RF Monolithics announced the release of its new low-power Wi-Fi sensor networking module – the WSN802G. This new low-power 802.11 b/g module is the first RFM RF module to integrate the GainSpan GS1010 System on Chip and it enables original equipment manufacturers to build low-power wireless local area networking (WLAN) and sensor monitoring solutions for the global market. The WSN802G delivers a low power profile and long battery life capabilities in a fully functional, certified radio module that is easily interfaced to existing Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) infrastructure for a wide variety of sensor monitoring and WLAN applications.
The WSN802G combines 1 Mb/s and 2 Mb/s data rates, which are appropriate for most sensing applications, with advanced sleep management feature that puts the module to sleep between active periods. Depending upon the frequency of active periods, a single AA Lithium cell can provide a battery life in excess of 5 years. When the module is active, its current consumption is less than 200 mA, allowing a battery to adequately power the device. Its sleep current consumption is less than 8 uA.
The WSN802G is feature rich and easy to integrate. It features a configurable automatic I/O reporting capability and the ability to collect sensor data directly from devices using its analog, digital and serial I/O. The WSN802G is also user programmable and therefore developers do not need to write an application to load into the module to implement I/O functionality, nor do they need a co-processor to send appropriate commands. The WSN802G is also compatible with standard 802.11b/g Wi-Fi access points.
Unit price is $69 for a single and $39 per 10,000.