05-10-2016 | Linear | Design Applications
Linear Technology has announced that Advantech has chosen Linear’s SmartMesh IP wireless mesh technology to enable reliable, low-power industrial IoT applications with Advantech’s new standardized M2.COM sensor platform. The M2.COM platform combines wireless technology, a microcontroller unit (MCU) and networking capability with a standardized interface for sensors. The inclusion of SmartMesh IP mesh networks on this platform offers users the opportunity to embed wire-free mesh communications into their industrial IoT solutions. SmartMesh IP mesh networks are based on the 6LoWPAN standard and the global IEEE 802.15.4 standard, and include a pre-compiled networking stack that delivers >99.999% network reliability at ultralow power. This is particularly important for industrial IoT applications, where wireless sensor networks may be deployed in harsh and remote environments. With over 50,000 customer networks deployed in 120 countries, SmartMesh networks are field proven in a wide range of applications. To simplify deployment and ensure long term maintainability, SmartMesh IP products can operate on batteries for over 10 years, enabling wireless sensor nodes to be placed anywhere. All SmartMesh products include pre-compiled network stacks and dynamic mesh optimization software so that developers can focus on rapid industrial IoT application development and rely on Linear Technology’s mesh networking expertise embedded in every product. M2.COM was launched earlier this year to create an open and standardized sensor platform to simplify and accelerate Internet of Things (IoT) sensor applications for makers and sensor manufacturers. Target applications for M2.COM include outdoor wireless sensors, wireless measuring instruments such as CO2 meters and pH meters, agriculture moisture sensors, sensing/tracking devices for supply chain/logistics, and intelligent wireless controllers that allow remote management for things such as street lighting, traffic signals and waste management. “In order to help our customers bring their IoT solutions to market faster, it is important for us to provide a standardized module interface with the flexibility to support industrial strength wireless mesh connectivity,” said Miller Chang, vice president, Advantech Embedded Computing Group. “Linear Technology’s SmartMesh products are well recognized in the industry for their robust performance, ease of integration and world class low power consumption. We are pleased to be able to offer this important wireless IoT connectivity option to our customers as part of the M2.COM standard product line.” Joy Weiss, president of the Dust Networks Product Group, Linear, added: Technology “Advantech’s M2.COM open platform has the potential to accelerate the adoption of IoT in industrial applications. We look forward to working with Advantech to promote the use of SmartMesh IP mesh networks as a wireless connectivity option of the M2.COM platform.”
