The L-Nodes are the latest wireless platform by SOWNet Technologies. Whereas the T-Node was designed primarily as a research platform, the L-Node was designed in-house to meet market requirements:

• Lower power consumption
• Increased radio range
• Increased maximum radio throughput
• Smaller size
• Easier to integrate

Greatly decreased power consumption

The L-Node can operate up to five times longer on the same batteries due to a more energy efficient microcontroller and radio which can operate on as little as 1.8 V. This allows the L-Nodes to use almost the entire capacity of two standard 1.5 V batteries, whereas the T-Node would leave a relatively large part unused.

Increased range and higher data rate

The new packet radio increases the maximum output power from 5 to 10 dBm. This alone almost doubles the radio range. The new radio also supports data rates of up to 500 kbps. The L-Node uses the same 868 MHz ISM frequency band as the T-Node, preventing interference from WiFi and other common wireless technologies which operate in the 2.4 GHz band.

More flexibility

The L-Node is tiny, approximately one third the size of the T-Node. Its rectangular shape and edge connector allow for much smaller designs. The microcontroller has been separated from the radio module, allowing SOWNet to select the best microcontroller for the application.