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Microchip Technology RN-131 802.11 b/g Wireless LAN Modules

Microchip RN-131 802.11 b/g Wireless LAN Modules are standalone, embedded wireless 802.11 b/g networking modules incorporating a 2.4GHz radio, processor, TCP/IP stack, real-time clock, crypto accelerator, power management, and analog sensor interfaces. With their small form factor and extremely low power consumption, the RN-131 modules are perfect for mobile wireless applications such as asset monitoring, GPS tracking, and battery sensors.

The modules are preloaded with software to simplify integration and minimize application development. In the simplest configuration, the hardware requires only four connections (PWR, TX, RX, and GND) to create a wireless data connection. Additionally, the sensor interface provides temperature, audio, motion, acceleration, and other analog data without requiring additional hardware. The modules are programmed and controlled with a simple ASCII command language. Once they are set up, RN-131 modules can scan to find an access point, associate, authenticate, and connect over any Wi-Fi network. Two evaluation boards are also available, including the RN-131-PICtail, and the RN-131-EK.

Features

  • Shared Features
    • Qualified 2.4GHz IEEE 802.11b/g transceiver
    • Ultra-low power: 4uA sleep, 40mA Rx, 210mA Tx
    • Supports ad hoc and infrastructure networking modes for maximum deployment flexibility
    • Real-time clock for wakeup and time stamping
    • Wi-Fi Alliance certified for WPA2-PSK
    • Environmentally friendly: FCC/CE/ICS certified and
      RoHS compliant
  • RN-131-EVAL Features
    • Supports evaluation & development for RN-131
    • Supports TCP, UDP, ICMP, DHCP, ARP, IGMP, DNS, HTTP client, FTP client protocols
    • Supports push-button mode (PBM) Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) to simplify network configuration
    • Allows for range testing with external antenna options
    • Integrates to a microprocessor like a peripheral
  • RN-131 Features
    • Small, compact surface-mount module
    • On-board ceramic chip antenna and U.FL connector for external antenna
    • 8Mb flash memory and 128KB RAM
    • UART hardware interface
    • 10 general-purpose digital I/O pins
    • 8 analog sensor interfaces
    • Accepts 3.3V regulated or 2 to 3V battery
    • On-board ECOS -OS, TCP/IP stacks
    • Industrial (RN-131G) and commercial (RN-131C) grade temperature options

  • RN-131-PICTAIL Features
    • Plugs into the PICtail Plus connector on the PIC18 Explorer and Explorer 16 Development Boards
    • Adds wireless capability to designs targeting the PIC18 Explorer and Explorer 16 boards
    • On-board ceramic chip antenna
    • UART interface with hardware flow control
    • SPI interface with slave interrupt
    • 3 status LEDs (2 configurable)
    • Powered by PIC18 Explorer and Explorer 16 boards
    • Complete onboard TCP/IP networking stack

Block Diagram

Microchip Technology RN-131 802.11 b/g Wireless LAN Modules
Published: 2012-12-06 | Updated: 2022-03-11