FreeWave Technologies: New wireless IO expansion module extends RTU capabilities

Expansion module from FreeWave Technologies, introduced at Automation Fair, expands the number of IO points to meet customers' growing and changing wireless network requirements.

November 18, 2009

FreeWave Technologies new IO Expansion Module works with the Allen-Bradley DataSite rugged Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) controller.

FreeWave Technologies, manufacturer of spread spectrum and licensed radios for critical data transmission, demonstrated its new IO Expansion Module with the Allen-Bradley DataSite rugged Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) controller from Rockwell Automation. The input-output (I/O) expansion module offers a significant increase in the IO available for DataSite, FreeWave noted. The module adds of up to 36 I/O points as an in-cabinet solution through a serial connection or as a remote wireless I/O solution.

FreeWave’s IO Expansion Module may be stacked on an applicable FreeWave radio or serve as an expandable remote module through a serial connection. Up to 16 modules can be stacked on the radio or base module. Class 1 Division 2 UL approved, the new Expansion Module adds significant flexibility to an existing FreeWave Modbus IO network. It is designed for use in harsh environments and provides configurable, universal IO. The user can select the combination of analog and digital points needed to meet individual application environments.
The demonstration showed the ease with which users "can easily modify or add to their existing IO network count at a fraction of the cost of the traditional method of adding more radios," explained Ken Granader, vice president of sales and spokesperson at FreeWave. "They also will see how all of this works seamlessly when paired with DataSite."
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– Edited by Mark T. Hoske, editor in chief, Control Engineering

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