Hi Everyone,
This is my first post! Yay!
I have had a look around the forum and found a number of different answers, but none of them are really exactly what I am looking for, or in some cases, I'm not sure if they are what I am looking for.
Let me first of all explain what I am after. What I would like to do is have a number of remote sensors that provide a signal between 0 and 5V (or 1-5V) depending on the sensor. I would like these sensors to wirelessly transmit this voltage reading in some way or another to a central receiver. This receiver will be connected to a PC.
From what I have researched so far there are a number of options for wireless modules:
1. Zigbee (Xbee and others)
2. WUSB
3. Radio
4. GSM/Mobile (way overboard)...
5. Others?
The range requirement is only around say 20-30m.
However, because the requirement is "multiple transmitters, single receiver" I believe that the RF or radio option is not going to work. As far as I could tell from my reading, you can have multiple receivers, but multiple transmitters will collide unless there is some communication protocol and timing. I'm assuming I got that right?
Now Zigbee seems to be a very good option. As a prototype, I would be able to get an interface board for about AUS$66, two zigbee chips for AUS$55 each and a simple USB board for AUS$44. The interface takes 5 analog inputs and has a few additional things.
The issues here however is that I dont need anything except analog input. Any extra "features" are an extra cost that I don't need. I am happy to use interface boards as prototypes, but I wonder if there is anything out there that simply has 1 or more analog inputs and a Zigbee module.
It seems overkill to have the cost of a zigbee module to transmit just a single analog input, that's why I wonder if there is something out there that's more economical I guess... In many cases I would have 4 or more analog inputs, but sometimes just one.
How about digital inputs and zigbee modules ... any one seen those?
The other thing I mentioned was Wireless USB, however I don't really see much out there. Comments?
Basically one of my aims is also to make everything as compact as possible. The zigbee analog input and chip board should all be as small as possible so that the analog sensor can simply be wired into it.
Just in case anyone is wondering, this is for a project at home that I am playing around with. I've got some Phidgets and temperature sensors, but I am trying to make a few of them wireless so I don't have to run cables other than supply necessary power.
Any comments are appreciated. My background is in control systems and software development so i understand higher level systems, but not so much on the component level or circuit board level. That is why I will probably just end up buying ready made circuits.
Thanks!
This is my first post! Yay!
I have had a look around the forum and found a number of different answers, but none of them are really exactly what I am looking for, or in some cases, I'm not sure if they are what I am looking for.
Let me first of all explain what I am after. What I would like to do is have a number of remote sensors that provide a signal between 0 and 5V (or 1-5V) depending on the sensor. I would like these sensors to wirelessly transmit this voltage reading in some way or another to a central receiver. This receiver will be connected to a PC.
From what I have researched so far there are a number of options for wireless modules:
1. Zigbee (Xbee and others)
2. WUSB
3. Radio
4. GSM/Mobile (way overboard)...
5. Others?
The range requirement is only around say 20-30m.
However, because the requirement is "multiple transmitters, single receiver" I believe that the RF or radio option is not going to work. As far as I could tell from my reading, you can have multiple receivers, but multiple transmitters will collide unless there is some communication protocol and timing. I'm assuming I got that right?
Now Zigbee seems to be a very good option. As a prototype, I would be able to get an interface board for about AUS$66, two zigbee chips for AUS$55 each and a simple USB board for AUS$44. The interface takes 5 analog inputs and has a few additional things.
The issues here however is that I dont need anything except analog input. Any extra "features" are an extra cost that I don't need. I am happy to use interface boards as prototypes, but I wonder if there is anything out there that simply has 1 or more analog inputs and a Zigbee module.
It seems overkill to have the cost of a zigbee module to transmit just a single analog input, that's why I wonder if there is something out there that's more economical I guess... In many cases I would have 4 or more analog inputs, but sometimes just one.
How about digital inputs and zigbee modules ... any one seen those?
The other thing I mentioned was Wireless USB, however I don't really see much out there. Comments?
Basically one of my aims is also to make everything as compact as possible. The zigbee analog input and chip board should all be as small as possible so that the analog sensor can simply be wired into it.
Just in case anyone is wondering, this is for a project at home that I am playing around with. I've got some Phidgets and temperature sensors, but I am trying to make a few of them wireless so I don't have to run cables other than supply necessary power.
Any comments are appreciated. My background is in control systems and software development so i understand higher level systems, but not so much on the component level or circuit board level. That is why I will probably just end up buying ready made circuits.
Thanks!