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Jennic, the Sheffield-based fabless chip company specializing in wireless microcontrollers, for 802.15.4 low-power wireless networks, announced at Electronica the next generation of its protocol stack JenNet 1v4.
The enhancements in the new generation are the result of addressing real-life issues in the deployments we have", Tony Lucido, vice president for marketing at Jennic, told Electronics Weekly on the company's Electronica stand.
The enhancements include the ability to perform dynamic load balancing to avoid data bottlenecks and automatic collation and reporting of network statistics such as link quality, packet retires and lost packets.
"Many people can build networks", said Lucido, "it's when they're deployed that real-life issues emerge like load-balancing."
The new generation protocol stack supports node mobility which allows Jennic to support asset tracking like tracking hire cars, lorry fleets and pallets of goods. It also allows RFID applications and a fast start-up capability that allows a 250-node network to fully recover in five minutes following a complete power outage.
"It allows, say, for a thermostat from Honeywell to talk to a controller from Schneider or Siemens", said Lucido, adding, "customers want something simpler than Zigbee."
An installation in London allowed the heating in an institution to be controlled in 120 different zones whereas the hearting had only been controllable in five zones representing the five floors of the building.
The Jennic microcontrollers comprise a 32-bit CPU and an 802.15.4 transceiver and I/Os.
Jennic designed its own 32-bit CPU core for its wireless controllers. Asked why, Lucido replied: "It gives us the right level of performance. We don't need licenses, we don't pay royalties, it's open source and it's a lower cost of ownership."
See also: Electronics Weekly's Focus on ZigBee, a roundup of content related to the low-power radio networking technology.
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