New-Tech Europe Magazine | February 2018

MC27561-DRAGONFLY and SmartMesh IP®

Kristof Feja, Arrow Electronics

Introduction The MC27561-DRAGONFLY is part of Arrow’s board family called SmartEverything. This board is a ready-to-use Internet of Things (IoT) hardware. It is Arduino IDE compatible which allows fast and easy software development. Any kind of Arduino form factor connectors can be added on top if necessary. The board’s main features are the following: Microchip MCU for Arduino compatibility Dusty module from IOTeam, performing SmartMesh IP ® operations A SigFox module from IOTeam for low power, long range wireless communication A Wi-Fi module from Microchip The above mentioned modules make the DRAGONFLY an ideal triple-play gateway solution. SmartMesh IP ® Probably this technology is the most

unfamiliar to most readers. In the followings You will learn about its terminology and the basics of operation. SmartMesh IP ® combines reliability and ultra low-power with a native Internet Protocol (IP) layer for a robust, standards-based offering perfect for a broad range of applications. SmartMesh IP ® provides robust wire-free connectivity for applications where low power, reliability, and ease of deployment matter. Every node in a SmartMesh IP ® network can run on batteries for years, or virtually forever with an energy harvesting power source. The ability to put a sensor anywhere, without wiring, allows network deployments that do not disrupt building operations or occupants. With built-in intelligence that enables the mesh network to self- form and self-maintain, SmartMesh IP ® systems are easily deployed by field technicians with no wireless technology expertise. A SmartMesh IP ® network consists of the following:

SmartMesh IP ® manager SmartMesh IP ® network managers perform two major functions for the mesh network. First they serve as an access point mote, connecting the wireless mesh to customer host applications. Second, network managers run sophisticated network management algorithms to maintain performance of the network. Two manager options are available: an embedded version (Figure 1- EManager) used for small (less than 100 devices) networks with an integrated Access Point Mote (APM) a larger server-class version called VManager (Figure 2) for larger installations, and can be used with multiple Access Point Motes. SmartMesh IP ® motes SmartMesh IP ® Motes are the wireless nodes in a SmartMesh IP ® network. They connect to sensors/actuators and route data from other motes, yet remain low power. Each mote can both send and receive

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