
9
1.4. Wireless Network Specifications & Terms
(i) Wireless network master – The gateway is the master device of a wireless
network. A gateway’s role is to collect wireless data from the wireless emergency
lighting installation and transfer this data to the master control panel. Available
models include models with Ethernet/Wi-Fi, and USB connectivity.
(ii) Wireless device – Such a device may be any type of wireless device, i.e.,
emergency luminaires, network extenders and input/output units, that connect to
a wireless network.
(iii) UID (Unique ID) – UID is the unique address of each wireless device. It is
used by the central system to distinguish each wireless device from another. It
comes in 8-digit hexadecimal values.
(iv) SID (System ID) – SID represents the wireless network’s name. All wireless
devices within a wireless network must share the same SID to form a connection.
The default SID value is 00000001, in its 8-digit hexadecimal form.
(v) NKey (Network Key) – NKey is a key used to encrypt all transmitted
communications, providing a high security level, and preventing attacks on the
wireless network(s). The default NKey is set to 00000000, in its 8-digit
hexadecimal form.
(vi) RF Channel – This is the operating frequency of the wireless network. There
are four (4) available channels – numbered as 2, 3, 4 and 5 – within the 868.150
MHz – 868.450 MHz frequency range, to be used for the network(s), which can
be changed through the Installation menu of the software. When there are other
wireless networks operating nearby, a different RF channel should be used for
each network to avoid data traffic. The default channel is 2.
(vii) Hop level – The hopping functionality constitutes the primary feature of a
mesh-type network. Through this feature the wireless devices do not require to
be directly connected to a gateway, as data can be re-transmitted by any
wireless device located between the gateway and the target device, provided that
every in-between device is within the same network and in range. Thus, each
device in-between is also a repeater. The Hop level value indicates the number
of times the data hopped from one nearby device to another till it reached the
gateway. Typically, a wireless network is able to sustain up to 16 hops.
(viii) Network level – It is identical to the Hop level and indicates the number of
devices serving as repeaters between the gateway and a wireless device.
(ix) Self-healing – If a wireless device, e.g., a luminaire, which connects to a
gateway through hopping, loses its connection with its link, it will automatically
search for a new available route, if there is one, and reconnect. This function
does not require human interaction.