SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 10, 2008 – A new family of products from Arch Rock Corporation will let OEMs and system integrators embed Arch Rock’s PhyNet wireless sensor network (WSN) technology into their offerings, creating high-volume, low-footprint sensing and control solutions based on IP (Internet Protocol) standards. These IP-enabled solutions can be seamlessly folded into end-user enterprise IT infrastructures, where each WSN – and even individual sensing devices – can be accessed and controlled through a familiar web services environment.
With PhyNet OEM Edition, solution providers can wirelessly connect a broad array of devices that were previously either “offline” or connected via wires, expensive and power-hungry cellular technology, or proprietary wireless mechanisms. These devices now can become part of large, resilient and secure router-based wireless mesh networks, communicating via standard IP protocols over IEEE 802.15.4 low-power wireless radio.
PhyNet OEM Edition extends to solution providers the advantages of Arch Rock’s PhyNet WSN platform, first introduced as an end-user product in March. A new hardware/software module, ready to embed into third-party sensing and control devices, turns those devices into low-power wireless nodes that form resilient and responsive multi-hop mesh networks. These networks join the other components of the PhyNet architecture, the PhyNet Server and PhyNet Router, to form a complete WSN solution that can scale to virtually limitless numbers of geographically dispersed meshes, all centrally manageable within an enterprise network.
The embeddable PhyNet OEM module runs Arch Rock’s comprehensive WSN software suite, which includes an implementation of the IETF 6LoWPAN standard for IPv6 communication over low-power radio, high-performance mesh routing protocols, full TCP/UDP services and ICMP/DHCP management. A comprehensive set of embedded web services lets OEMs use REST and SOAP interfaces to write applications that retrieve and manipulate data from the WSN and control its functions. The IP-enabled sensors appear in the user’s web browser, mobile device or enterprise planning application, where their data can be viewed and they can be managed using standard IP tools.
By addressing common integrator requirements such as small footprint, deployment flexibility, long field-life on limited power, and the ability to custom-tailor the sensing environment, PhyNet OEM Edition significantly expands the range of devices that can be “PhyNet-enabled.” Target customers include developers of remote monitoring and control solutions for the utility, municipal, environmental and safety compliance, and energy management markets.
OEM’s Choice: Add 6LoWPAN Networking to Existing Devices and/or Write Custom Applications Directly in Arch Rock Execution Environment
PhyNet OEM Edition is available in two versions:
* The PhyNet NP (Network Processor) Engine is targeted primarily at existing sensor environments where the devices possess computing intelligence but no wireless networking capability. Consisting of a hardware module running the Arch Rock software suite, the PhyNet NP Engine acts like a network interface card (NIC) and provides access to its functionality via a serial connection. The initial version of the module includes a TI MSP430 microcontroller, a TI CC2420 2.4-GHz IEEE 802.15.4 radio, and an Atmel AT45DB 512KB flash memory chip.
* The PhyNet IE (Integrated Execution) Engine is intended primarily for design into new sensor solutions, where integrators want to work in a single, shared hardware/software environment and create custom embedded applications that run directly on the Arch Rock engine. The PhyNet IE Engine consists of the same hardware module and networking software suite as the NP Engine, but also includes memory space for custom application development, as well as an application programming interface (API) rather than a serial connection.
* Arch Rock is also offering PhyNet OEM Development Kits for solution prototyping and testing of both the NP Engine and IE Engine products. The kits include a PhyNet Server, a PhyNet Router, six development boards and software development tools. Users can set up a six-node working WSN mesh connected by the router to server-based management functions.
WSN Data: No Longer “Stranded” Outside the Enterprise IP Network
Arch Rock CEO Roland Acra said, “Solution providers struggling to find effective ways to communicate remote sensor data have had to install wires and power in hard-to-reach places, use costly and power-intensive cellular technology, or settle for proprietary approaches that have kept the data ’stranded,’ impossible to integrate into the main IP network where its value can be realized.
“PhyNet OEM Edition opens up the industry’s only scalable, standards-based WSN architecture to a much broader range of potential users. OEMs who have made a large investment in device hardware – such as programmable thermostats, water meters, digital measurement systems or credit-card authorization devices – can protect that investment, bringing legacy devices online by adding our PhyNet NP Engine to those devices like an intelligent network offload subsystem and connecting the two by serial link.
“Alternatively, OEMs creating brand-new sensing solutions can use the PhyNet IE Engine as their sole execution environment, not merely IP-enabling devices but also writing their own customized embedded applications to control those devices. With the IE Engine, the world of sensors available through PhyNet – and the possibilities for controlling them – becomes virtually limitless. In addition to interacting with sensor nodes from the server tier, OEMs can write sophisticated drivers directly on the nodes, manipulating not just those sensors with on/off functionality but those with multiple variables and complex algorithms.”
The PhyNet Architecture in OEM Environments
Solutions created with PhyNet OEM Edition are designed for use with the complete PhyNet architecture, which also includes the PhyNet Server and the PhyNet Router. The PhyNet Server manages collections of WSNs, displaying sensor data on a web-based console or presenting it as a standard web service; users can run applications incorporating the data and do WSN setup, diagnostics and management. PhyNet Routers, connected via LAN or WAN to the PhyNet Server, form an internetworking backbone between the IP/6LoWPAN WSN and its server-hosted applications; multiple PhyNet Routers can be used within a single WSN to eliminate performance bottlenecks and single points of failure. PhyNet Routers in turn connect via low-power IEEE 802.15.4 radio links to OEM-provided nodes equipped with the PhyNet NP Engine or IE Engine.
The PhyNet architecture, with its scalable internetworking tier – the industry’s first “WSN router” – eliminates the need to co-locate sensor networks with the server-based functions that control them. Because PhyNet extends standard IP technology to the WSN mesh and to individual sensor nodes, those nodes can communicate directly with any other IP devices on the enterprise network, regardless of their connection medium (e.g., IEEE 802.15.4 radio, 802.11 Wi-Fi, Ethernet). 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
Arch Rock PhyNet OEM Edition products enter customer beta test this month, with general availability in the third quarter. A PhyNet OEM Development Kit (for either the NP Engine or the IE Engine) includes six development boards, one PhyNet Server, one PhyNet Router and software development and testing tools. The kit is priced at $4,995, with additional development boards available for $199 each.
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.
