Banner Engineering Corp. introduces new SureCross™ MultiHop radios with I/O to its comprehensive line of industrial wireless products. Banner's SureCross MultiHop radios easily connect to existing plant-wide control systems to communicate with input and output devices. The MultiHop radios are an ideal solution for remote applications such as lift station control, large-scale irrigation automation, detention pond management and other areas where line of sight is not possible due to difficult terrain.

"MultiHop Radios with I/O are designed to easily extend the range of an existing wired network and to expand the reach of process control without the need for lengthy cable runs," said Chris Dales, Wireless Sales Manager at Banner Engineering. "It is also important to note that our MultiHop radios are not limited to areas where only wired power is available. Even with alternative power sources, the radios still maintain all the wireless communication reliability inherent to the SureCross family."

Banner's SureCross MultiHop wireless sensor networks typically consist of one master radio, but may include many repeater and slave radios. The operational modes are selected by the customer via integrated DIP switches, simplifying the specification process. MultiHop radios automatically form self-healing, auto-routing radio networks with multiple hops to extend the range of a Modbus or other serial communication network. In the event a communication pathway becomes unavailable, the radios will find a route back to the network master without intervention from operators. Additional integrated network addressing reduces interference from collocated networks, and the built-in site survey capability enables rapid assessment of a location’s transmission properties.

SureCross MultiHop radios transmit at 1 watt with license-free operation in the Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) band—no monthly data plan or annual fees are required. With a high-gain antenna, a range of over 6 miles per hop can be achieved, making the network reach virtually limitless. All I/O communication is performed on a Modbus platform and can be easily integrated with existing PLCs, HMIs or other plant-wide systems. MultiHop radios are available in the 2.4 GHz bandwidth to meet worldwide radio compliance restrictions.