Andrew TRR 8218L Token Ring Router 301-0156-02 RI/MAU RO/Station 115V

Andrew TRR 8218L Token Ring Router 301-0156-02 RI/MAU RO/Station 115V

The Andrew TRR 8218L is a Token Ring router from Andrew Network Products, part of the TRR series designed to connect and route traffic across IEEE 802.5 Token Ring networks. It provides two Token Ring interface ports — an RI/MAU port for connecting to a Multistation Access Unit (MAU) and an RO/Station port for connecting downstream stations or rings — enabling ring-in/ring-out chaining in a Token Ring topology. The unit runs on 115V AC power and draws just 5W, making it a compact, low-power desktop device.

Specifications & What's Included

• Brand: Andrew Network Products (Andrew Corporation), Torrance, CA
• Series: TRR
• Model: 8218L
• Part Number: 301-0156-02
• Hardware Revision: 4799
• Date of Manufacture: August 23, 1994
• Power: 115V AC, 60Hz, 0.03A, 5W
• Fuse Rating: 0.55B
• Ports: RI/MAU (Ring In / MAU connection) and RO/Station (Ring Out / Station connection)
• Connector Type: RJ-style Token Ring ports (front panel)
• LED Indicators: Power (green), Station Active, Data, Ring Fault (amber)
• Form Factor: Desktop / tabletop enclosure
• Country of Manufacture: USA
• What's Included: Router unit only; power cord attached

Applications

Token Ring was IBM's primary LAN technology through the late 1980s and 1990s, used extensively in corporate, government, and financial environments running IBM mainframe and midrange systems — including AS/400, System/36, System/38, and IBM-compatible PC networks wired to IEEE 802.5 standards. The TRR series routers from Andrew were used to interconnect Token Ring segments and extend ring topologies, often working alongside MAUs (Multistation Access Units) as the physical hub of a Token Ring installation. At its peak, Token Ring was the dominant enterprise LAN alternative to Ethernet, and equipment like the 8218L was a standard fixture in wiring closets supporting IBM-centric infrastructures. Token Ring has since been largely displaced by Ethernet, but this hardware remains relevant for organizations maintaining legacy IBM systems, for lab environments emulating period-accurate network infrastructure, and for collectors of 1990s networking equipment. The Andrew Corporation (later CommScope) was a well-known supplier of network infrastructure products during this era.