AeroComm’s embedded RF-232 protocol aids FHSS transceiver installation

Lenexa, KS— AeroComm announced Oct. 8 that it has developed a transparent protocol that simplifies the wireless integration process by allowing for plug-and-play installation. This new “RF-232” technology is embedded in compact AeroComm’s AC4424 industrial-temperature, 2.4-GHz, FHSS transceivers.

RF-232 ensures successful communication, while making the process invisible to OEMs. As each AC4424 transceiver receives raw data, RF-232 manages over-the-air protocol to gain acknowledgements, send retries, check errors, and perform other RF functions, which AeroComm says newcomers to the discipline often forget. Headers, data packet length and CRCs are not needed.

The transceiver supports point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, and multipoint-to-multipoint configurations. Consequently, it can broadcast data to all transceivers, or it can “address” packets to specific destinations using unique MAC addresses embedded in each radio. The use of 32 channels enables independent, co-located non-interfering networks. AC4424 operates in two RF protocol modes: acknowledgement (ACK) or streaming (STRM).

In ACK mode, successfully transmitted packets are acknowledged back to the sender. If not, they are resent until successful, up to a user-selectable number of retries. Error detection is used and duplicate data is filtered out before sending data out to the host interface. ACK is valuable to data-applications where data integrity is paramount. A “full-duplex control” option allows equal time for transmitting and receiving data at the RF level, keeping a single transmitter from dominating system bandwidth.

STRM mode is useful for audio/video or other applications where occasional missed data is allowed. STRM enables high speed, continuous transmission of data without the delay of waiting for ACK.

]To establish a secure communication link, AC4424 employs a user-selectable identification number embedded in the firmware. Any company can protect the integrity of its industrial network by assigning a unique ID to its transceivers, so only modules with identical ID numbers will synchronize. No other off-the-shelf radio can eavesdrop on an AC4424 transceiver, and, furthermore, other AeroComm products cannot establish synchronization unless the ID numbers of the radios are identical.

Control Engineering Daily News Desk
Jim Montague, news editor
jmontague@reedbusiness.com

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