230 V power supply
A replacement for the original adapter, with 14 W of spare capacity.
€13.95 incl. VATBuy now
RUT2 series · power guide
Teltonika RUT281 power supply and cables
Everything about powering the Teltonika RUT281, a compact 4G router: the voltage it accepts, its real power draw and the cables that fit.
12/24 V car cable
Plugs into a vehicle socket. Fused, with an LED in the plug.
€12.95 incl. VATBuy now
About the Teltonika RUT281
The RUT281 is a compact LTE router built around a Telit Cat 4 modem, chosen for long-term availability and worldwide network approvals. Besides the physical SIM it has an eSIM with bootstrap, so a profile can be downloaded on first start without a local SIM card.
It is aimed at fleets of devices shipped to many countries, where swapping physical SIMs on site is expensive.
Teltonika RUT281 at a glance
- Mobile
- 4G LTE Cat 4 (Telit)
- Ethernet
- 2 x RJ45
- Wi-Fi
- 2.4 GHz
- SIM
- 1 x SIM + eSIM
- Extras
- eSIM bootstrap
- Power input
- 9 to 30 V DC, 4-pin socket
- I/O on power socket
- 1 digital input, 1 digital output
- Peak draw at 12 V
- 4 W (331 mA)
- Size
- 83 x 25 x 74 mm
- Status
- In production
Power socket pinout
| Pin | Function | Our wire |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Power (+) | Red |
| 2 | Ground (-) | Black |
| 3 | Digital input | Green |
| 4 | Digital output | White |
Only the screw terminal cable brings out pins 3 and 4. The other two options carry power only.
How much power the RUT281 draws
With everything busy, Teltonika's figure for the Teltonika RUT281 is 4 W at 12 V, and about 1.1 W at rest. Even that peak leaves 14 W spare on the 18 W supply. On a 24 V supply the peak is about 3.9 W.
Which cable should I pick?
- Wall socket. A replacement for the original adapter, with 14 W of spare capacity.
- Vehicle. Plugs into a vehicle socket. Fused, with an LED in the plug.
- Cabinet, battery or solar. Permanent wiring in a cabinet or vehicle, 2 m long. Add a 2 A slow-blow fuse near the source.
Install tips
- If the router ships abroad, send the screw terminal cable along with it. It works with whatever 12 or 24 V DC supply the local installer has on hand.
- On 24 V vehicles, add surge protection. Truck and bus systems can spike well above 30 V at engine start, and the Teltonika RUT281 is only rated to 30 V.
- Keep the screw terminals tight and check them once a year in vehicles or cabinets with vibration.
Teltonika RUT281 power FAQ
?Can I run the Teltonika RUT281 on 12 V or 24 V?
Yes, both. The input range is 9 to 30 V DC, fed through the 4-pin power socket.
?Why buy a separate power cable for the Teltonika RUT281?
The adapter in the box only works with a wall socket. In a vehicle, a cabinet or on a battery, the car cable or the screw terminal cable is the better fit.
?Does the eSIM on the Teltonika RUT281 affect which cable I need?
No. The eSIM is a chip inside the router. Power still goes in through the 4-pin socket at 9 to 30 V, and all three of our cables fit.
?What do the green and white wires do on the Teltonika RUT281?
Green is the digital input on pin 3 and white is the digital output on pin 4. You set up both in the RutOS web interface.
?Will the 230 V supply run the Teltonika RUT281 at full load?
Yes. Teltonika's full-load figure is 4 W at 12 V, which leaves 14 W unused.
?Does Smart Power Cable sell Teltonika routers?
Not the router, no. We are an independent maker of power cables. The Teltonika RUT281 is a Teltonika product sold through their own channels.