Wireless Sensor Network survives outdoor environments.
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Press Release Summary:
Suited for sensing environments requiring protection from harsh conditions, outdoor-based PhyNet N4X gives system integrators flexibility of battery-powered outdoor nodes connected to Web-based data platform for developing monitoring solutions. Its 3-tier architecture allows formation of IP-based sensor networks that can be managed centrally as part of enterprise IP infrastructure. NEMA 4X/IP66 enclosures protect parts, and external battery packs are offered for outdoor sensor nodes.
Original Press Release:
Arch Rock Adds Rugged Version of PhyNet WSN for Outdoor Environments
With PhyNet N4X, Protected Devices Monitor Air Quality, Traffic, Toxics, Solar Power, Crop Health and More; Users Analyze the Data Remotely
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Oct. 14, 2008 - Arch Rock Corporation has introduced an "outdoor-ready" version of its Internet Protocol-based PhyNet wireless sensor network, geared for use in the growing number of sensing environments where protection from dust, water, corrosion and other harsh conditions is required.
PhyNet N4X gives system integrators the flexibility of battery-powered outdoor nodes connected to a web-based data platform for developing monitoring solutions in markets such as urban or municipal networks, high-end agricultural products, EPA Superfund and "brown field" development sites and solar power fields.
PhyNet, introduced in March 2008, addresses large-scale sensing applications with a three-tier architecture that allows the formation of large, resilient Internet Protocol (IP)-based sensor networks that can be managed centrally as part of the enterprise IP infrastructure. Because PhyNet extends standard IP technology out to the sensor network mesh and even to individual sensor nodes, those nodes can communicate directly with any other IP devices on the enterprise network while being part of well-understood IP-based security schemes. In PhyNet N4X, the PhyNet server sits in a datacenter or other protected location; the sensor nodes, the WSNs that connect them, and the PhyNet Routers that connect the WSNs, reside at the outdoor site to be monitored.
New elements of PhyNet N4X include:
o NEMA 4X/IP 66 ruggedized enclosures for those parts of the PhyNet architecture potentially exposed to harsh environments: the PhyNet Router and the Arch Rock IPsensor and IPserial Nodes
o Power Pack, an external battery pack for all outdoor sensor nodes, enabling easier battery replacement in harsh environments, without disturbing the sensitive WSN node electronics
o IPrelay Node, a new node type which has no on-board sensing functions but sits between sensing nodes to extend wireless transmission range utilizing mesh routing
o a higher-gain antenna for the PhyNet Router, also designed to extend transmission range in outdoor settings.
Roland Acra, Arch Rock CEO, said, "PhyNet's distributed architecture, with its ability to put the server in one place and the WSN at any distance away, was already a natural for outdoor applications, where remote monitoring is critical and power sources are limited. With the new ruggedized enclosures, we've hardened PhyNet for harsh outdoor scenarios so users can focus on using their data, not collecting it. Integrators can use Arch Rock sensor nodes or add their own application-specific sensors, and quickly be up and running with finished monitoring solutions.
"A number of emerging niches for outdoor wireless sensing show promise of growing into sizable market segments. As urban areas encroach on rural land, developers building new homes or shopping malls must measure toxicity levels to ensure that former waste sites are safe. City managers want to keep track of traffic and pollution levels. High-value crops such as wine grapes need monitoring for transpiration, and golf courses for water content. We expect applications such as these to constitute a considerable portion of our business in the next several years."
About the PhyNet Wireless Sensor Network Architecture
In PhyNet's tiered IP architecture, a PhyNet Server is connected via LAN or WAN links to one or more PhyNet routers, which are connected via IETF 6LoWPAN (IPv6 Low-Power Wireless Personal-area Networks) over IEEE 802.15.4 radio links to a collection of sensing and control nodes organized into meshed WSNs. The server displays sensor data on a web-based console or presents it as a web service, letting users run applications and do WSN set-up, diagnostics and management. The routers form an internetworking backbone between the server-hosted applications and the WSNs. Within each WSN are IPsensor Nodes, which connect to analog or pulse-count sensors and switches to measure or control conditions such as temperature, motion, humidity, solar radiation levels, light and additional physical phenomena such as soil moisture or acidity, soil or below-surface well-head conditions, utility meters and liquid flows; and IPserial Nodes, which connect to smart digital sensors (e.g., weather stations, digital meters, biometric equipment), data loggers, and sensing/control systems that use serial legacy wired buses (e.g., ModBus). PhyNet also brings to the IP-based WSN the vast body of standard and time-tested IP tools for interoperability, management and security.
Pricing and Availability
PhyNet N4X is available this month. PhyNet products in NEMA 4X/IP 66 enclosures are priced as follows: PhyNet N4X Router $1,995, IPserial N4X Node $395, IPsensor N4X Node $395, IPrelay N4X Node $295, Power Pack N4X $100. A high-gain antenna kit for the PhyNet Router is priced separately at $295. The PhyNet Server is priced at $3,495.
About Arch Rock Corporation
Arch Rock is a pioneer in open-standards-based wireless sensor network technology. The company's products, which gather data from the physical world and integrate it into the enterprise IT infrastructure using IP networking and web services, are used in environmental monitoring, tracking and logistics, industrial automation and control. Arch Rock's founders, while at the University of California-Berkeley and Intel Research, did seminal research and development work on WSNs, creating three generations of wireless sensor nodes, mesh networking protocols, and the leading operating system for sensor networks. For more information, visit www.archrock.com.
Company contact:
Brian Bohlig
Arch Rock Corporation
415-992-3735
bbohlig@archrock.com
Agency contact:
Janis Ulevich
Ulevich & Orrange, Inc.
650-329-1590
ulevich@u-o.com
