A private hop radio, not a public band
When the band is noisy, crowded, or under a security rule, this gateway runs the customer's own hop pattern and frame on a Sub-GHz private network. Remote RTUs and remote terminals come up over Ethernet or cellular, and the link does not share a channel with an unlicensed public network.
Keys and hop tables can be loaded offline. The gateway watches how full the spectrum is and keeps an allow list and a deny list. At contract, SimtoLink can sign an NDA and hand over an air-interface specification template, which defense suppliers, port machinery, and mines use in EMC and security reviews.
How the radio stays up
The ports are tested to the relevant items of IEC 61000-4 level 4, with surge and reverse-polarity protection on each connector. Ground is brought in by zones so a loop or a common-mode hit is less likely to blank the radio. A higher ingress rating and a corrosion coating are available when the cabinet faces weather or salt air.
A batch file can load the hop table and the thresholds. Selected builds store an event or a waveform. OTA carries both settings and firmware. Commission with a power-on self-test, a time sync, and a spot check of samples. For metering or safety use, SimtoLink helps file the unit with a third-party metrology lab and hands over the type-test pack.
Hardware figures
The table is the typical build, for selection and for a line in a bid. Ask SimtoLink for the hardware specification and the installation guide if you need a wider range, a redundant supply, or an intrinsically safe explosion-proof variant. Order codes in the family can differ slightly; the nameplate and the pack list govern.
| Item | Specification | Note |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | ARM Cortex-A55 quad-core | Fanless |
| Memory / storage | 4G/32G eMMC | Industrial-grade parts |
| Ethernet | Single GbE | RSTP redundancy |
| Serial | 8×RS485 | Isolation 2.5kV |
| Wireless | 5G+WiFi | External antenna |
| Protocol stack | BACnet/IP | Expandable |
| Operating temperature | -26～65 ℃ | Wide temperature range |
| Supply | PoE+ | Redundant terminals |
| Installation | DIN rail | Grounding required |
| Security | TLS1.2 | Signed firmware check |
Where the hop link is used
Three sites where this radio is usually specified, so the air interface can be judged before the order.
Ports, mines, and closed yards
Quay cranes and AGVs, plus a lot of steel, throw multipath and co-channel noise at a remote-control link. A hopping private network raises link uptime and the margin on that path.
Perimeter of critical sites
Vibration, infrared, and electric-fence sensors need an air interface that is hard to listen to and hard to jam. The gateway authenticates the node and keeps the log.
Wireless retrofit on machines
When a slip ring or a drag chain cannot be swapped, hopping radio takes some of the signal wires. Redundant checks between the gateway and the PLC hold availability inside the range a SIL discussion would cover.
Install, ground, and keep it
- Measure polarity and the allowed supply window before the breaker is closed. A meter check of bus voltage and breaker size avoids a mis-wired first power-up.
- Use shielded twisted pair, land the shield at one end only, and keep the run off motor cables.
- In the workshop, read and write both ways and trip one threshold against the host, then move the radio to the yard.
- If it goes outside, give water a way out, leave a path for air, look at the seal on rounds, and size the lightning earth to the local rule.
- Every 6 months, sample the air-interface counters and file the log.
Order, documents, and support
SimtoLink supplies the hardware specification, the outline drawing, a wiring table, and a sample project. Volume orders can include a sample review and an inspection at the factory. Warranty and calibration follow the contract and the papers in the box.