Author: christine doetzer

The LTE-450 rollout by Bayernwerk Netz GmbH reaches even the most remote locations: on the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain, a local substation was recently upgraded with cutting-edge technology for remote monitoring and control. The retrofit solution will allow real-time access to operating data and make it possible to track voltage and power values in the future.

At almost 3,000 meters, the Zugspitze substation is the highest power grid in Bayernwerk´s service area, supplying electricity to the Zugspitzbahn railway, the German Weather Service station and the Max Planck Society research facility, among others.

At the core of the retrofit installation is a rugged industrial router from Garderos, supporting both conventional public cellular and LTE-450 connectivity. This combination ensures secure and highly available data transmission – even under harsh alpine conditions.

Applications that Strengthen the Grid

• Remote control technology: enabling real-time monitoring and management of grid assets
• Power quality management: capturing and analyzing data on voltage and network stability
• Future-ready design: The Zugspitze project showcases today’s digital ONS capabilities. Garderos routers also support advanced features such as virtual RTUs (vRTU) for upcoming use cases

Partnership for critical infrastructure

By choosing LTE-450 and Garderos’ router as well as router configuration server, Bayernwerk Netz ensures that even remote and exposed sites are seamlessly integrated into the digital power grid. This is a vital step toward greater resilience, security of supply, and transparency in energy networks.

As one of Germany’s largest utilities, Bayernwerk Netz is a long-standing customer of Garderos. Together, the two are driving the digitalization of the energy sector – from the lowlands all the way up to the highest peaks.

Photo: Christian Martens, Bayernwerk Netz GmbH

Energy suppliers and KRITIS operators can officially use Garderos routers on the 450connect network. Our routers have been approved for operation in the 450 MHz frequency band, which serves as the nationwide mobile communications network for critical infrastructures. This achievement is the result of over ten years of experience developing products in the 450 MHz range, demonstrating our dedication to meeting the unique needs of German energy suppliers and KRITIS operators.

The whitelist contains voice and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication hardware tested by 450connect for interoperability and LTE450 interface quality. This hardware has been found to comply with the necessary requirements. Only devices on the whitelist are approved for operation on the 450 MHz network. This ensures maximum security, interoperability, and long-term investment protection. Garderos is proud to contribute to this effort with its industrial routers for critical infrastructures.

Full flexibility for the communications architecture

Since early 2022, our LTE- and LTE-450-enabled router portfolio has been in use with great success. Currently, over 35,000 of these dual-mode routers are securing communications for the energy industry and other critical infrastructure sectors in Germany and around the world.

In addition to 450 MHz radio modules, Garderos routers can be equipped with 3G, 4G, 5G (RedCap), DSL, and fiber optic (LWL) interfaces. These interfaces enable redundant, highly available network connections tailored for critical applications.

Furthermore, the routers can be used immediately and converted later, as soon as the 450connect network becomes available at the respective location. This process is simple and straightforward via remote maintenance. Garderos is a pioneer in remote router management with more than ten years of experience.

Strong Solutions – Strong Partnerships

As an active member of the 450 MHz Alliance, the 450 Utility Alliance, and the EUTC, we contribute our expertise in developing secure communication solutions for network operators.

Our value-added partners CANCOM, m2m Germany, Wireless Logic, mdex, and BeEnergy SG help bring our router portfolio to KRITIS customers. We greatly appreciate their support.

You can find more information about our LTE-450 routers via this link.

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