Proroute IoT Hardware

A Long-Established UK Cellular Brand With Embedded Specialism

Proroute is a long-established UK cellular hardware brand, supplying industrial-grade 4G and 5G routers across cellular IoT and M2M markets for over a decade. In December 2025, Proroute formally repositioned to focus on embedded cellular solutions for OEMs alongside its established industrial router business, reflecting a wider industry shift toward connectivity engineered into products at the design stage rather than added as a bolt-on cellular gateway.

Millbeck supplies the Proroute range across the UK, with stock of widely deployed router products and access to board-only OEM variants for embedded integration projects. Whether you’re deploying a high-bandwidth 5G router for HD video uplink, a compact 4G router for renewable energy monitoring, or a board-only Proroute solution for OEM PCB integration, our team can specify the right product for the deployment.

In short: Proroute is a UK cellular hardware brand specialising in industrial 4G LTE and 5G NR routers and embedded board-only products for OEMs. The product range covers H685 4G (Cat 4 or Cat 6), H685 5G NR sub-6GHz, H820 4G with four LAN ports, and H900 5G dual-SIM with Wi-Fi 6. Specialist variants include the H685F-W-POE for PoE-powered installations. All Proroute products are available as standard cased products or as board-only variants for OEM integration. The full range pairs with Millbeck IoT SIMs, antennas, and pre-deployment configuration services.

Industrial-Grade Reliability and Rugged Design

Proroute hardware is built for unattended deployment in industrial environments, with metal casing, fanless thermal design, and environmental tolerance suited to the conditions where standard office equipment fails.

Wide temperature resilience. Operates reliably from -35°C to +75°C across the standard range, suiting outdoor enclosures, utility substations, industrial plant rooms, and unconditioned cabinet installations.

Compact form factor. The H685 series is among the smallest industrial 5G routers available in its category, allowing integration into space-constrained electrical cabinets where larger routers would not fit. Optional DIN rail mounting kits provide secure, professional installation in industrial cabinet contexts.

Wide voltage range. Models support broad DC input ranges (typically 5-40 VDC on the H685 5G with optional 5-60 VDC variant; 7-30 VDC on the H685 4G), making them compatible with diverse power sources from solar-powered batteries through industrial DC supplies to vehicle electrical systems. The H685F-W-POE specifically supports 802.3af PoE input for direct connection from PoE network switches.

Industrial protection. Reverse polarity protection and surge protection across the range, with dual power inputs and power failover available on selected models for resilience in installations where power continuity matters.

Next-Generation 4G and 5G Connectivity

Proroute’s cellular engine choice covers the spectrum from cost-effective 4G to high-performance 5G, with backwards compatibility across legacy networks.

4G LTE Cat 4. The cost-effective entry point: up to 150 Mbps download, 50 Mbps upload, suited to telemetry, remote monitoring, and applications where reliability and cost matter more than peak throughput. Available across the H685 4G, H820, and H900 product lines.

4G LTE Cat 6 with carrier aggregation. Up to 300 Mbps download via carrier aggregation combining multiple frequency bands, suited to deployments where peak throughput and connection stability in mixed-signal environments matter. Available on the H685 4G Cat 6 variant and H900 Cat 6 model.

5G NR sub-6GHz. Theoretical peak of 2-10 Gbps download and up to 2.5 Gbps upload, with 4×4 MIMO support for full 5G performance. Available on the H685 5G and H900 5G product lines, with 4G LTE and 3G failover for backwards compatibility as networks evolve.

Embedded GPS/Beidou option on the H685 5G provides positioning capability for vehicle and asset tracking applications where the cellular gateway and the location reporting can be combined into a single device.

All 5G models maintain full backwards compatibility with 4G LTE, 3G, and 2G networks, supporting deployments in areas with mixed network availability and providing graceful fallback as UK network infrastructure continues to evolve.

Advanced Security and VPN Tunnelling

Industrial cellular deployments increasingly face cyber threats from automated internet scanning, exploitation attempts, and network-level attacks. Proroute hardware integrates enterprise-grade security protocols designed to protect remote assets and the data passing through them.

Comprehensive VPN support. Integrated support for IPsec, OpenVPN, WireGuard, GRE, L2TP, and PPTP protocols allows encrypted site-to-cloud and site-to-site tunnels, bypassing the risks of exposing devices to the public internet. WireGuard support specifically delivers stronger cryptography and lower overhead than legacy VPN protocols.

Industrial firewall. Built-in stateful packet inspection (SPI) firewall, NAT, and port forwarding capabilities provide granular control over inbound and outbound traffic. Default-deny security posture configurable for specific deployment requirements.

Private APN compatibility. Optimised for use with Millbeck’s private APN, fixed IP, and IoT-specific SIM products, ensuring devices remain invisible to automated internet scanners while accessible to authorised teams. The combination of private APN with Proroute hardware delivers a security architecture significantly stronger than public-IP cellular deployments.

SIM-based authentication. Pairing Proroute hardware with Millbeck IoT SIMs supports IMEI lock (binding the SIM to a specific router) and SMS/voice/data filtering at the SIM platform level, adding layers of defence beyond the router’s own firewall.

Intelligent Connection Management

Proroute routers are engineered for hands-off operation in unmanned and remote locations, with built-in resilience features that minimise the need for site visits when connectivity issues arise.

Ping reboot and auto-recovery. The router can be configured to monitor its own connection by pinging a known IP address; if the connection drops or the response stops, the device automatically reboots the cellular module to restore service. This watchdog approach is particularly valuable in unmanned deployments where cellular module hangs would otherwise require physical site visits.

SMS control and diagnostics. Manage hardware remotely via SMS commands. Send simple text messages to reboot the router, check signal strength, toggle Wi-Fi, or query device status. Provides an out-of-band management capability that works even when the cellular data connection is unavailable.

Failover and load balancing. The H900 model offers dual-SIM failover for carrier-level resilience, plus WAN-to-cellular backup where wired WAN is the primary connection and cellular is the failover path. Combined, these features support deployments where data connectivity must continue regardless of which network or connection type is unavailable.

Stay-alive features across the H685 5G and H685 4G ranges include dead peer detection, periodic connection verification, and scheduled reboots for long-running deployments where memory cleanup or module reinitialisation may be valuable.

Versatile Hardware Interfaces

Beyond cellular connectivity, Proroute provides the physical interfaces needed to connect modern and legacy industrial equipment.

Gigabit networking. High-speed Ethernet ports on the H685 5G (2× Gigabit, LAN/WAN switchable) and H820 (4× LAN) provide high-bandwidth local connections for NVRs, PLCs, edge servers, and PC-based controllers. The H685 4G provides 2× 10/100 Ethernet, sufficient for the typical Cat 4 throughput.

Wi-Fi 6 on newer H900 models. Latest 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 capability supports faster wireless data transfer and improved performance with multiple local IoT sensors. The standard H685 5G supports 802.11a/b/g/n/AC Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5).

Power over Ethernet (PoE). The H685F-W-POE variant supports 802.3af PoE input (48V), allowing the router to be powered directly from a PoE network switch. This simplifies cabling in CCTV deployments where PoE infrastructure is already in place, and allows the router to be installed without a separate power supply.

Serial and digital I/O. The H685 5G includes RS-232 and RS-485 serial connections plus 4 digital I/O ports (terminal socket interface), supporting integration with industrial equipment that needs serial bridging or sensor input integration.

Dual antenna connections. SMA connectors for cellular (2× MAIN/AUX on 4G, 4× on 5G for full MIMO) and dedicated Wi-Fi antenna connectors, with optional GPS/Beidou antenna connection on the H685 5G.

Embedded Solutions for OEM Integration

Following Proroute’s December 2025 strategic repositioning, board-only Proroute hardware is available for OEMs integrating cellular connectivity directly into their products at the PCB level rather than adding a separate cellular gateway.

H685 board variants. Available across the H685 4G Cat 4, H685 4G Cat 6, and H685 5G product lines, each providing complete router functionality (cellular modem, Wi-Fi, dual Ethernet, embedded firmware, VPN, firewall) on a board suitable for direct integration into a custom product enclosure.

H820 board variants. Add additional Ethernet ports to the standard router functionality, suiting OEM applications that require multiple cabled connections from the cellular layer of the customer product.

Antenna integration support. Proroute’s embedded model includes guidance on antenna selection (MIMO, omni, adhesive, puck, embedded), RF placement inside customer enclosures, and pre-certification testing where the customer’s product certification depends on the integrated cellular performance.

Engineering partnership model. Proroute engages with OEMs at the feasibility or early prototyping stage to specify the right cellular technology (4G LTE, 5G NR, 5G RedCap), antenna approach, and integration path. The board-only commercial structure includes volume pricing, framework agreements, and multi-year supply contracts for production deployments.

The OEM-specific benefits of board-only integration include eliminating the bolt-on cellular gateway as a separate item in the product, reducing cabling between gateway and product, eliminating the second power supply and enclosure, and consolidating BOM management into a single integrated product design.

Combining Proroute Hardware With the Connectivity Stack

Proroute hardware delivers the most value when paired with the right cellular SIMs, antennas, and management architecture.

Millbeck supplies Proroute alongside the rest of the connectivity stack: Millbeck IoT SIMs (UK roaming for multi-carrier resilience, global roaming for international deployments, eSIM or eUICC for long-life applications, NB-IoT and LTE-M profiles for low-power deployments), industrial antennas matched to the deployment environment, and the cabling, mounting, and enclosure considerations specific to each application.

For OEMs, we coordinate with Proroute’s engineering teams on board-only variant specification, manage production orders against framework agreements, and consolidate the BOM across cellular hardware, IoT SIMs, and antennas into a single supply chain relationship.

The Millbeck Service Wrap

Millbeck supplies Proroute hardware with a service wrap designed to reduce on-site complexity and project time-to-deployment.

Pre-configuration and testing. Every Proroute router can be dispatched pre-configured to your specific network requirements, tested with your SIM cards, and ready to operate out of the box. Pre-configuration includes APN settings, VPN configuration, firewall rules, port forwarding, and any custom settings required for the deployment.

Bespoke SIM bundles. We pair Proroute hardware with specialist Millbeck IoT SIMs, including multi-network UK roaming, fixed IP options, and private APN configurations not available from consumer providers.

UK-based technical support. Pre-sales, deployment, and post-deployment support from our Leeds-based engineering team. Access to technical guidance during initial design, installation troubleshooting in the field, and ongoing operational support across the deployment lifetime.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Proroute?

Proroute is a long-established UK cellular hardware brand, supplying industrial-grade 4G LTE and 5G NR routers and embedded board-only products to OEMs, integrators, and M2M deployments. In December 2025, Proroute repositioned to focus on embedded cellular solutions for OEMs alongside its established industrial router business, reflecting the industry shift toward connectivity engineered into products at the design stage.

What Cellular Technologies Does Proroute Support?

The Proroute range covers 4G LTE Cat 4 (up to 150 Mbps) and Cat 6 (up to 300 Mbps with carrier aggregation), and 5G NR sub-6GHz (theoretical peak of 2-10 Gbps download, up to 2.5 Gbps upload). All 5G models maintain full backwards compatibility with 4G LTE, 3G, and 2G networks, supporting deployments in areas with mixed network availability.

Can Proroute Routers Be Purchased Board-Only?

Yes. Following Proroute’s December 2025 strategic repositioning toward embedded cellular for OEMs, board-only versions are available across the H685 4G Cat 4, H685 4G Cat 6, H685 5G, and H820 product lines. Board-only purchase suits OEMs integrating cellular connectivity directly into their products at the PCB level, eliminating the bolt-on cellular gateway as a separate item in the deployment.

What Is the Difference Between the H685 4G and 5G Models?

The H685 4G Router uses an embedded 4G LTE Cat 4 module (Cat 6 on the H685 4G CAT6 variant) with 2× 10/100 Ethernet ports and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. The H685 5G Router uses an embedded 5G NR module with 4×4 MIMO, 2× Gigabit Ethernet ports, 802.11a/b/g/n/AC Wi-Fi, optional GPS/Beidou positioning, and serial/digital I/O interfaces. The 5G model is suited to deployments needing high-bandwidth or low-latency cellular; the 4G model is suited to deployments where cost and proven LTE infrastructure matter.

Does Proroute Support Wi-Fi 6?

Yes, on selected newer H900 models supporting 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6. The standard H685 5G supports 802.11a/b/g/n/AC Wi-Fi 5. For deployments requiring Wi-Fi 6 performance (faster local data transfer, better handling of multiple concurrent local IoT sensors), the H900 series is the appropriate Proroute choice.

Can Proroute Routers Be Powered Over PoE?

Yes, on the H685F-W-POE variant which supports 802.3af PoE input (48V). This allows the router to be powered directly from a PoE network switch, eliminating the separate power supply and simplifying cabling in CCTV and security deployments where PoE infrastructure is already in place.

Does Millbeck Pre-Configure Proroute Routers?

Yes. Every Proroute router can be dispatched pre-configured to your specific network requirements, including APN settings, VPN configuration, firewall rules, port forwarding, and any custom settings required for the deployment. We test each pre-configured unit with your IoT SIMs before dispatch, ensuring the device works out of the box at the deployment site.

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