The processor and the memory. It runs the Intel® Core™ 10th Gen platform with DDR4 up to 32GB — up to a six-core i7-10710U — which is enough to filter, aggregate and analyse data at the site before it goes over the cellular link. Combined with the TF card slot for local buffering, that means the mobile link only has to carry what is worth sending, and a coverage outage does not lose the readings.

They do different jobs. The SIM card slot gives the 4G/5G module its identity on the mobile network — it is the subscription, not storage. The TF card slot is local storage: the place where the box keeps readings while the link is down, holds a rolling log that survives a power cut, or stores images from an attached camera. Both are inside the chassis, so neither can be knocked out of a port.

Compute and positioning. Both use a 337 × 160 × 53.2 mm fanless chassis with SIM and TF slots, four serial channels and dual Intel I210 LAN. The UPC-309C is the 10th Gen Core version with DDR4 up to 32GB, built for edge processing at the site. The other cellular model uses a Celeron J1900 standard build for deployments where the box only has to poll and forward. Choose by how much work happens on site.

Match the build to the job. i3-10110U if the box polls a few devices and forwards the values. i5-10210U if it also aggregates, stores a local log and runs a small HMI. i7-10710U — the six-core build — if there is image or data analysis before transmission, multi-protocol conversion, or continuous high-rate logging. The chassis, the ports and the cellular hardware are the same in all three.

2× RS232 and 2× RS485 on DB9 — two channels for point-to-point instruments and two for multi-drop buses, which is what a site with both kinds of device needs — plus 4× USB 3.0 for cameras, storage and service devices. HDMI is provided for commissioning with a local monitor, which is often easier than carrying a laptop to a remote installation.

It is a microSD-class card slot inside the chassis, on the same board set as the cellular module. Capacity depends on the card fitted; because it is used for buffering and rolling logs rather than as the main system disk, the storage size is chosen against how long the site has to survive a link outage. The system itself boots from the 1× mSATA SSD.

12V DC on a 3-pin pluggable terminal block, with 9–36V DC optional — the wider range is what makes the model usable on DC-bus cabinets, vehicles and solar or battery-backed sites, where the nominal 12V is rarely exactly 12V. Startup is selectable between AT and ATX; set to AT, the box comes back by itself when power is restored, which is essential where nobody is on site.

The chassis measures 337 × 160 × 53.2 mm and weighs 3.7 kg, milled from high-strength aluminium alloy with no fan or filter. It mounts on a wall bracket or a VESA plate. The 53.2 mm height is the price of the cellular module bay, the SIM and TF slots and the four serial shells, and it is still shallow enough for a standard control cabinet.

Fanless operation means no filter to clean and no air path carrying dust across the boards. Operating temperature is 0–50 ℃ as standard with −40–70 ℃ optional for cold stores and outdoor cabinets; storage is −10–60 ℃ and humidity is 10%–90% non-condensing. Certifications are CE, FCC and BIS to EN 55032 and EN 55035, the factory is ISO 9001:2015, and ODM covers custom BIOS, boot-on-LOGO and OEM branding.