MONOSTICK
Hardware
What is inside the MONOSTICK?
- TWELITE wireless module: TWE-L-WX or MW-R-WX
- PCB antenna: MW-A-P1934
- USB-serial converter IC: FTDI FT232R
Can a commercial AC adapter be used as the power supply for the Repeater?
When using MONOSTICK alone as a Repeater, a commercially available USB AC adapter (Type A) can be used. The rating should be 5V 500mA.
Can a mobile battery be used as the power supply for the Repeater?
When using MONOSTICK alone as a Repeater, a commercially available mobile battery (Type A) can be used. The rating should be 5V 500mA.
Parent and Repeater App
What is the output format of the received data?
Please refer to Received Messages of the Parent and Repeater App | TWELITE STAGE SDK Manual.
Can the Repeater operate intermittently?
No. It must operate continuously to wait for received packets.
Why is the received data output only once when using the Repeater?
When the Parent receives the same packet multiple times, it discards the later receptions. Therefore, data output is limited to once.
How can I verify the operation of the Repeater?
In a simple network, it is not possible to confirm from the data whether a packet was relayed by a specific Repeater.
Simple verification method using a microwave oven
A microwave oven acts as a simple radio shield.
Place the transmitter inside the microwave oven and close the door, place the Repeater in close contact with the microwave oven, and keep the receiver away. This creates a situation where communication can only succeed by relying on the Repeater. If communication stops when the Repeater is turned off, it confirms that the Repeater is operating as expected.
Is it better to increase the number of Repeaters?
No.
Because the communication method does not perform routing, having too many Repeaters greatly increases the number of packets, which can actually reduce reliability. When using Repeaters, it is recommended to gradually increase the number of devices with Repeater functionality and find the optimal configuration.
How can I increase the number of relay hops to 3 or more?
It is possible to increase the number of relay hops by modifying the TWELITE firmware, but this is not recommended due to a significant increase in the number of packets. For long-distance communication, it is better to use an existing network.
How to connect to LAN
For example, by using TWELITE SPOT and a wireless LAN router, data received by the TWELITE Parent can be forwarded to a LAN.
Also, although it tends to consume more power, you can insert the USB type MONOSTICK into a small PC such as a Raspberry Pi and forward the received data to the LAN.
Can it be used with Node-RED?
We have not confirmed this.
Can it be used with PLC?
We have not confirmed this.
Host PC
What are the system requirements for MONOSTICK?
MONOSTICK itself has no system requirements. It works on any environment where the FTDI USB serial converter IC’s driver can be installed.
As of 2024, the latest FTDI CDM Drivers work on the following environments
- Windows 11 (x64)
- Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 (x86 / x64)
- Windows Server 2016 / 2012 R2 / 2008 R2
- Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger or later (x64 / arm64e)
- Linux (x86 / x64 / arm / mips)
On the other hand, the TWELITE STAGE app requires a PC running Windows 10 or 11, or a 64-bit Linux distribution, or a Mac running macOS 12 or later. Additionally, about 3GB of free disk space is required.
For Windows, you can express MONOSTICK’s system requirements by citing Windows 10 system requirements as follows:
- Processor: 1 GHz or faster
- OS: Windows 10 22H2 or later
- RAM: 2 GB
- Free hard disk space: 3GB
- Display: 800 x 600