RF modules for battery-powered wireless sensor network

Customer:

I need several devices similar to Zigbee (like JeeNode Micro) that transmit signals one-way from sensors to a receiver on frequencies other than standard WiFi (for example 433, 868, or 915 MHz). I also need a receiver, programming capability, and the ability to use batteries that last a long time.

I plan to connect temperature and humidity sensors and a smoke sensor (for fire detection) to these devices, with some sensors placed outdoors.

I also need several Croduino boards with Ethernet (RJ45) connectivity and expansion modules to add more sensors (temperature, humidity, and smoke).

Could you explain how these are programmed and where I can find the code? The tasks would be mostly the same across the Croduino boards, with differences only in IP address and sensor type.

Original message (Croatian)

Pozdrav, nastavno na naš telefonski razgovor šaljem ukratko ono o čamu smo pričali.

Trebali bi par Vaših uređaj najsličniji zigbee (tipa
https://jeelabs.net/projects/hardware/wiki/JeeNode_Micro ) dakle da odašilje jednosmjerno signal sa senzora prema receiver-u po frekvenciji različitoj od klasičnog wifi-a (primjer 433, 868, 915 MHz). Također uz njega trebamo, jedan receiver i nešto s čime
se on programira te mogučnost stavljanja baterije koja bi izdržala duže vrijeme.

Na njih bi spojili senzore za temoperaturu i vlagu i senzor za dim (požar) – također molim preporuku, s time da bi neki senzori išli van.

Također bi trebali par croduina koji imaju mogučnost priključenja lanom (rj45) te modula za proširenje da se može dodati više senzora (temp,vlaga i smoke).

Molim Vas još samo objašnjenje na koji se način programiraju te gdje mogu naći kodove, radi se o više-manje istim radnjama koje bi ti croduino radili; razlike su samo IP adresa, vrsta senzora.

Hvala puno

Attachment omitted in migration: image002.jpg

Originally submitted via email support on 11 May 2018. Migrated to the forum for community visibility.

Soldered Support:

The JeeNode Micro is not actually Zigbee, and we don’t stock Zigbee modules, but we do have something similar to JeeNode Micro.

One option is the 433 MHz transmitter and receiver: these work over a single pin for communication. However, you may encounter issues if you add too many of these modules because they don’t support different channels.

A better option is the HC-12, which is higher quality and communicates via serial: the controller on that board is from the same series as our Croduino Damba.

To program Croduino Damba, you need Croduino Basic2, which is essentially a classic Arduino (like Arduino Nano). No additional programmer is needed for Croduino Basic2.

My recommendation would be to use Croduino Damba + NRF24L01+: it is a 2.4GHz RF transmitter and receiver in one unit. It works very well, supports two-way communication, can function as both transmitter and receiver, has different channels and “pipes” for communicating with multiple modules simultaneously, etc. With these you can build a low-power sensor network.

For batteries, you can use lithium or coin-cell batteries, but the choice really depends on your communication method and data transmission frequency—these are the two factors that will most affect battery consumption.

Regarding RJ45, we have an Ethernet Shield with W5100 or a similar module like ENC28J60. These are ethernet modules only, so you’ll still need a microcontroller board (such as Croduino Basic2) to control them.

All our product information is on our blog. Once you decide which specific products you want to use, we can provide direct links to the usage instructions for each module/board.

Original message (Croatian)

hvala Vam na poruci i pozivu. Slijede odgovori:
JeeNode_Micro zapravo nije zigbee, ali zigbee ni nemamo, ali imamo nešto slično JeeNode_Micro. Radi se o 433 odašiljaču: https://e-radionica.com/hr/433mhz-rf-odasiljac-i-prijemnik.html
primjenik i odašiljač su jednostavni za korištenje, rade samo preko jednog pina za komunikaciju. ovdje možete imati problem ako stavite previše ovih modula jer ne podržavaju različite kanale.
druga opcija je HC-12 koji je puno veće kvalitete i radi preko serijske veze: Soldered: Open-Source Electronics, Boards, Sensors & Modules – Soldered Electronics
kontroler na navedenoj pločici je iz iste serije kao i naš Croduino Damba: Soldered: Open-Source Electronics, Boards, Sensors & Modules – Soldered Electronics
za programiranje Croduino Damba, potreban Vam je Croduino Basic2, što je zapravo najklasičniji Arduino (kao npr. Arduino Nano kojega ste rekli da ste koristili): Soldered: Open-Source Electronics, Boards, Sensors & Modules – Soldered Electronics
za programiranje samog Croduino Basic2 nije Vam potreban dodatan programer.
– to je nekakva opcija prema linku kojega ste poslali

Moj prijedlog bi bio(ili da kažem: da ja radim, napravio bih…) uzeti Damba + NRF24L01+: https://e-radionica.com/hr/modul-nrf24l01-2-4ghz.html
on je 2.4GHz RF odašiljač i prijemnik(u jednome) te funkcionira vrlo dobro, podržava dvosmjernu komunikaciju, može biti i odašiljač i prijemnik, ima različite kanale i tzv. “pipe”-ove za komunikaciju mnogo modula odjednom itd.
sa njima možete složiti mrežu low-power senzora.

Baterije možete koristiti litijske ili coin-cell baterije, ali to stvarno konačno ovisi na koji način komunikacije se odlučite te učestalost slanja podataka - to su dva faktora koja će najviše utjecati na potrošnju baterija. Soldered: Open-Source Electronics, Boards, Sensors & Modules – Soldered Electronics

Što se tiče RJ45, imamo ethernet shield https://e-radionica.com/hr/arduino-ethernet-shield-s-w5100.html
ili sličnu stvar: https://e-radionica.com/hr/enc28j60-ethernet-modul.html
to su samo ethernet moduli, dakle trebate još mikrokontrolersku pločicu(npr. Croduino Basic2) da biste upravljali njima.

Sve o našim proizvodima nalazi se na našem blogu: https://e-radionica.com/hr/blog/
kada se odlučite koje točno proizvode želite koristiti, poslat ću Vam direktne linkove na upute za korištenje svakog od modula / pločica.

Konačno; mi također nudimo i uslugu Research & Developmenta hardwarea (R&D) tako da smo u mogućnosti razviti uređaje prema Vašim specifikacijama. Ako Vam je i to zanimljivo, slobodno javite.