
Data Radios

Freewave radios are designed for seamless integration into networks that require reliable link performance and support low power, long range machine-to-machine communications. Freewave radios transfer data in noisy, challenging environments covering over 60+ mile distances. By utilizing Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) technology, Freewave provides an alternative to expensive Wi-Fi bandwidth, cellular or fiber.
GE’s MDS is an end-to-end industrial wireless communication provider which carries serial and IP/Ethernet traffic, as well as analog and digital I/O signals connected to field sensors and devices, accommodating an extensive variety of industrial protocols. GE’s MDS wireless radios have been rated and tested to harsh specifications and operate over licensed and unlicensed narrowband communication in a variety of frequencies.
Phoenix Contact radios are available as licensed, unlicensed, cellular and I/O radios that work with either 12 VDC or 24 VDC power sources. They have options for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint setups. Phoenix industrial wireless solutions include models with 400 MHz, 900 MHz, or 2.4 GHz frequencies. The Phoenix 2.4 GHz ethernet radios have a range of 10 miles (16 km) and the Phoenix I/O radios have a range of 5 miles (8 km) and offer a 500 Kbps data rate.
Phoenix Contact Radioline wireless radios are ideal for large systems. The Radioline system transmits data and signals over several kilometers with devices available with a wide range of frequencies. Radioline transmits IO signals as well as serial data and is therefore very versatile. Data transmission is reliable and secure utilizing frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) and encryption according to advanced encryption standard (AES).
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There are many different communication protocols that can be used when selecting a radio. The type of protocol being used may depend on the application, time frame the hardware was installed, existing hardware that is already in place and many other factors. What is important to understand is that most of these protocols fall into two generic families: Serial-based protocols or Ethernet-based protocols. Examples of Serial-based protocols include: Modbus RTU, RS-232, RS-485 and Profibus. Examples of Ethernet-based protocols include: Modbus TCP, Ethernet IP and Profinet. The differences that exist in these protocols has a lot to do with data transmission speeds.
Serial-based protocols have a much more limited data transmission capacity compared to Ethernet-based protocols, however, they do not require a connection strength as strong as Ethernet-based protocols. This is beneficial in situations where the radio connection may be limited because of physical obstructions or long distances. Ethernet-based protocols have faster data transmission capabilities and are becoming much more common than Serial-based protocols. By understanding the differences between these two types of protocols, you will be better equipped to select the radio that will work best for your specific application.