3/6
RF Description
This module enables the WebRTU®Z2 to communicate with multiple
EpIO’s via radio frequency;
The network between the data concentrator and the EpIO’s is self-forming
and self-healing, with the data concentrator acting as central master and
the EpIO’s acting as slaves. It is self-forming because after installation,
each EpIO auto-configures itself and detects if any other possible EpIO’s
are in the vicinity, thereby creating a network capable of expanding itself
without any manual intervention. Each EpIO sends its consumption data
via RF directly or indirectly to the data concentrator. Indirect
communication is possible thanks to the dual role of the EpIO: It and can
send its own data to the data concentrator but can also act as a repeater
for the data of another EpIO simultaneously. Moreover, the network is
self-healing due to automatic repair when one device fails (due to
disconnection, fire, etc…): a remote EpIO simply detects another EpIO in
its vicinity to send its data to.
This network communication is very similar to the one used by routers on
the Internet, which communicate amongst each other and update their
internal routing tables, in order to recalculate a new routing path should a
router fail. But contrary to this mesh-networking by routers, EpIO’s can
never serve as master, only as slave or as submaster; in which case a
single EpIO collects the data from multiple EpIO’s before sending it to the
WebRTU®Z2 (the master data concentrator).
