Nexalta Guardian NXG0042AI is a large networking and IoT gateway “monster” powered by a Qualcomm IPQ9574 chipset offering 10GbE and 2.5GbE networking, WiFi 7 support with up to five concurrent WiFi radios, up to four/seven 5G modems, up to 52 (e)SIMs, and two on-board Compute Module slots for Rockchip RK3588 or NVIDIA Jetson SO-DIMM system-on-modules.

The main board (XWR A1) also offers 25Gbps WAN fabric, three MCUs for BMC, power management, and cryptography, M.2 slots for NVMe storage or AI accelerators, two mSATA sockets, HDMI video output, USB ports, Starlink satellite support, and a range of IoT protocol options such as LoRaWAN, 5G RedCap, UWB, Bluetooth LE, and so on.

XWR A1 mainboard

Nexalta Guardian specifications:

• Main SoC subsystem

• SoC – Qualcomm IPQ9574 quad-core Arm Cortex-A73 processor @ 2.2GHz processor

• System Memory – 2GB DDR4 RAM

• Storage – 8GB eMMC flash, 64MB NOR flash

• SoM sub-system

• 2x 260-pin SO-DIMM sockets for:

• Turing RK1 module based on Rockchip RK3588 octa-core Cortex-A76/A55 SoC with 6 TOPS NPU, 16/32GB RAM, GbE connection to WAN fabric, 64 GB eMMC flash

• NVIDIA Jetson SO-DIMM modules (See AI accelerators section)

• Upcoming module (year 2027 release) based on an eight-core Cortex-A72 SoC with 32 TOPS NPU (likely Texas Instruments AM69A), 32GB RAM, 2.5GbE connection to WAN fabric

• Storage

• Optional SSD via M.2 PCIe socket for each slot (See Expansion)

• On-board mSATA for SoM

• Slot S1 has USB 3.2 Gen1-connected mSATA single slot

• Slot S2 has USB 3.2 Gen1-connected mSATA dual slots (enabling software-RAID 0/1)

• Interfaces

• Video Output – HDMI 2.1 eARC shared by Som1/Som2, selected via BCM

• USB

• Slot1 – USB2.0 port (USB-A)

• Slot2 – USB 3.2 Gen1 (USB-A)

• 5V or 9V power supply (set by BCM)

• Networking and wireless connectivity

• Ethernet Interface

• 10 Gbps LAN/WAN on RJ45 or M12-X connector and on SFP+ transceiver slot with gas discharge tubes protection

• 2.5 Gbps LAN/WAN on RJ45 or M12-X connector and on SFP+ transceiver slot

• 2.5 Gbps LAN/WAN on RJ45 or M12-X connector with gas discharge tubes protection

• WiFi 7

• WiFi interfaces

• Up to 3x concurrent 4×4 MIMO interfaces 802.11be/ax WiFi 7/WiFi 6

• Up to 5 concurrent MIMO interfaces (if 2×2 split-mode cards are used)

• WiFi bands – 2,4GHz + 5GHz, 6GHz, 60GHz planned

• 2.4GHz 4×4 onboard

• M.2 E-key slot PCIe Gen3 dual lane

• mPCIe slot PCIe Gen3 single lane

• M.2 60GHz radio with integrated MIMO antenna in development phase)

• WiFi scanning radio – Dedicated, tri-band u.blox IRIS-W101 module

• Cellular

• 4x M.2 B-key PCIe Gen3 / USB3.2 Gen1 slots for 5G/4G modems, form factor 3042 or 3052

• Slot1 and Slot2 have nanoSIM slot, Slot3 and Slot4 have eSIM/eUICC

• Expandable to seven slots via XWR-A1-EXP board (See below)

• One mPCIe slot (USB2.0) for LoRaWAN or 4G/LTE or 5G RedCap modem with eSIM/eUICC

• Shared SIM farm

• SIM farm type 1 – 10x physical SIM cards (nano-SIM 4FF) + 42x eSIM (6 eUICC * 7 profiles each);

• Upcoming SIM farm type 2 (2026) – 16x physical SIM cards (nano-SIM 4FF) with dynamic geofencing- and context-based SIM-switching

• IoT

• Bluetooth LE, Zigbee/Matter/Thread via nRF5340 chipset

• Z-Wave 900MHz (ZGM230SA27HGN3R)

• DECT/NR+ 1900MHz via nRF9161 with integrated antenna

• UWB via Qorvo DWM3000TR13 with integrated antenna

• Optional LoRaWAN (900MHz or 2,4GHz) via mPCIe slot (USB2)

• Satellite – Support for Satcom Terminals (e.g. StarLink DishV3) with integrated passive PoE up to 180W max (peak), 150W max (constant), activated by MCU software, additional hardware switch

• Peak throughput WAN-to-LAN – 12 Gbps aggregated sustained throughput

• GNSS – High precision multi-constellation GNSS receiver u-blox NEO-F10N with support for GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo, QZSS

• Expansion – 2x M.2 M-key 2242/2280 socket (PCIe Gen3 x2), each connected to a SoM slot for NVMe SSD or AI accelerator

• Supported AI accelerators

• General-purpose Sx slots

• NVIDIA Jetson TX2 NX, 4GB RAM, 1,33 TOPS

• NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX, 16GB RAM, 21 TOPS

• NVIDIA Orin NX, 16GB RAM, 100 TOPS

• Dedicated Ax slots:

• EdgeCortix Sakura II, 8/16GB RAM, 60 TOPS, 30 TFLOPS, M.2 2280 module

• Axelera Metis M.2 MAX, 4/16GB RAM, 214 TOPS, M.2 2280 module

• MemryX Quad MX3, 40 TFLOPS, M.2 2280 module

• Kinara KM-2, 8GB RAM, M.2 2280 module

• Hailo 10H, 8GB RAM, 40 TOPS, M.2 2242 module

• Sensors and interfaces

• 2x 6-axis Inertial Measurement Units (ST LSM6DSV16XTR and Bosch BMI323)

• Integrated temperature sensors

• Integrated current sensors

• CAN-FD and RS485 interfaces

• Interface for I2C remote unit

• Integrated smoke detector (ADPD188BI-ACEZR7) with smoke chamber

• RADAR and LIDAR for human detection – Acconeer A121 (60Ghz mmwave radar) and ST VL53L7CXV0GC

• 2x anti-tamper sensors

• Security – Infineon SLS32AIA020X2 TPM 2.0 chip

• Misc

• Microcontrollers

• BCM based on STM32H573ZIT6,

• Power and temp. Mgmt. with STM32H503RBT6

• Crypto authentication mgmt.: nRF5340-CLAA-R

• Optional STM32F407IGT6 on XWR-A1-SIMFARM daughterboard

• OOB Management – Secure out-of-band management always-on via dedicated LTE modem (Nordic Semi nRF9161 with alternate firmware, alternative to DECT/NR+ radio functionality), eSIM/eUICC

• Power Management

• Supply

• Default – 22 to 54 VDC

• 16.8 to 137.5 VDC with optional wide-range power supply (150 W)

• Interruptions of voltage supply – Immunity as required by EN 50155 Class S2 or better

• Dimensions – PCB: 37 x 24cm

• Temperature Range – Operating: Class OT4, -40.. +70 °C (85 °C) operating; storage: -40.. +85 °C storage

• MTBF – 150,000 hours

• ESD – Rugged industrial PCB with surge suppression and ESD protection

• Regulatory Approvals

• Rail compliance – EN 50155:2021 (IEC 60571:2012)

• EMC – CE EMC (EN 55024, EN 55032), FCC Part 15 B, EN 50121-3-2(EN 50155)

• EMI – EN 55032, CISPR32, EN 61000-3-2, EN 61000-3-3, FCC Part 15 B class A

• EMS – EN 55024 (IEC/EN 61000-4-2 (ESD), IEC/EN 61000-4-3 (RS), IEC/EN 61000-4-4 (EFT), IEC/EN 61000-4-5 (Surge), IEC/EN 61000-4-6 (CS), IEC/EN 61000-4-8(PFMF), IEC/EN 61000-4-11 (DIP)

• Fire immunity – EN 45545-2 (HL 1 to HL 3)

• Vibration – EN 61373, IEC60068-2-6

• Safety – EN 60950-1

The Qualcomm IPQ9574 SOC runs OpenWrt or OpenMTCPRouter operating system, while the Rockchip RK3588 system-on-modules run Debian Linux.

The specifications above are mainly for the XWR-A1 mainboard, but the complete Nexaltia Guardian NXG0042AI solution is also comprised of a SIM farm daughter board (XWR-A1-SIMFARM), a modem expansion board (XWR-A1-EXP) for M.2-E slot, and an indoor enclosure.

We have some more details about the XWR-A1-EXP Extender board:

• SoC – Qualcomm IPQ9574

• System Memory – 2GB RAM

• Storage – Dual flash with OpenWrt

• Networking

• Ethernet

• 10GbE RJ45 port & SFP+ cage

• 2x 2.5GbE RJ45 ports

• WiFi radios:

• Three radios

• WiFi 6 2.4 GHz 2×2 radio, 802.11b/g/n/ax, max 19dBm per chain, 20/40MHz

• WiFi 7 5 GHz 2×2 radio, 802.11a/n/ax/be, max 21dBm per chain, 20/40/80/160MHz, 5.15~5.825GHz

• WiFi 7 6 GHz 2×2 radio, 802.11ax/be, max 19dBm per chain, 20/40/80/160/320MHz, 5.925GHz~7.125GHz

• One expansion slot (M.2) for two 2×2 radios or one 4×4 radio extra (Extender-M comes with a 6 GHz 4×4 radio pre-installed).

• RF ports for external antennas – RP-SMA in indoor device, N-type in outdoor device

• GNSS – GPS receiver to communicate its position to the Guardian when installed outdoors.

• Power Supply

• Supports PoE (PD) on 10GE port, needs an 802.3at/bt switch port or injector capable of delivering 35W

• Alternative power input – 12V to 52V DC via DC jack

• Dimensions – 16 x 10cm Nexalta Extender board

It’s like a mini XWR-A1 board used to enable WiFi 7 mesh networking with one Guardian and multiple Extender boards. The company is also working on software to enable the Guardian to act as a controller for dozens or hundreds of extenders so that the system can be used as a cloud-free, enterprise-class open-source Wi-Fi system capable of covering very large areas.

It’s hard to think of a single application that can make use of all the features of the Nexalta Guardian NXG0042AI and expansion boards. The company describes the Guardian as an all-in-one “turnkey” solution or Swiss Army knife of technology with pre-installed software for secure communications and data sharing. It’s for power users. SMEs, and enterprise branch offices that want to host their own private cloud with local AI support. The introduction video mosttly describe the hardware.

You’ll get more details about the software on the Kickstarter page, although the information is all over the place and hard to follow. Rewards start at 338 Euros for the Nexalta Extender board, and an entry-level Guardian requires a pledge of 599 Euros. That’s with the built-in 2.4 GHz WiFi only, no extra WiFi modules, eSIM, GPS, UWB, AI accelerators, or system-on-modules. There are various configurations that go up to 1448 Euros for a single Guardian, as well as bundles with multiple systems. Rewards are expected to ship between April and July 2026 depending on the selected perk.

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.

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