Cooking Hacks - Documentation - Waspmote - Wireless Sensor Networks Open Source Platform

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Cooking Hacks - Documentation - Waspmote - Wireless Sensor Networks Open Source Platform

Waspmote is an open source wireless sensor platform specially focused on the implementation of low consumption modes to allow the sensor nodes ("motes") to be completely autonomous and battery powered, offering a variable lifetime between 1 and 5 years depending on the duty cycle and the radio used. Let's know more about how Waspmote was born.

It all started 5 years since Cooking Hacks -Libelium open hardware division- designed the famous "Arduino XBee Shield" in collaboration with the Arduino Team and gave it to community as the first open hardware shield for Arduino (2007). Our idea was to create wireless sensor networks with Arduino + XBee (already 5 years ago!). However, Arduino couldn't fit the Libelium's corporate customers requirements due to two main reasons. On the one hand it is the consumption: the 5V-3.3V regulator can not be turned off and thus it is not possible to implement a sleep mode. As a result, a constant consumption of 50mA discharges any battery load within a few days or even hours. On the other hand the platform needed to be radio certified as the nodes are meant to be deployed in real scenarios like cities, factories, houses, etc. For this reason we needed a platform ready for the three main certification requirements: CE (Europe), FCC (US) and IC (Canada).

In order to meet the above requirements we decided to create a new device specially designed to work with low consumption modes and with a completely modular philosophy and that is how Waspmote was born. In the creation of Waspmote as well as the Libelium team composed by David Gascón, Marcos Yarza, and Alberto Bielsa, took part David Cuartielles (in his role of freelance researcher) in order to ensure compatibility with the Arduino programming environment (IDE), allowing Arduino Community use Waspmote in the same way.

Two years after releasing Waspmote, there is a growing Community of Developers using it as a standard platform for the Internet of Things. Besides its outstanding technical features, they like its horizontal, modular and Open Source approach. Now, we want to extend this platform to our Cooking Hacks followers by distributing different Development Kits, so that anyone can try it.

In the next sections you will discover the Waspmote features and a comparative between Waspmote and Arduino.

1. Hardware

Modular Architecture

Waspmote is based on a modular architecture. The idea is to integrate only the modules needed in each device optimizing costs. For this reason all the modules (radios, sensor boards, etc) plug in Waspmote through sockets.

The modules available for integration in Waspmote are categorised in:

ZigBee/802.15.4 modules (2.4GHz, 868MHz, 900MHz). Low and high power.
GSM - 3G/GPRS Module (Quadband: 850MHz/900MHz/1800MHz/1900MHz)
Sensor Modules (Sensor boards)
Storage Module: SD Memory Card
GPS Module

Specifications

New Waspmote in 2013

The first version of Waspmote (v1.1) was released in 2009. Since then, more than 2000 developers have been using the platform, and we have received many suggestions and possible improvements.

We have carefully listened to all of them and modified both the Waspmote API and Hardware in order to include all these ideas. The result will be launched in February 2013 with the name of Waspmote PRO (v1.2).

Talking about hardware, there are many improvements: Waspmote has no jumpers now, the connections are more robust, the code upload is much quicker now, there is no need of a coin battery... and it is possible to upload code with the XBee radio plugged!

The API is more robust and easier to use now. Besides, we have a huge amount of examples and improved programming guides to help the user to have a quicker development.

For a complete description of the differences between Waspmote v1.1 and v1.2, please read the Chapter "Waspmote (v1.1) vs Waspmote PRO (v1.2)" on the Waspmote Technical Guide (www.libelium.com/development/waspmote/documentation)

Microcontroller: ATmega1281
Frequency: 14MHz
SRAM: 8KB
EEPROM: 4KB (1KB reserved)
FLASH: 128KB
SD Card: 2GB
Weight: 20gr
Dimensions: 73.5 x 51 x 13 mm
Temperature Range: [-10ºC, +65ºC]

Main Waspmote components - Top side

Main Waspmote components - Bottom side

2. Low Consumption Modes

Waspmote counts with two main sleep modes:

Deep Sleep: the consumption in this mode is 55µA. Sensors may generate an interruption to wake the main microcontroller up when the value read goes above or below a pre-programming threshold. The device is completely slept and the sensors powered. Values of the sensor thresholds are controlled by software via digital potentiometers (digipots).
Hibernate: the consumption in this mode is just 0.06µA. The main microcontroller will wake up when a pre-programmed time alarm is triggered. This alarm is controlled by the real time clock (RTC) integrated in Waspmote so you can program sleep cycles which go from seconds to hours or even days.

Using any of these modes lifetime of each node may vary from 1 to 5 years depending on the duty cycle and the battery capacity. Although the lifetime can be extended indefinitely connecting a solar panel in the dedicated socket on the board.

All the info related to the low energy modes can be found in the Waspmote Technical Guide.

3. Communication modules

Waspmote counts with 10 different radios available: 802.15.4, ZigBee, Wifi, Bluetooth, GPRS, 3G, RFID, NFC, 868MHz, 900MHz.

The idea was to use the same XBee type socket in order to make all them compatible, so we designed new radio modules (like Wifi, Bluetooth and NFC) to use the same sockets as the original XBee radios. This way all of them connect to Waspmote through the same socket, so now you can choose the one you need for your application when you buy it and change it later by any other just unplugging the old and plugging the new one.

802.15.4

Protocol	Frequency	TX power	Sensitivity	Channels	Distance
802.15.4	2,40 – 2,48GHz	1mW	-92dBm	16	500m
802.15.4	2,40 – 2,48GHz	63.1mW	-100dBm	13	7000m

Antenna: 2dBi/5dBi
Encryption: AES 128b
Signal Control: RSSI
Standards: IEEE -802.15.4 - Compliant

ZigBee

Protocol	Frequency	Tx power	Sensitivity	Channels	Distance
ZigBee	2,40 – 2,48GHz	2mW	-96dBm	16	500m
ZigBee	2,40 – 2,48GHz	50mW	-102dBm	13	7000m

Antenna: 2dBi/5dBi
Encryption: AES 128b
Signal Control: RSSI
Standards: ZigBee-Pro v2007 - Compliant

Wifi

Protocols: 802.11b/g - 2.4GHz
TX Power: 0dBm - 12dBm (variable by software)
RX Sensitivity: -83dBm
Antenna connector: RPSMA
Antenna: 2dBi/5dBi antenna options
Security: WEP, WPA, WPA2
Topologies: AP & Adhoc
IP Setup: DHCP, Static

Actions:
TCP/IP - UDP/IP socket connections
HTTP and HTTPS (secure) web connections
FTP and FTPS (secure) file transfers
Direct connections with iPhone and Android
Connects with any commercial Wifi router
802.11 roaming capabilities

3G + GPS

Model: SIM5218
Protocols: 3G, WCDMA, HSPA, UMTS, GPRS, GSM
Tri-Band: UMTS 2100/1900/900MHz
Quad-Band: GSM/EDGE, 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
HSDPA: up to 7.2Mbps
HSUPA: up to 5.76Mbps
TX Power:
UMTS 900/1900/2100 0,25W
GSM 850MHz/900MHz 2W
DCS1800MHz/PCS1900MHz 1W
Sensitivity: -106dBm
Antenna connector: UFL
External Antenna: 0dBi
Consumption in sleep mode: 1mA

Actions:
Videocall, record video and take pictures available with Video Camera Sensor Board
Support microSD card up to 32GB
64MB of internal storage space
Making/Receiving calls
Making ‘x’ tone missed calls
MS-assisted (A-GPS), MS-based (S-GPS) or Stand-alone GPS positioning
Sending/Receiving SMS
Single connection and multiple connections TCP/IP and UDP/IP clients
TCP/IP server
HTTP and HTTPS service
FTP and FTPS Service (downloading and uploading files)
Sending/receiving email (SMTP and POP3)

GSM / GPRS

Model: SIM900 (SIMCom)
Quadband: 850MHz/900MHz/1800MHz/1900MHz
Txpower: 2W(Class 4) 850MHz/900MHz,
1W(Class 1) 1800MHz/1900MHz
Sensitivity: -109dBm
Antenna connector: UFL
External antenna: 0dBi
Consumption in power down mode: 30µA

Actions:
Making/Receiving calls
Making ‘x’ tone missed calls
Sending/Receiving SMS
Single connection and multiple
connections TCP/IP and UDP/IP clients
TCP/IP server
HTTP Service
FTP Service

Bluetooth PRO

Version: Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR. Class 2
TX Power: 3dBm
Antenna: 2dBi
Up to 250 unique devices in each inquiry
Received Strength Signal Indicator (RSSI) for each scanned device
Class of Device (CoD) for each scanned device
7 Power levels [-27dBm, +3dBm]

Actions:
Scan devices with maximum inquiry time
Scan devices with maximum number of nodes
Scan devices looking for a certain user by MAC address
Classification between pedestrians and vehicles

RFID

Compatibility: Reader/Writer mode supporting ISO cadrs - T5557 / EM4102
Distance: 5cm
Max capacity: 20B
Tags: cards, keyrings

Applications: Located based services (LBS)
Logistics (assets tracking, supply chain)
Product management
Animal farming identification

NFC

Compatibility:
Reader/Writer mode supporting ISO 14443A / MIFARE / FeliCaTM / NFCIP-1
Distance: 5cm
Max capacity: 4KB
Tags: cards, keyrings, stickers

Applications:
Located based services (LBS)
Logistics (assets tracking, supply chain)
Access management
Electronic prepaid metering (vending machines, public transport)
Smartphone interaction (NFCIP-1 protocol)

868MHz

Protocol	Frequency	Tx Power	Sensitivity	Channels	Distance
RF	869,4 – 869,65MHz	315mW	-112dBm	1	12km

Antenna: 0dBi/4.5dBi
Encryption: AES 128b
Signal Control: RSSI

900MHz

Protocol	Frequency	Tx Power	Sensitivity	Channels	Distance
RF	902-928MHz	50mW	-100dBm	12	10km

Antenna: 0dBi/4.5dBi
Encryption: AES 128b
Signal Control: RSSI

4. Expansion Radio Board

Waspmote may have two radios at the same time connected when using the Expansion Radio Board allowing the creation of bridges among different networks such as ZigBee and Wifi, Wifi and 3G/GPRS, RFID and Bluetooth, etc.

Some of the applications that allows the Expansion Radio Board are:

Multifrequency ZigBee Sensor Networks (2.4GHz - 868/900MHz)
Bluetooth - ZigBee hybrid networks
NFC (RFID) applications + 3G/GPRS to the Cloud
NFC (RFID) applications + Wifi to the Cloud
ZigBee - Wifi hybrid networks

5. Over the Air Programming (OTAP)

Waspmote is intended to be used in large wireless sensor networks deployments where hundreds of nodes are installed in real scenarios. For this reason we have developed Over the Air Programming (OTAP) capabilities in order to make easy the maintenance of the network. OTA allows to upgrade the firmware of the nodes (reprogramming the entire flash memory) by sending the program wirelessly (for example using 802.15.4 or ZigBee).

With OTA you can reprogram a specific node (Unicast mode), several nodes (Multicast mode) or the whole network (Broadcast mode) in just one step.

6. Sensors

Waspmote counts with a triple axis accelerometer soldered on board and more than 50 sensors already integrated through specific sensor shields which are plugged on top the main core board. The idea is to make easy the integration and usage of complex sensors which need special electronic systems in order to work.

GASES

APPLICATIONS

City pollution
CO, CO2, NO2, O3
Emissions from farms and hatcheries
CH4, H2S, NH3
Control of chemical and industrial processes
C4H10, H2, VOC
Forest fires
CO, CO2

SENSORS

Carbon Monoxide – CO
Carbon Dioxide – CO2
Oxygen – O2
Methane – CH4
Hydrogen – H2
Ammonia – NH3
Isobutane – C4H10
Ethanol – CH3CH2OH
Toluene – C6H5CH3
Hydrogen Sulfide – H2S
Nitrogen Dioxide – NO2
Ozone – O3
Hydrocarbons – VOC
Temperature
Humidity
Pressure atmospheric

EVENTS

APPLICATIONS

Security
Vibration, hall effect (doors and windows), person detection PIR
Emergencies
Presence detection and water level sensors, temperature
Control of goods in logistics
Vibration and impact sensors

SENSORS

Pressure/Weight
Bend
Vibration
Impact
Hall Effect
Tilt
Temperature (+/-)
Liquid Presence
Liquid Level
Luminosity
Presence (PIR)
Stretch

SMART CITIES

APPLICATIONS

Noise maps
Monitor in real time the acoustic levels in the streets of a city
Structural health monitoring
Crack detection and propagation
Air quality
Detect the level of particulates and dust in the air
Waste management
Measure the garbage levels in bins to optimize the trash collection routes

SENSORS

Microphone (dBSPLA)
Crack detection gauge
Crack propagation gauge
Linear displacement
Dust - PM-10
Ultrasound (distance measurement)
Temperature
Humidity
Luminosity

SMART PARKING

APPLICATIONS

Car detection for available parking information
Detection of free parking lots outdoors
Parallel and perpendicular parking lots control

SENSORS

Magnetic Field

AGRICULTURE

APPLICATIONS

Precision Agriculture
Lleaf temperature, fruit diameter
Irrigation Systems
Soil moisture, leaf wetness
Greenhouses
Solar radiation, humidity, temperature
Weather Stations
Anemometer, wind vane, pluviometer

SENSORS

Air Temperature / Humidity
Soil Temperature / Moisture
Leaf Wetness
Atmospheric Pressure
Solar Radiation - PAR
Ultraviolet Radiation - UV
Trunk Diameter
Stem Diameter
Fruit Diameter
Anemometer
Wind Vane
Pluviometer
Luminosity

VIDEO CAMERA

APPLICATIONS

Security
Take pictures and record videos for security, surveillance and military deployments

SENSORS

Camera
Luminosity
Infra-Red (IR)
Presence (PIR)

RADIATION

APPLICATIONS

Monitor the radiation levels wirelessly without comprising the life of the security forces
Create prevention and control radiation networks in the surroundings of a nuclear plant
Measure the amount of Beta and Gamma radiation in specific areas autonomously

SENSORS

Geiger tube [β, γ] (Beta and Gamma)

SMART METERING

APPLICATIONS

Energy measurement
Water consumption
Pipe leakage detection
Liquid storage management
Tanks and silos level control
Supplies control in manufacturing
Industrial Automation
Agricultural Irrigation

SENSORS

Current
Water flow
Liquid level
Load cell
Ultrasound
Distance Foil
Temperature
Humidity
Luminosity

PROTOTYPING SENSOR

APPLICATIONS

Prepared for the integration of any kind of sensor.
Pad Area
Integrated Circuit Area
Analog-to-Digital Converter (16b)

7. GPS

Waspmote can integrate a GPS receiver which allows to know the exact position of the mote (latitude, longitude) along with height, speed and the current time and date. This allows even to synchronize Waspmote internal clock (RTC) with the real time.

Model: A1084 (Vincotech)
Movement sensitivity: -159dBm
Acquisition sensitivity: -142dBm
Hot Start time: < 1s
Warm Start Time: < 32s
Cold Start Time: < 35s
Antenna connector: UFL
External Antenna: 26dBi

8. High Capacity Storage

Waspmote implements internally a FAT16 file system which allows it to work with SD cards up to 2GB. To get an idea of the capacity of information that can be stored in a 2GB card, simply divide its size by the average for what a sensor frame in Waspmote usually occupies (approx. 100 Bytes):

2GB/100B = 20 million measurements

9. Applications

Get inspired with the document: 50 Sensor Applications for a Smarter World

10. Certifications

Waspmote is certified (radio + electronics) for US (FCC), Europe (CE) and Canada (IC). This makes the platform suitable for deployments in different scenarios like cities, factories, homes, etc.

More information about the Waspmote Certifications

11. Resources

12. Buy Kits

13. Waspmote VS Arduino

Are Waspmote and Arduino platforms compatible?
Waspmote uses the same IDE (compiler and core libraries) than Arduino. For this reason the same code is compatible in both platforms just adjusting small things like the pinout and the I/O scheme. We love the fast learning curve of Arduino and for this reason we tried to make a platform compatible with it. The idea is an Arduino user may work with Waspmote in a transparent and easy way (as the source code will be the same the learning curve does not exists).

Then, are Waspmote and Arduino competence?
Definitely no. Arduino is a really nice platform to learn how to use electronics and intended to make cheap "home projects" while Waspmote is a device specially designed to create wireless sensor networks which need long lifetime and are meant to be deployed in a real scenario like a city.

I just want to "play" with Waspmote, isn't it cheaper using Arduino?
The answer is, what do you want to do exactly? Waspmote is a very compact board including all needed for creating wireless sensor networks: wireless communications, RTC clock to allow scheduling interruptions, uSD to store data from sensors, 3-axis accelerometer (very useful for detecting falling nodes and as a sensor by itself) and of course, a battery and solar socket with charger regulator for making the node completely autonomous. You can find below a chart comparing Arduino and Waspmote features according to Cooking Hacks prices, so you can see how much does it cost adding those features separately to Arduino. We just want you to get the most appropriate device for your project!

	Arduino UNO	Arduino Mega 2560	Waspmote
Board	22,00 €	41,00 €	135,00 €
Arduino Xbee 802.15.4 + 2dBi antenna	45,00 €	45,00 €
Triple axis accelerometer	7,75 €	7,75 €
On Board Programmable LED + ON/OFF Switch	1,00 €	1,00 €
RTC DS3234 + Button Battery	16,00 €	16,00 €
uSD Adaptor	20,00 €	20,00 €
Solar Panel Socket	35,00 €	35,00 €
2300mAh Battery	35,00 €	35,00 €	18,00 €
Total	146,75 €	165,75 €	153,00 €

Is Waspmote open source?
Yes. All the source code libraries are released under the LGPL license so developers may choose if the programs they do are released as open source or not.

Are Waspmote and Arduino FCC and CE certified? What are the differences?
Both Waspmote and Arduino "core" boards have the FCC and CE certifications, however in order to use the platform with a communication module (ZigBee, Wifi, 3G,...) a Radio Certification is needed. This is the main difference among Waspmote and Arduino certifications. Waspmote has Radio Certifications for all the possible combinations of the communication modules (802.15.4 , ZigBee, 3G, ZigBee + 3G,...), and Arduino doesn't.

Comparative Tables - Waspmote VS Arduino

Memory and Microcontroller

Model	Microcontroller	Frequency	RAM	EEPROM	FLASH	External Storage (SD card)
Arduino	ATMega328	16MHz	2KB	1KB	32KB	-
Arduino Mega	ATMega2560	16MHz	8KB	4KB	256KB	-
Waspmote	ATMega1281	14MHz	8KB	4KB	128KB	2GB

I/O & Buses

Model	Analog In	Digital I/O	UART's	SPI	I2C	PWM	USB
Arduino	6	8	1	Yes	Yes	6	Yes
Arduino Mega	16	54	4	Yes	Yes	15	Yes
Waspmote	7	8	2	Yes	Yes	1	Yes

Consumption

Model	Consumption ON	Sleep mode	Consumption Sleep mode	Hibernate mode	Consumption Hibernate mode
Arduino	50mA	No	-	No	-
Arduino Mega	50mA	No	-	No	-
Waspmote	15mA	Yes	55µA	Yes	0.06µA

Commercial, License and Legal Issues

Model	IDE	Libraries	Electronic Certifications	Radio Certifications*
Arduino	GPL	LGPL	CE, FCC	-
Arduino Mega	GPL	LGPL	CE, FCC	-
Waspmote	GPL	LGPL	CE, FCC, IC	CE, FCC, IC

* Waspmote is Radio Certified for all the possible combinations of the communication modules (802.15.4, ZigBee, 3G...).

Resources

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