30 Years of reliability in Waterworks, Time to Upgrade

Securing essential human needs is at the heart of what we do. Delivering drinking water and keeping wastewater treatment plants running belong among the most fundamental requirements of every society. For over 30 years, RACOM equipment has been trusted in these critical infrastructures, providing reliable communication that keeps water networks safe, connected, and under control.

The very first RACOM radio modems were deployed in Czech and Slovak water networks back in 1994. Since then, our solutions have grown to power nearly all of the fifty largest water utilities in Czechia and they are now widely adopted abroad. In Austria and Norway, RACOM holds more than 80% market share. In Norway alone, where radio communication is indispensable due to harsh terrain and sparse population, our devices are in use across more than 100 locations.

Many of these radios have been running 24/7 for nearly three decades. While their reliability is unquestioned, the time has come to look ahead and prepare networks for new challenges.

Several key drivers make modernization essential:

• Cybersecurity & RED compliance – From 1 August 2025, all wireless devices sold in the EU must comply with the updated Radio Equipment Directive (RED). Its enhanced cybersecurity requirements go beyond what older radios including MR series and the original RipEX can support.
• Ease of operation – Modern SCADA teams expect user-friendly interfaces. Older radios often rely on command-line access only, which is no longer practical.
• Component availability – While RACOM continues to repair older products (and can even deliver new units in some cases), sourcing discontinued components is becoming increasingly difficult.
• Data capacity – Legacy radios cannot keep pace with the growing bandwidth needs of today’s SCADA systems.
• Hybrid networks – Modern water utilities often require combinations of private radio channels with public 4G/5G networks. Older radios were not built for this flexibility.

These challenges affect not only RACOM MR radios and the first-generation RipEX, but also third-party radios from Motorola, Kenwood, SATEL, CONEL, and others.

Utilities across Europe are already upgrading to RipEX2 and M!DGE:

• Vodovody a kanalizace Havlíčkův Brod (CZ) replaced 17-year-old MR400 modems with RipEX2.“RipEX2 solved our network capacity issue. It’s also the first step towards migrating the whole system to modern IP communications fully aligned with current SCADA requirements.”
• Vodovody a kanalizace Hradec Králové (CZ) moved from Conel radios to a hybrid RipEX2 + M!DGE3 solution, using mobile networks as backup channels.
• Liptovská vodárenská spoločnosť (SK) is migrating from Motorola and Kenwood radios to RipEX2 in the Low Tatras.“RipEX2 brought us the security upgrade we needed, without losing performance,” says the LVS network manager.
• Trenčianske vodárne a kanalizácie (SK) replaced 112 RipEX units with RipEX2, complemented by M!DGE routers for secure remote access.“We wanted a smooth transition. RipEX2’s compatibility with our existing setup made the migration straightforward,” explains the operations manager.
• Brněnské vodárny a kanalizace (CZ) are deploying M!DGE3 alongside RipEX2, creating an independent, cybersecure channel for sensitive systems.
• In Austria and Norway, utilities are replacing legacy networks with RipEX2 to achieve RED compliance without reducing availability during migration.

Even in networks where RAy microwave links provide high-capacity backbone connectivity (e.g. VaK Hodonín or JVS), RipEX2 plays a crucial role by delivering secure and reliable last-mile radio communication.

Moving to RipEX2 brings far more than RED compliance:

• Future-proof performance with high throughput and low latency
• Compatibility with existing devices for phased migrations
• Enhanced network capability with modern, more powerful radios
• Downtime-free deployment thanks to RACOM’s Migration Solution
• Long-term security with free, regular, incremental firmware updates

For operators, this means extending the life of their infrastructure while gaining confidence that their network is ready for the next decades.

Whether you are replacing a handful of radios or planning a full network upgrade, RipEX2 offers a secure, reliable, and fully RED-compliant solution for your water distribution system.

When combined with M!DGE cellular routers for hybrid access and RAy microwave links for backbone connectivity, RACOM delivers an integrated communication platform for critical infrastructure,  serving rural communities, cities, and national networks alike.

Contact our team to explore your upgrade options and see how RipEX2, M!DGE3 and RAy3 can bring your network into the future — securely, smoothly, and without disruption.