TMCnet News

RFM Releases New Tree-Routing with Redundancy Enhancement for Their Low-Cost DNT Series of FHSS RF Modules
[June 21, 2010]

RFM Releases New Tree-Routing with Redundancy Enhancement for Their Low-Cost DNT Series of FHSS RF Modules


DALLAS --(Business Wire)--

RF Monolithics (News - Alert), Inc. (NASDAQ: RFMI) ("RFM" or "the company") further enhanced its M2M portfolio of wireless communications products today with the release of a firmware upgrade for its DNT series of 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz proprietary FHSS (frequency hopping spread spectrum) RF modules. The DNT series modules are notable for delivering great performance at a remarkably low-price. In addition to exceptional price/performance, the DNT series modules are also extraordinary for their high degree of configurability that include a selection of configurable over-the-air data rates and transmit power levels which allow one module to work for many products.

With the Version 2.0 firmware upgrade featuring new software-configurable Tree Routing with fail-over, designing and maintaining FHSS WSN (wireless sensor networking) applications has been made considerably easier. Also, the size of FHSS WSN networks can now be extended to a virtually unlimited number of nodes.

"The firmware upgrade not only extends range through an intuitive tree routing scheme, but also addresses a weakness of many tree routing systems, single points of failure, by adding a fail-over capability. The DNT series tree routing gives OEMs the path redundancy of a true mesh network without the complexity and increased latency seen in mesh networks," said Tim Cutler, Director of M2M products.

By employing Tree Routing, any node can be a routing node through software configuration and a virtually unlimited number of nodes can join the network. Any node that loses its parent can automatically find and join a new parent plus routing nodes can also perform the same data gathering as end nodes eliminating the need for dedicated routing nodes. Software configurable "heartbeats" keep the master DNT informed of the presence of nodes, even when they are sleeping or otherwise not transmitting. Networks can be configured "on the fly" to turn nodes into routing nodes through over-the-air configuration commands allowing network coverage to be extended as needed after the network is commissioned.

Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) port operation has also been added in the Version 2.0 firmware. The new SPI port can be software configured as a master or slave node. Configurable SPI output data streams allow SPI slave devices to be automatically polled by the module without additional intelligence.

The 2.0 firmware is compatible with firmware versions already installed in the field allowing 2.0 modules to be used seamlessly with the installed-base of DNT series modules. All DNT2400 modules in the field and all DNT900C modules can be upgraded to the 2.0 firmware. All DNT900P modules revision H or later can be upgraded to the 2.0 firmware. If customers have provided access in their device to the serial port of the module, the module can be upgraded without being removed from their device. Customers who currently utilize any of the aforementioned DNT series modules may download the firmware Version 2.0 upgrade from the modules technical support section of the RFM website: www.RFM.com/support/rf_modules.php.



RFM offers one of the broadest ranges of wireless sensor networking platforms in the market. Design engineers looking for RF module solutions look to RFM first as it has earned a reputation for outstanding support of the integration of their technology. In addition to the DNT series of products, RFM's M2M portfolio includes battery-powered Wi-FiTM modules for sensor networking applications. WirelessHARTTM modules for industrial process control applications, ZigBee® / 802.15.4, Proprietary Mesh, and Proprietary FHSS RF modules and boxed radios.

About RFM


RF Monolithics, Inc., headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a provider of solutions-driven, technology-enabled wireless connectivity for a broad range of wireless applications-from individual standardized and custom components to modules for comprehensive industrial wireless sensor networks and machine-to-machine (M2M) technology. For more information on RF Monolithics, Inc., please visit the Company's website at www.RFM.com or follow us on twitter @wireless_is_RFM.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements, made pursuant to the Safe Harbor Provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that involve risks and uncertainties. Statements of the plans, objectives, expectations and intentions of RFM and/or its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, the "Company" or "we") involve risks and uncertainties. Statements containing terms such as "believe," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "may" or similar terms are considered to contain uncertainty and are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on information available to management as of the time of such statements and relate to, among other things, expectations of the business environment in which we operate, projections of future performance, perceived opportunities in the market and statements regarding our mission and vision, future financial and operating results. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including risks related to economic conditions as related to our customer base, collection of receivables from customers who may be affected by economic conditions, maintaining favorable terms of sales with customers and suppliers, the highly competitive market in which we operate, rapid changes in technologies that may displace products sold by us, declining prices of products, our reliance on distributors, delays in product development efforts, uncertainty in customer acceptance of our products, changes in our level of sales or profitability, manufacturing and sourcing risks, availability and lead times of raw materials, cost of components for our products, product defects and returns, as well as the other risks detailed from time to time in our SEC (News - Alert) reports, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended August 31, 2009. We do not assume any obligation to update any information contained in this release.


[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]