Intelligent wireless sensor Advantech Wzzard™

Intelligent Edge Node With SmartMesh IP and Bluetooth LE Advantech Wzzard™

Wireless Connectivity Where You Need It

The Wzzard™ intelligent wireless sensor platform creates a complete, quick and easy connectivity stack between your sensors and your application, on your network or on the Internet. The platform uses Intelligent Edge Nodes, a wireless 802.15.4e SmartMesh IP network to transmit sensor data to the Spectre Network Gateway. The Spectre Network Gateway can connect to the Internet via wired connections or the cellular data networks and communicate with application platforms using the MQTT IoT protocol and JSON data formats.

The Wzzard Intelligent Edge Nodes accommodate virtually any industry standard external sensors. Connections can be made via conduit fitting, cable gland or an M12 connector. The Nodes provide a wide variety of sensor interface options, including general purpose analog inputs, digital input/output and thermocouple. They can also contain internal sensors like an accelerometer, depending upon the model number. All 802.15.4e Wzzard Intelligent Edge Nodes contain an internal temperature sensor.

Secure, Reliable and Highly Scalable Wireless Networking

The Wzzard platform uses mesh networking and time-synchronized channel hopping to provide up to 99.999% connectivity, even in the most demanding RF environments. New nodes may be added at any time, and the SmartMesh IP network will dynamically self-configure as new nodes are added or removed. This is a function of the mesh network itself, and does not need to be controlled by the network gateway.

Easy Configuration and Installation

Configuration of the Wzzard sensor platform is easy via Android smart phones or tablets. Using the Wzzard app, your handheld devices can configure the Wzzard Intelligent Edge Nodes over their Bluetooth LE connections. The Wzzard Intelligent Edge Nodes can be configured with calibration and scaling information, eng. units, friendly names, geolocation and other descriptive information.

The platform simplifies physical installation as well. The Wzzard Intelligent Edge Nodes can be attached to any surface using screws or their embedded magnetic bases. The IP66-rated, fiber reinforced polyester PBT housing makes the units deployable in virtually any industrial or commercial environment.

Intelligence at the Network Edge

The Wzzard wireless platform places intelligence at the network edge. The Wzzard Intelligent Edge Nodes can be configured to communicate data only when specified threshold or alert levels are exceeded. When reporting, they can associate useful information like geolocation, device name and uptime.

This eliminates unnecessary network traffic, eases the processing burden on upstream resources, and cuts the cost of cellular data plans when the Gateway is using the cellular data network. Thanks to low-power wireless technology and programmable time synchronization, the Intelligent Edge Nodes can operate for multiple years on battery power

Get the data you need to manage, improve and optimize operations

Regardless of your industry, there is constant pressure to increase efficiency, reduce waste, reduce energy consumption and maximize up-time of equipment. But making those improvements often requires data that you don’t have. Too often the effort required to get the data is complex, expensive and disruptive to critical equipment or processes, so those valuable projects are set aside.

Wzzard Wireless Sensing Solutions solves this problem, making it easy and non-intrusive to capture sensor data from existing equipment and operations to enable ongoing improvements that lower costs, increase productivity and reduce waste.

The Wzzard intelligent wireless sensor platform creates a complete, quick and easy connectivity stack between sensors and applications. The platform uses Wzzard mesh sensor edge nodes and a self-forming, self-healing wireless mesh network to transmit sensor data to a wireless gateway. Both Ethernet and carrier-certified cellular options are available. Users are also able to utilize the Node-RED application platform on the Wzzard gateway, enabling local decision making, alerts and data conversion at the edge of the network.

Low-power wireless mesh sensing for monitoring industrial and commercial applications

Wzzard Mesh Gen 2 improves on previous models in ease of usability and total cost of ownership, while also expanding end-user applications. It includes a light industrial model, ideal for commercial applications that don’t need a full rugged IP67 design. The new price point of the commercial application model also allows for quick and easy ROI.

Some main benefits of the new intelligent devices include:

• Enhanced cloud management tool for configuration and device management
• Light industrial version for commercial applications, in addition to full industrial version
• Sleep mode to extend battery life and simplify installation
• Ability to monitor 100 nodes per gateway
• Automated network configuration and health monitoring
• Internal temperature sensor part of hardware purchase
• Battery life for up to 10 years

Enhanced Cloud Management

The enhanced cloud device management tool is included with the hardware purchase and allows for management of status information, diagnostic information, firmware updates and bulk operations. Additionally, sensor nodes can be physically deployed, then configured and managed remotely, decreasing cost of installation and ownership. This eliminates the need for specialized installation skill-sets.

The Wzzard intelligent wireless sensor platform creates a complete, quick and easy connectivity stack between sensors and applications. The platform uses Wzzard mesh sensor edge nodes and a self-forming, self healing wireless mesh network to transmit sensor data to a SmartSwarm Gateway. Both Ethernet and carrier-certified cellular options are available. Users are also able to utilize the Node-RED application platform on the Wzzard gateway, enabling local decision making, alerts and data conversion at the edge of the network.