Why is the Nordic nRF52833 chip such a good fit for Wirepas?

Smart devices with Wirepas Massive connectivity software automatically connect to each other to form a mesh network and to find the most efficient route to a gateway. Every device maintains a bidirectional communication all the time. This sets higher requirements for the communication protocol and the radio hardware as the chipset needs to be able to minimize the time and power used for data transmission. To maximize battery life for a two-way communication, radio hardware needs to have a high sensitivity of the receiver and the communication protocol synchronizing receiver needs to be active for a minimum time before and after of the data transmission.

Wirepas Massive has been operable on the Nordic Semiconductor’s successful nRF52832 chip for years. It is suitable for battery operated devices like sensors and tags but is also widely used in many mains powered applications. With its 4db transmit power it is a great fit for high device density applications, needing at least one device per room or max 15 meters between devices. This allows for the adaptive routing of Wirepas Massive to build coverage in an entire building. Thick walls can decrease the distance indoors while in open air environments the distance can be as high as 150 meters between devices.

Wirepas is also operable on a range of other Nordic chipsets. The nRF52840, launched late 2018, with an 8dB transmit power and additional memory is the best fit for applications needing extra range, especially in mains powered applications like streetlights. The nRF52840 roughly doubled the possible distance between the devices. The nRF52833, launched 2020, with 8dB transmit power works particularly well in applications like emergency lighting and high beam industrial lighting thanks to the increased range. With an extended temperature range from -40°C up to 105°C nRF52833 is an ideal device for a wide range of commercial mesh applications- This includes professional lighting and cold chain asset tracking. An ideal memory configuration of 128kB RAM and 512kB Flash combined with a +8dBm output power make the nRF52833 suitable for advanced applications where robust coverage is essential.

For more information on the nRF52833, have a look here.

We are excited to keep working together with Nordic to connect the unconnected assets. Our customer can use any and all of the nRF52 design chipset in the very same network. And Wirepas Massive will make sure it never fails.