This week, CEL introduced a new product in its MeshConnect 802.15.4/ZigBee line, an extended range module. I spent some time last week with David Cohen and Rich Howell, from CEL, to find out more about this new addition.

Originally making its name as a value-added partner for NEC, CEL launched its own line of products a few years ago at the MTT-S show in Atlanta. I sat down with them then, and I also visited their facility in California about 15 years ago, and have enjoyed watching the company evolve.

This new product is aimed at 802.15.4/ZigBee installations that need just a bit more range to get the job done, but still benefit from a low-power, mesh solution. Known simply as the MeshConnect Extended Range Module, the new product features a range of up to two miles, which CEL reports is industry-leading. The device features a +123.5 dB link budget. And, despite using more power than the regular MeshConnect to achieve longer range, the module keeps battery life long with <1 uA  sleep mode power consumption.

TechBites: How's the Market?
CEL: We are seeing real traction, and market opportunities in LED lighting, control for other types of lighting, RF4CE volume applications (where you use RF instead of IR for remote control of consumer electronics), large farm irrigation, baby monitors, and home security systems.

TechBites: So what's new with MeshConnect?
CEL: We've had ICs, modules, and now an extended range module. It has higher power  (+20dBm power out) and better receiver sensitivity which leads to a more robust link budget, ranging at least two miles in an open environment. In a closed environment, there will be stronger links and higher data rates even in RF-noisy environments. It keeps the nice features of the original MeshConnect, including a built-in hardware voice codec for push-to-talk/walkie-talkie type applications.

TechBites: What about a development kit?
CEL:  This is a full hardware/software solution, with software support for the entire system. A simplified MAC, MAC, and SNAP allows you to build a basic 802.15.4 mesh. A very simple software stack helps them get to market very quickly.

TechBites: ZigBee is by its nature, a low-power, short-range technology, where do you draw the line between it and other long-range technologies?
CEL: That's a fair question. Wi-Fi not a low power technology, and it is not a mesh technology. 802.15.4 meshes very easily and naturally. So, we saw a real need in environments that are natural mesh networking environments, but range is sometimes an issue. This can be overcome by adding more nodes, but better way may be to have a higher-power module.

TechBites: What does adding a power amplifier do to your power budget?
CEL: The additional PA only affects the power during transmissions. And, in a wireless sensor network, the devices are quiet most of time. The real concern for a power budget is sleep mode power. Of course, power consumption does go up in transmit mode to 175 mA at full power, whereas the original Mesh Connect is closer to 44 mA. Standby mode is still below 1 uA, which is a key driver of overall battery life in these apps.

TechBites: How does it work with the existing MeshConnect module?
CEL: It is footprint and pin compatible, so a design can be populated with either device. It only requires a few software tweaks which we make available to our customers. We envisioned the extended range module to be used in external, or through-wall applications and the original MeshConnect in in-building applications. But it would be possible to set up a combination implementation, with perhaps a distribution tree with a local high-power master module and low-power units around it.

TechBites: Any technical challenges to designing this product?
CEL:  The biggest technical challenge was to get the extended range functionality in the same footprint. It was more of a layout challenge. Using a solid NEC PA made it easy to keep the power consumption low.

TechBites: Price? Availability?
CEL: The Extended Range Module is shipping now and the part number is ZICM2410P2. Pricing is <$17 in thousand-piece quantities.

• More Info:
  
  Mesh Connect
• Extended Range Product Brief