User's Manual

User Manual
3000 SERIES 3
rd
GENERATION ACTIVE RFID
11.2 Appendix B: Networking Basics
This chapter is intended as an introduction to wireless mesh networking in general and to an
Ambient network in specific. For a detailed overview please look at the White Paper “Ambient 3000-
Series Network”.
11.2.1 Wireless Sensor Networks
An Ambient network is classified as a so-called Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). WSNs typically
consist of small devices, called sensor nodes. These nodes have an on-board microprocessor that
allows interfacing with other devices such as temperature sensors. An additional key feature of such
a node is the radio transceiver. Typically a sensor node is battery powered requiring energy efficient
behaviour to guarantee a long lifetime. The most power consuming part of a node is its radio, so the
more a node uses its radio, the more energy it consumes. As a rule of thumb, non-meshing nodes
have a lifetime in the range of years, whereas meshing node batteries have a lifetime in the range of
months.
The concept of a WSN is known in the Computer Science field called 'Ubiquitous Computing' which
is also known as 'Pervasive Computing'. WSNs are regarded as the next evolution in
telecommunication and Computer Science, enabling an entirely new field of research and
commercial possibilities. Most important aspect is that it offers the possibility for back office systems
to obtain information about the physical world.
For more information about WSNs, visit our website at www.ambient-systems.net.
11.2.2 Characteristics
There are many different types of WSNs that are grouped by various characteristics. This section
describes a subset of these characteristics that are implemented in Ambient networks.
The strength of an Ambient network is that it provides a wireless mesh networking solution which is
easy to install and self organizing. Making use of this functionality, specific application behaviour
can be implemented without requiring detailed technical background information about wireless
mesh networks.
The following table sums up some of the key characteristics of an Ambient network.
C h a r a c t e r i s t i c D e s c r i p t i o n
Multi-hop An Ambient Network is multi-hop, enabling two nodes that are not in
each others radio range to communicate with each other by relaying data
through intermediate nodes. As a result, large areas can be covered by a
single network.
Ad-hoc The network is ad-hoc, meaning that the whole network set-up is
automated. Nodes have the ability to discover and join the network
automatically, without the need of manual configuration. Also, the
network dynamically adapts to changes such as moving nodes or varying
radio ranges due to environmental interference.
Self-Healing The network is self-healing, which means that when a relaying node fails
alternative paths are used to deliver data at the destination. The entire
routing of messages throughout the network is adjusted automatically.
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