Technical basics
3.5 AeroScout
SCALANCE W780/W740 to IEEE 802.11n Web Based Management
44
Configuration Manual, 03/2015, C79000-G8976-C267-08
3.5
AeroScout
AeroScout tags
SCALANCE W devices support tags of the AeroScout company. Tags are battery-operated
RFID sensors that send their data cyclically as multicast frames.
Among other things, AeroScout tags have the following features:
●
Ambient temperature
If a tag is fitted to a device or material, it is possible to monitor whether a selected
ambient temperature is being maintained.
●
Motion
Here, a tag can also supply information indicating whether it is in motion or stationary.
The areas of material flow and material handling engineering represent possible
applications for this function.
●
Button
Regardless of the frames sent cyclically, a user can also send a message by pressing a
button.
●
LED
This provides information on the operating status of the tag.
Note
For more detailed information, please refer to the AeroScout documentation
(www.aeroscout.com).
How it works
The tag sends its data as AeroScout frames. The tags and the access points communicate
in the 2.4 GHz band.
If the WLAN interface of the access point receives the AeroScout frame, this is converted
into a UDP datagram. The device forwards the UDP datagram along with the information
about the signal strength (RSSI) to a PC. The AeroScout Engine runs on the PC and
evaluates the received information.
Note
It is not advisable to use PNIO communication and AeroScout together on one wireless
interface.