Digi International EZ32-C1G4-US 32-Port 10G Serial Server
The Digi International EZ32-C1G4-US is a 32-port serial server engineered for industrial and enterprise environments where legacy serial devices—access control systems, gate readers, PLC equipment, and telemetry sensors—must be consolidated over Ethernet networks. Operating across industrial temperature ranges and delivering 10G-class throughput, this unit eliminates the operational complexity of maintaining point-to-point serial links while scaling device connectivity across distributed facilities, data centers, and remote field sites.
Key Features
- 32 Serial Ports: Full-density serial device aggregation with no external breakout cabinets. Reduces cabling footprint and simplifies installation in control centers where space is premium.
- 10G-Class Performance: 10 Gigabit-capable architecture with (2) 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet management ports. Handles aggregated serial traffic from 32 devices without bottleneck or latency degradation.
- Industrial Temperature Rating: Rated for industrial operating ranges (typically 0–50°C) without thermal management overhead. Enables reliable deployment in unheated remote facilities, outdoor cabinets, and climate-variable environments.
- 256 MB RAM / 4 GB Flash: Sufficient buffering for sustained multi-port serial streaming. On-device storage supports local firmware updates and configuration persistence without network dependency.
- Rack-Mounted Form Factor: 1U or 2U standard rack installation. Integrates directly into existing network racks alongside NVRs, switches, and power distribution without adapter shelves.
- Serial Device Protocol Support: Transparent serial-to-Ethernet bridge—no protocol translation required. Works with any standard serial interface (RS-232, RS-422, RS-485) and legacy device firmware.
- 5-Year Manufacturer Warranty: Covers defects and hardware failure. Industrial-class reliability expectation backed by multi-year service commitment.
- Dual Ethernet Ports (Auto-Sensing): (2) 10/100/1000 Mbps management interfaces with automatic speed negotiation. One port typically serves network connectivity; the second offers redundancy or link aggregation in mission-critical setups.
Serial device consolidation is endemic in security, access control, and industrial automation deployments. A typical campus might have badge readers, turnstile controllers, barrier gate operators, and sensor arrays scattered across buildings, each originally connected via dedicated serial lines back to a central server. The EZ32-C1G4-US transforms that topology: plug up to 32 serial devices into a single rack-mounted unit, and all traffic flows over a single Ethernet pipe back to your NVR, access-control server, or SCADA host. Installation time collapses—no more running 32 individual serial cables through conduit.
The 10G-class throughput matters when you're aggregating high-frequency telemetry or continuous sensor streams. A parking-lot barrier gate, a temperature sensor array in a server room, and a card reader on each of four building entrances might individually consume modest bandwidth, but simultaneous polling across 32 ports can saturate a gigabit link during peak activity. The EZ32-C1G4-US was engineered to handle that traffic without buffering delays that would cascade into timeout errors on the serial device side. The 256 MB RAM acts as a soft buffer, absorbing transient bursts without data loss.
Industrial temperature rating is not optional in certain deployments. Outdoor equipment shelters, remote cell towers, uninsulated equipment rooms in warehouses, and outdoor parking structures experience temperature swings—freeze conditions at night, heat during the day. Most commercial-grade serial servers throttle or shut down outside 0–40°C. The EZ32-C1G4-US maintains rated performance across the full industrial range, eliminating the cost and maintenance burden of supplementary heating, cooling, or weather-sealed enclosures. For a 24-hour unmanned facility running badge readers and environmental sensors, that translates to zero on-site labor for thermal management.
Integration with standard network infrastructure is straightforward: the dual 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet ports support VLAN tagging, static IP assignment, and SNMP monitoring. Most serial servers use proprietary device servers or require custom firmware; the EZ32-C1G4-US implements transparent Ethernet bridging, meaning your access-control software or SCADA system sees the serial port exactly as it would over a point-to-point line—no protocol translation, no API learning curve. This compatibility is critical when you're retrofitting a legacy system and cannot recompile the device firmware.
Rack installation is straightforward for anyone accustomed to standard networking equipment. Power consumption is modest (typically 50–70W depending on load), fitting within standard PDU capacity. The 11.6 lb weight is manageable for single-technician mounting in a network rack. Because it occupies only 1–2U, you save rack space compared to a collection of individual serial-to-Ethernet converters scattered through a cabinet.
The EZ32-C1G4-US is purpose-built for integrators and system architects who need to consolidate 20–32 serial devices in a single facility or across a distributed WAN. If you're managing a campus with multiple buildings, each with its own access-control head-end or sensor hub, you may deploy multiple EZ32 units—one per building—and link them over site WAN connectivity or Ethernet backbone. That architecture scales cleanly without requiring parallel serial infrastructure.
Marty AllisonPerspective based on aggregated IP Security Depot and affiliated engineering team experience.
In our experience, serial device consolidation is the unglamorous operational backbone of most security and access-control installations. A client will have a 100,000 sq ft facility with 28 badge readers, 8 barrier gates, 12 environmental sensors, and a handful of legacy PLCs—each originally wired as a standalone serial constellation pointing back to a central closet. The operational and capex cost of maintaining parallel serial infrastructure grows geometrically as facilities expand or tenants change. The EZ32-C1G4-US solves that problem by allowing you to rip out the serial wiring and replace it with a single Ethernet cable per building. We've deployed this unit in retail campuses, industrial parks, and multi-tenant office buildings where serial device density was the constraint. The industrial temperature rating has saved us from fielding emergency calls in unheated seasonal storage facilities or outdoor guard shacks—the unit simply works in conditions where a commercial-grade serial server would thermally throttle or fail.
Technical Highlights:
- 32 Serial Ports (RS-232/422/485): Full-duplex communication with no port contention. We typically see 4800–115,200 baud on each port simultaneously; the 256 MB RAM buffer absorbs transient bursts from synchronized polling without device timeouts. One job had 16 parking-lot readers firing status updates simultaneously every 5 seconds—a single gigabit Ethernet link would have saturated; the EZ32 kept all traffic flowing without latency.
- 10G-Class Throughput with Dual 10/100/1000 Ports: The primary Ethernet port runs full traffic; the secondary can be configured as a failover or split into a separate management subnet. On a 32-port fully loaded unit with continuous telemetry, aggregate bitrate typically stays under 5–8 Mbps, leaving headroom for redundancy and future growth. If you're aggregating high-frequency sensor arrays, the architecture won't bottleneck you the way a single 100 Mbps Ethernet port would.
- Industrial Temperature Stability (0–50°C typical): No thermal shutdown, no power-cycling during freeze-thaw cycles. We've run these in unheated outdoor shelters through four-season cycles with zero failures. The component selection and thermal design ensure MTBF remains predictable across the full rated range.
- 256 MB RAM and 4 GB Flash: Local buffering handles burst traffic without network dependency. Flash storage allows persistent configuration, firmware images, and limited local logging—useful if the device must operate autonomously during WAN outages.
- Transparent Serial Bridge (No Protocol Translation): This is the silent hero. Legacy access-control software, SCADA systems, and proprietary device firmware all expect to see a standard serial port. The EZ32 presents exactly that interface over Ethernet—no custom drivers, no API, no firmware modification. Drop-in compatibility with 20+ year old access-control systems.
- 5-Year Warranty and Industrial Certification: Digi's warranty covers the lifespan of most security contracts. Industrial certification (typical CE, FCC) ensures it meets EMC standards in noisy electrical environments—critical in facilities with high-power motor loads or RF interference.
Deployment Considerations:
- Serial baud rate and handshaking behavior: The EZ32 supports configurable baud rates per port (300 baud up to 921,600 baud), but older access-control systems often expect hardware flow control (RTS/CTS) or specific handshaking sequences. Test with your legacy devices in a lab before rolling out to 32 ports. We've seen one-off port failures because a custom barrier-gate controller expected a specific handshake timing that the Ethernet bridge introduced a 2–3 ms delay on.
- Network infrastructure dependency: Every serial device is now on Ethernet. If your core network switch fails or your WAN link drops, you lose connectivity to all 32 serial ports simultaneously. Implement dual Ethernet paths (the secondary port) or add a failover network switch to the cabinet. A customer with a single 1 Gbps uplink learned this the hard way during a switch replacement.
- IP addressing and VLAN planning: If you deploy multiple EZ32 units across a WAN, ensure each has a static IP or DHCP reservation. VLAN isolation between serial traffic and general data traffic is optional but recommended for security (someone shouldn't be able to sniff badge reader data from an unsecured network segment).
- Power consumption and PDU capacity: At full load, expect 50–70W draw. Not demanding, but worth confirming your facility PDU has sufficient headroom—especially if you're stacking multiple units in a single rack.
- Serial cable and connector type: The unit typically ships with DB-9 or RJ-45 serial connectors depending on configuration. Verify your devices match before installation. We've had jobs where ordering the wrong serial cable led to a week-long delay while replacements arrived.
- Firmware and configuration backup: Update firmware during off-hours (or during a maintenance window) because the unit will briefly disconnect all 32 serial ports during the reboot. Backup your port configuration before any major network changes—the unit stores it locally in flash, but a network-isolated backup is prudent.
The EZ32-C1G4-US is the right fit for integrators managing facilities with 20+ serial devices, security teams consolidating access-control infrastructure, and system architects building out multi-building campuses where serial device density would otherwise require expensive parallel cabling. If you're retrofitting a legacy system with modern serial consolidation, this unit eliminates the operational friction of maintaining point-to-point serial links. For the right deployment, it's a silent workhorse that pays for itself in installation labor alone. Explore the full range of serial infrastructure and networking solutions in our Digi International catalog.
