The WRG1830/ZFR183x Pro Series Wireless Field Bus System uses low power 802.15.4 mesh technology for wireless monitoring of HVAC equipment that uses the BACnet protocol. The system creates a wireless mesh network that enhances reliability and provides a resilient self-healing capability by using automatically updating transmission paths for the data.
The wireless mesh network is independent of any building IT systems and does not require any preexisting wireless infrastructure.
The WRG1830/ZFR183x Pro Series Wireless Field Bus System is similar to the WNC1820/ZFR182x Series and ZFR181x Series wireless systems in many ways. But there are several important differences:
- The wireless networks (PANs) formed by the ZFR183x, ZFR182x, and ZFR181x systems are not compatible with each other.
- The ZFR181x and ZFR182x Series Routers, TEC30xx, and WRZ sensors are not field upgradable to be compatible with the ZFR183x Series System.
- The ZFR1831 Routers and TEC31xx thermostat controllers have 100 mW Tx power, so the coverage range between routers and TEC31xx is greater, while the WRZ Sensors remain at 10 mW so the coverage range is less.
- The ZFR183x Pro Series now has added security which requires a device add process to the installation work-flow.
The JC-ZFR1831-0 (ZFR), is an all-in-one device that automatically performs different operations depending on how it is used. When plugged into a Wireless Router Gateway (WRG), the ZFR acts as the wireless network PAN Coordinator. The coordinator must be online and joining enabled in order to add new wireless devices to the network. When plugged into a field controller, the ZFR acts as a router, sending and receiving messages to and from other Wireless Enabled Field Controllers (WEFCs) and Supervisory devices through the WRG/Coordinator. The TEC31xx has a built-in radio module that always acts as a router. The ZFR acts as a repeater when only power is connected, and can be used to fill in gaps in mesh and extend the range of the system. Finally, when the ZFR is connected to a battery pack, it can be used as a simple site survey tool (SST) to check the signal quality between intended locations of wireless devices.
The routers within the WRG1830/ZFR183x Pro Series Wireless Field Bus System are designed for:
- Indoor, intra-building applications.
- Outdoor RTU applications (weather protecting environmental enclosure required).
One router is required for each field controller. This pairing of a field controller and router is a WEFC. The wireless components are transparent to the Supervisory Controller and require no special setup procedure to discover, map, and integrate the WEFCs. Pair a WRG1830 and ZFR1831 to create a WRG.