?
The Digi Ventus MCP bundles Digi EX61 hardware, multi-carrier data, Genesis monitoring, warranty and customer care into one monthly subscription. Devices arrive pre-staged for zero-touch deployment and ship in about three business days.
How fast is failover?
On the North America model, DSDS keeps both carriers registered and monitored in real time. Failover takes seconds, about 10x faster than single-modem SIM switching.
Which compliance standards apply?
Digi EX61 is FIPS 140-3 compliant and includes Digi TrustFence. Genesis is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant, and Digi Ventus supports PCI-DSS compliance for payment environments.
When is Digi EX61 available?
Digi EX61 is available in November 2026 in a North America model and a global model. Contact Digi Ventus to plan a deployment.
Connect the Sites Others Cannot Reach
Digi EX61 brings rugged 5G to the vending machine in the stairwell, the charger at the edge of the lot and the cabinet on the corner. Through Digi Ventus, it arrives ready to install, stays managed in Genesis and costs one predictable monthly fee.
To see how Digi EX61 fits your sites, schedule a demo at ventus.digi.com/contact-us.