Roving Networks RN-174 User manual

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RN-174 WiFly Super Module
Features
•Evaluation board for the RN-171 module
•Supports chip antenna (RN-174-C), PCB trace
antenna (RN-174-P), wire antenna (RN-174-W),
and U.FL connector for an external antenna
(RN-174-U)
•Ultra-low power: 4-uA sleep, 30-mA Rx, 180-mA
Tx at 10 dBm
•Configurable transmit power: 0 to +12 dBm
•RS-232 and TTL UART hardware interfaces
•Up to 1 Mbps data rate over UART
•Through-hole board simplifies system integration
•Powered by 3.3 to 16-V DC (input voltage can go
down to 2 V DC when using boost regulator)
•Jumpers for setting ad hoc mode and enabling the
battery boost circuit
•10 general-purpose digital I/O pins
•8 analog sensor interfaces; configurable sensor
power outputs 0 to 3.3-V DC
•Real-time clock for wakeup and time stamping
•Complete TCP/IP networking stack
•Wi-Fi Alliance certified for WPA2-PSK
•FCC / CE/ ICS certified and RoHS compliant
Applications
•Wireless serial connections
•Remote sensors
•Telemetry
•Security
•Industrial sensors and controls
•Home automation
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Description
The RN-174 evaluation board is a field-ready, Wi-Fi Alliance
certified, 802.11 b/g prototyping platform for the RN-171
module. The board has the flexibility to connect directly to
embedded processors via a standard RS-232 interface or
through the TTL UART interface. The RN-174 contains a
battery boost circuit, which makes it possible to power the
board using two AA batteries (the input voltage can go down to
down to 2.0 V DC when using the battery boost circuit). The
battery boost circuit makes the RN-174 perfect for battery-
powered applications such as sensors, data acquisition
systems, controllers, etc. The status LEDs and jumpers enable
rapid prototyping and integration into existing systems.
The RN-174 is based on the Roving Networks RN-171 module.
The RN-171 module incorporates a 2.4-GHz radio, processor,
full TCP/IP stack, real-time clock, and supports the FTP, DHCP,
DNS, and HTML client protocols. The RN-171 is the smallest,
lowest power 802.11 b/g module available. The module
supports ad hoc and infrastructure networking modes.
The analog sensor interface provides direct connections to send
temperature, acceleration, and other analog data without
requiring an external microprocessor. The RN-171 module is
programmed and controlled with a simple ASCII command
language. Once the configuration is set up, the module can
automatically scan to find an access point, associate,
authenticate, and connect over any Wi-Fi network. Additionally,
the module can automatically send data to a remote host and
go back to a low-power sleep state once the data transmission
completes.

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OVERVIEW
•Host data rates up to 921 Kbps TX, 500 Kbps RX for UART
•Intelligent, built-in power management with programmable wake-up events (timers and I/O)
•Real-time clock for time stamping, auto-sleep, and auto-wakeup modes
•Configuration over Wi-Fi or UART using simple ASCII commands
•Over the air firmware upgrade via FTP
•Secure Wi-Fi authentication: WEP-128, WPA-PSK (TKIP), and WPA2-PSK (AES)
•Built-in networking applications: DHCP, DNS, ARP, ICMP UDP, Telnet, FTP, and HTML client
•802.11 b/g power save and roaming functions
•Supports WPS push-button mode for easy network configuration
The evaluation board’s size and weight are:
•Size—2” x 1.1” x 0.45”
•Weight—0.35 oz
Tables 1 through 5 provide detailed specifications for the evaluation board.
Table 1. Environmental Conditions
Parameter
Value
Temperature range (operating)
-45 o C ~ 85 o C
Temperature range (storage)
-45o C ~ 85 o C
Relative humidity (operating)
≤90%
Relative humidity (storage)
≤90%
Table 2. Electrical Characteristics
Supply Voltage, Note (1)
Min
Typ.
Max.
Unit
Power connector (J7)
2.0 (1)
3.3
16 (1)
V
UART interface (J8)
3.0
3.3
3.6
V
RS-232 interface (J3)
5.0
16
V
Power consumption
Sleep
4
uA
Standby (doze)
-
15
-
mA
Connected (idle, RX)
40
mA
Connected (TX)
180 at 10 dBm
mA
Notes:
1. Supply voltage range varies depending upon the header used. See “Design Concerns” on page 6 for more details.

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Table 3. Analog Sensor Inputs
Parameter
Value
Sensor 0, 1, 2, and 3 wake-up detection threshold
500 mV
AD sensor 0 - 7 measurement range
0 - 400 mV
Precision
14 bits = 12 uV
Accuracy
5% uncalibrated, .01% calibrated
Minimum conversion time
35 uS (5 kHz over Wi-Fi )
Sensor power (pin 33) output resistance 3.3 V
10 ohms, maximim current = 50 mA
Table 4. Radio Characteristics
Parameter
Specifications
Frequency
2,402 ~ 2,480 MHz
Modulation
802.11b compatibility: DSSS (CCK-11, CCK-5.5, DQPSK-2, and DBPSK-1)
802.11g: OFDM (default)
Channel intervals
5 MHz
Channels
1 - 14
Transmission rate (over the air)
1 – 11 Mbps for 802.11b / 6 – 54 Mbps for 802.11g
Receive sensitivity
-83 dBm typical
Output level (Class1)
0 to +12 dBm (software configurable)
Table 5. Transmit Power
Output Power
802.11 b (2 Mbps)
Current in mA Note (1)
802.11 g (24 Mbps)
Current in mA Note (1)
0
120
135
2
130
150
4
170
190
6
175
200
8
180
210
10
185
225
12
190
240
Notes:
1. Measured at 3.3-V DC input. The power consumption is the average power, active during actual power consumption.
BOARD DESCRIPTION
Figure 1 describes the evaluation board’s connectors and interfaces. Table 6 describes the LED indicators.

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Figure 1. RN-174 Evaluation Board (Part 1 of 2)
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RS-232 Interface (J3)
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RX - input to evaluation board
TX - output from evaluation board
Pin
Description
1
No connect
2
RS-232 TX
3
RS-232 RX
4
No connect
5
GND!
6
No connect
7
RS-232 RTS
8
RS-232 CTS
9
4 to 16 VDC input
10
No connect
Power Select Jumper (J4)
High-Voltage Mode (Default). The board is
powered by a source up to 16 V DC.
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Low-Voltage Mode. The board is powered
by 2.0- to 3.3-V DC only.
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External Power Mode. Used when
powering the board with regulated 3.3-V
DC power.
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GPIO Interface
TTL Signals (J8)
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RX - input to evaluation board
TX - output from evaluation board
Pin
Description
1
3.3 VDD
2
GND
3
UART RX
4
UART TX
5
GPIO4
6
GPIO5
7
GPIO6
8
GPIO7
9
GPIO8
10
GPIO9
11
UART CTS
12
UART RTS
13
RESET
Sensors (J1)
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Pin
Description
1
Sensor PWR
2
Sensor 4 (3.3-V tolerant)
3
Sensor 5 (3.3-V tolerant)
4
Sensor 7 (1.2 V only)
5
Sensor 5 (1.2 V only)
6
Sensor 4 (1.2 V only)
7
Sensor 6 (1.2 V only)
8
Sensor 3 (1.2 V only)
9
GND
WARNING: Voltage on pins marked 1.2 V
Only should not exceed 1.2 V or permanent
damage will occur.
Power (J7)
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Pin
Description
1
5 to 12 VDC
2
GND
Pull Up/Down (J2)
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Ad Hoc Mode/Factory Reset (J6)
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LED Indicators
RS-232
Interface (J3)
Power Select
Jumper (J4)
GPIO Interface
TTL Signals (J8)
Power
(J7)
Sensor
Interface (J1)
PCB Trace
Antenna ISP Connector
(J5)
Pull Up/
Down (J2)
Factory Reset/
Ad Hoc Mode (J6)
9
5234
678
1
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
95234678 1
12
123

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Figure 2. RN-174 Evaluation Board (Part 2 of 2)
ISP Connector (J5)
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Pin
Description
1
GND
2
3.3 VDD
3
DMA UART TX
4
UART RX
5
FORCE AWAKE!
6
RESET
7
DMA UART RX
8
UART TX
9
3.3 VDD
10
GND
11
GPIO9
12
GPIO4
13
GPIO5
14
GPIO6
15
GPIO8
16
Not Used
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Table 6. RN-174 Evaluation Board LED Indicators
Condition
Blue LED
Red LED
Yellow LED
Green LED
On solid!
Not used!
"!
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Connected over TCP
Fast blink!
Not used!
Not associated!
Rx/Tx data transfer!
No IP address
Slow blink!
Not used!
Associated, no Internet!
"!
IP address OK
Off!
Not used!
Associated, Internet OK!
"!
-
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15

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PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS
Figure 2 shows the evaluation board’s physical dimensions.
Figure 2. RN-174 Physical Dimensions
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DESIGN CONCERNS!
This section provides design information, such as powering the evaluation board, sensor interface settings, ad hoc mode,
and restoring factory settings.
Powering the Module
You can power the RN-174 evaluation board from the RS-232 header, the UART interface, or the power connector. You
should only provide power on one of the three power connectors.
Figure 3 shows the jumper settings for the different power modes.
•If powered from the RS-232 header (J3), apply 5 to 16 V DC power on pin 9 and ground to pin 5 of the RS-232
header.
•If powered from the UART header (J8), apply 3.3 V DC power on pin 1 and ground on pin 2 of the UART
interface.
•If powered from the power connector (J7), apply 4 to 16 V DC power, depending upon the jumper configuration
of the power select jumpers (J4).
1,105
1,000
2,000
1,660
270
2 mm
1,105
60 2 mm
All Dimensions Are in Mils, Unless Otherwise Specied

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Figure 3. Jumper Settings for Powering the Evaluation Board
Low-Voltage Mode
High-Voltage Mode (Default)
External Power Mode
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•Low-Voltage Mode (Battery Boost Enabled)—When the board is configured in low-voltage mode, it MUST be
powered by 2.0 - 3.3 V DC power ONLY on the power connector (J7) or on the RS-232 header (J3). In low-power
mode, the battery boost circuit is enabled, which allows the input voltage to drop down to 2.0 V DC.
NOTE: Applying a voltage greater than 3.7 V DC when the board is configured in low-voltage mode will
permanently damage the RN-171 module on the board, causing it to malfunction.
•High-Voltage Mode (Battery Boost Disabled)—Default. When shipped, the board is set up to use this mode.
When configured in high-voltage mode (4-16V DC), you must apply power on the power connector (J7) or on the
RS-232 header (J3). The battery boost circuit is disabled in this mode.
•External Power Mode—This mode is used when powering the module from a regulated 3.3-V power supply to the
UART header (J8) or if you are using the RN-G2ISP to power the module. In this mode, the module cannot be
powered from the RS-232 header (J8) or the power connector (J7).
Configuring the Module for Low-Current Consumption
The RN-171 module draws only 4 uA when it is in a sleep state. To achieve this low current consumption:
•GPIO pins 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 must be pulled to ground using the pull up/down jumper (J2).
•You should remove the RS-232 chip from the board or pull RTS and CTS to GND on the UART header (J8)
(optional).
NOTE: If the RS-232 chip is installed, the current consumption will be around 88 uA when the 10-pin serial cable is
disconnected and 160 uA when the cable is connected to the RS-232 device.
Sensor Interfaces
The sensor inputs must not exceed 1.2 V. The ADC saturates at 400 mV. Roving Networks recommends that you use the
sensor power output to drive any analog devices that are attached to the sensor pins.
NOTE: Sensor pins 2 and 3 have a resistor network in front of sensors 4 and 5, respectively, so these pins can be
driven with up to 5 V DC.
Ad Hoc & Restoring Factory Settings
Jumper J6 on the jumper header is connected to GPIO9. When this jumper is in place, the module powers up in ad hoc
mode. If the jumper is then toggled 5 times, the module is restored to the initial factory default configuration. This setting is
useful for cases in which the module is misconfigured and is no longer responding.

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ORDERING INFORMATION
Table 7 provides ordering information for the RN-174 evaluation board.
Table 7. Ordering Information
Part Number
Description
RN-174-P
RN-174 board with PCB trace antenna, standard firmware
RN-174-W
RN-174 board with wire antenna, standard firmware, Note (1)
RN-174-U
RN-174 board with U.FL. connector, standard firmware, Note (1)
RN-174-C
RN-174 board with chip antenna, standard firmware, Note (1)
RN-174-K
Development Kit (Includes the RN-174 board and accessory cables)
RN-UFL-SMA6
6 inch cable with U.FL connector on one end and SMA on the other
RN-SMA4-RP
4” external antenna with reverse polarity SMA connector. Used with RN-UFL-SMA6
For other configurations, contact Roving Networks directly.
Notes:
1. For these non-standard configurations, please contact Roving Networks directly at [email protected].
Visit http://www.rovingnetworks.com for current pricing and a list of distributors carrying our products.
Roving Networks, Inc.
102 Cooper Court
Los Gatos, CA 95032
[phone]
www.rovingnetworks.com
Copyright © 2012 Roving Networks. All rights reserved. Roving Networks is a
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Roving Networks reserves the right to make corrections, modifications, and other
changes to its products, documentation and services at any time. Customers
should obtain the latest relevant information before placing orders and should verify
that such information is current and complete.
Roving Networks assumes no liability for applications assistance or customer’s
product design. Customers are responsible for their products and applications
which use Roving Networks components. To minimize customer product risks,
customers should provide adequate design and operating safeguards.
Roving Networks products are not authorized for use in safety-critical applications
(such as life support) where a failure of the Roving Networks product would
reasonably be expected to cause severe personal injury or death, unless officers of
the parties have executed an agreement specifically governing such use.