Measurement node power consumption depends on a variety of factors including sampling interval, temperature, network topology, RF environment, and whether or not the node behavior has been customized with the NI LabVIEW WSN Module. National Instruments has found that with a one-minute sample interval at 25 C, typical battery lifetime is greater than 2 years.
Consult the NI WSN Product and Configuration Guide to get up to date information on the different node, gateway, and software options available from NI.
The NI WSN Gateways and Measurement Nodes utilize a 2.4GHz IEEE 802.15.4 radio. The Americas versions of these devices can maintain reliable network communication at an outdoor range of 300 m with line of sight. Exact device-to-device range will vary based on geographic model, network traffic, network topology, and RF environment.
You can take advantage of the NI WSN Setup and Services page to find tutorials, drivers, discussion forums and more.
NI also offers extensive support options through ni.com/support. You can call, e-mail, or troubleshoot problems online with NI engineers. In addition, ni.com provides a wealth of resources for every customer – from users getting started with NI WSNs to experts looking for tips from the designers.
Online resources include the following:
NI wireless sensor networks currently only work with NI LabVIEW version 8.6.1 and later.
Each WSN gateway provides different connectivity and host controller options. With the NI 9792 Programmable WSN Gateway, no additional host controller is necessary, as the device is a LabVIEW Real-Time target and can run independent of a host. A LabVIEW Real-Time application can be deployed to the NI 9792 to aggregate data from measurement nodes and perform processing and analysis. Even though no host controller is necessary, you can still connect the NI 9792 to other devices, such as a windows PC, database, or third party WSN gateways. The NI 9792 offers dual ethernet ports and an RS-232 serial port to connect to these types of devices. Furthermore, the NI 9792 has a built-in web server so that you can remotely visualize WSN measurement data in a web browser.
The NI WSN-9791 Ethernet gateway, however, does require the use of a host controller. The flexibility of ethernet allows you to choose either a Windows or real-time host controller. The Windows controller can be a PC, industrial controller, laptop, or embedded device running a Windows OS, including embedded OSs such as XP Embedded, and LabVIEW for Windows. The real-time controller can be an NI CompactRIO or other programmable automation controller (PAC) running a real-time OS and LabVIEW Real-Time.
NI-WSN software provides seamless LabVIEW integration so that you can quickly and easily extract measurement data from your WSN. After adding aNI WSN gateway to a LabVIEW Project, the nodes configured with the gateway in MAX automatically populate in the LabVIEW Project, giving you instant access to their I/O and properties. Simply drag and drop I/O variables from the LabVIEW Project to a LabVIEW Block Diagram for data extraction, analysis, and presentation.
A wireless sensor network consists of three main components: gateways, nodes, and software. The NI WSN platform provides options in each of these categories so that you can customize your WSN to meet the unique needs of your application.
Wireless measurement systems can overcome power and network infrastructure limitations and meet new and previously difficult application challenges. They deliver reduced costs and increased flexibility compared to traditional wired measurement systems, and they offer the ability to achieve long-term deployments with reliable, battery-powered devices.
NI offers LabVIEW drivers for third-party WSN nodes, such as those from Crossbow, Accsense, and Microstrain, so you can integrate NI WSN measurements with third-party WSN measurements in your LabVIEW code. To communicate with these devices you must use their gateway. You cannot use third-party WSN (or other ZigBee) devices to communicate directly with NI WSN gateways due to the proprietary NI WSN communication protocol.
NI Wireless CompactDAQ devices combine IEEE 802.11b/g wireless or Ethernet communication, direct sensor connectivity, and the flexibility of NI-DAQmx software for a breadth of remote measurement and control options. Externally powered, NI Wi-Fi DAQ devices can stream continuous waveform data on each channel at more than 50 kS/s and offer the highest commercially available network security (WPA2 Enterprise). These devices are intended for shorter term, high throughput/streaming applications, in which you have a single host connected to your wireless client devices.
NI WSNs deliver low-power measurement nodes that operate for up to three years on 4 AA batteries and can be deployed for long-term, remote operation. The wireless measurement nodes communicate with a central gateway using a protocol based on IEEE 802.15.4 to offer mesh routing capabilities that extend network distance and reliability. NI WSN systems support lower data rates to preserve power, are easily programmed using I/O variables. These devices are intended for longer term, slower speed applications in which you might be interested in monitoring your assets or environment once per minute, hour, or day. NI WSN supports multiple data consumers per client, meaning multiple people can access data from your WSN monitoring system any where, any time.
Creating a reliable network topology is a very important aspect in building your WSN system. You should carefully consider network topologies and data communication paths when setting up a WSN system.
To ensure maximum network reliability, National Instruments suggest that you adhere to the following criteria:
View the Wireless Product Certifications document to determine which products are certified for use in your geographical region.
Yes, NI plans to continue investment in WSN technology and provide a breadth of measurement node I/O options that are compatible with the current product offering.
The proprietary NI WSN protocol is based on IEEE 802.15.4 and ZigBee technology. The IEEE 802.15.4 communication standard defines the Physical and Medium Access Control layers in the networking model, providing communication in three frequency bands including the 2.4 GHz ISM band. ZigBee builds on the 802.15.4 standard with the network and application layers, offering features such as device coordination, reliability through mesh networking topologies, and the functionality to create user-defined profiles that allow for customization and flexibility within the protocol. NI-WSN sits on top of the ZigBee layer and closes the protocol to third-party devices, ensuring network and data reliability.
All NI WSN devices have a one-year warranty that covers defects in workmanship and material from the date of product shipment. Extended warranty options are available that can help you fix your maintenance costs over two or more years.
The measurement nodes each offer four analog input channels and two to four digital channels that you can configure on a per-channel basis for input, sinking output, or sourcing output. Four AA alkaline or lithium batteries can deliver up to a three-year node lifetime. The measurement nodes deliver -40 to 70 °C temperature ranges and industrial shock and vibration ratings, and they communicate via 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.15.4 radios that provide up to 300 m outdoor range with line of sight. The 9 to 30 V externally-powered gateways provides flexible connectivity to Windows or real-time OS controllers.