Doodle Labs Technical Library

Datasheet: Doodle Labs NM-DB-3 Industrial Wi-Fi Transceiver

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Product Family Overview

Doodle Labs' portfolio of Industrial Wi-Fi transceivers offer the industry's best-in-class performance. These transceivers have high transmit power to achieve long range and offer the rugged construction to withstand operation in the extended temperature range. In addition, our transceivers feature high interference immunity that allows successful operation in today's congested Wi-Fi environments. The transceivers are FCC, CE, and IC certified and have been deployed in numerous demanding applications.

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Target Applications

The Doodle Labs Industrial Wi-Fi transceivers meet the demanding needs of customers across a broad range of industries. Examples include:

  • Unmanned Vehicles - Drones
  • Unmanned Robots
  • Industrial IoT applications
  • Rugged/Military requirements with extended temperature and vibration resiliency
  • Mesh Networking deployments
  • Passenger Wi-Fi access aboard airplanes and trains
  • Streaming HD Video Surveillance Cameras
  • Wireless Infrastructure in harsh operating conditions of the Oil/Gas fields and Mines

Features

Best-in-class features include:

  • Modular FCC, CE and IC certifications to expedite system integration
  • Integrated LNA for best-in-class Rx sensitivity to pick up low energy signals from mobile phones
  • Up to 30 dBm of RF power to get the largest possible area coverage
  • Extended temperature range from -40C to +85C.
  • Electrical Stress protection on Antenna ports for outdoor operation
  • Long product life cycle to meet the needs of Industrial IoT applications
  • High interference immunity for Wi-Fi congested environment
  • Hardware "RF Kill" feature to meet the FAA requirement for airborne applications
  • High band isolation to support concurrent dual band operation for multi-band routers
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Interference immunity performance compared to leading competitors

 

 NM-DB-3 Specifications

Technical Specifications

Model Number NM-DB-3 (Rugged/Military Applications)
Ordering Code NM-DB-3M with MMCX connectors
NM-DB-3U with U.FL connectors
Radio Configuration 3x3 MIMO, Dual Band
Special Features
  • Extended lifespan with planned availability for long time
  • Extreme Reliability, IPC Class 2 standard with Class 3 options
  • Compliant to MIL-STD-202G, Qualified for high shock/vibration environments
MAC Chipset Qualcomm Atheros: QCA9590-BR4B with Extended Temperature range
Software Support Open Source Linux Drivers
ath9k for 11n models
OpenWRT (Wireless Router/Linux OS)
Center Frequency Range 5.180 GHz ~ 5.825 GHz
2.412 GHz ~ 2.484 GHz
This varies by the regulatory domain
Channel Bandwidth* 20, 40 MHz channels
Radio Modulation/Data Rates (Dynamic Link Adaptation) 802.11a: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 and 54 Mbps (5.x GHz)
802.11n: MCS0-23 (5.x and 2.4 GHz)
802.11b/g: 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 and 54 Mbps (2.4 GHz)
802.11n version 2.0 Capabilities
  • 802.11 dynamic frequency selection (DFS) as an AP and Client
  • Packet aggregation: A-MPDU (Tx/Rx), A-MSDU (Tx/Rx), Maximal ratio combining (MRC), Cyclic shift diversity (CSD), Frame aggregation, block ACK, 802.11e compatible bursting, Spatial multiplexing, cyclic-delay diversity (CDD), low-density parity check (LDPC), Space Time Block Code (STBC)
  • Phy data rates up to 450 Mbps (40 MHz channel)
Operating Modes AP, Client, and Adhoc modes for Access Point, PtP, PtmP, and Mesh networks
MAC Protocol TDD with Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA)
Wireless Error Correction FEC, ARQ
Wireless Data Security 128 bit AES, WEP, TKIP and WAPI hardware encryption. Support for IEEE 802.11d, e, h, i, k, r, v, w and time stamp standards
FIPS Certification
  • Small packet size (96 bytes) in AES encryption at full packet rate.
  • FIPS 140-2, Level 2 (Temper Evidence Shield), Loop back mode to facilitate FIPS AES certification.
 

Tx and Rx performance at 5 GHz

TX/RX Specification Xtreme Coding Rate Tx Power(±2dBm)2 Rx Sensitivity (Typ)
5 GHz (20 MHz Channel) - 11n models
802.11a, STBC BPSK 1/2 27 -96
802.11a 64 QAM 3/4 22 -80
802.11n BPSK 1/2 27 -96
802.11n 16 QAM 3/4 25 -84
802.11n 64 QAM 5/6 22 -75
5 GHz (40 MHz Channel) - 11n models
802.11n BPSK 1/2 27 -93
802.11n 16 QAM 3/4 25 -81
802.11n 64 QAM 5/6 22 -75

Tx and Rx performance at 2.4 GHz

TX/RX Specification Xtreme Coding Rate Tx Power(±2dBm)2 Rx Sensitivity (Typ)
2.4 GHz (20 MHz Channel) - 11n models
802.11b 1 Mbps CCK 29 -102
802.11g 64 QAM 3/4 24 -80
802.11n BPSK 1/2 29 -95
802.11n 16 QAM 3/4 27 -83
802.11n 64 QAM 5/6 24 -76
2.4 GHz (40 MHz Channel) - 11n models
802.11n BPSK 1/2 27 -91
802.11n 16 QAM 3/4 25 -80
802.11n 64 QAM 5/6 22 -73
 

Additional RF performance information

Additional RF Specifications

Antenna Signal Strength -35 to -85 dBm (Recommended), Absolute Maximum=+12 dBm
Interference Immunity SAW filters on RF ports for immunity against high power cellular transmissions in the neighboring 2.4 GHz bands.
Antenna port isolation for concurrent operation Up to +10 dBm signal strength for 5 GHz signal without degrading 2.4 GHz operation

Up to +5 dBm signal strength for 2.4 GHz signal without degrading 5.x GHz operation
Integrated Antenna Port Protection 10 kV
Receiver LNA Gain >10 dB
Receiver Adjacent Channel Rejection (ACR) >18 dB @ 11a, 6 Mbps (Typ)
Receiver Alternate Channel Rejection (ALCR) >35 dB @ 11a, 6 Mbps (Typ)
Receive chain Noise Figure +6 dB
Transmitter Adjacent Channel Leakage Power Ratio (ACLR) 45 dB (Fc ± ChBW)
Transmitter Spurious Emission Suppression -40 dBc
RF Power control In 0.5 dBm steps. Accuracy of power calibration loop ±2 dBm. Each transceiver individually calibrated and tested.
RF Hardware Disable (RF Kill) Pin 20 of miniPCI-E interface. (Required for FAA compliance)
Spectral Analysis 8 bit resolution spectral FFTs available for software analysis

Physical, Environment, and Other Specifications

 

Host Interface miniPCI-Express 1.2 Standard
Host CPU Board Any CPU board with miniPCIe interface
Operating Voltage 3.3 Volts from miniPCI-Express connector
Power Consumption 5.3W @ Max power, in continuous data transfer mode on all chains
2.5W @ 20 dBm power (ETSI max), in continuous data transfer mode on all chains
0.9W in continuous data receive mode
250 mW in Sleep mode
Shield case temperature range (Operating) -40°C to +85°C
Humidity (Operating) 0% - 95% (Non-condensing)
Dimensions 30 x 50 x 4.75 mm, 12 grams. High Res Photos - Mechanical drawings and 3D-CAD files available upon request
MTBF 29 years
Regulatory Requirements Designed and verified to meet various regulatory requirements. Formal testing and approval is required based on the Integrator's particular host platform and antenna type. The Integrator is also responsible for obtaining all required regulatory approvals in target markets for the finished product.
FCC ID 2AG87NM-DB-3-R2. DFS compliance in both Master and Client modes.
CE/ETSI Conforms with all the requirements of the European Directive 2014/53/EU – EN 62311:2008, EN 62368-1:2014+A11:2017, Draft EN 301 489-17 V3.2.2 (2019-12), EN 301 489-3 V2.1.1 (2019-03), EN 301 489-1 V2.2.3 (2019-11), EN 300 328 V2.2.2 (2019-07), EN 301 893 V2.1.1 (2017-05), EN 300 440 V2.2.1 (2018-07)
Industry Canada (IC) 21411-NMDB3R2
Japan (MIC) R210-130916
RoHS/WEEE Compliance Yes. 100% Recyclable/Biodegradable packaging
EXPORT INFORMATION
ECCN Code 5A992
HS Code 85256010
 

System Integration

10-2

System Integration Block Diagram

As shown in the block diagram, the modular nature of the MIMO radio transceivers allow for accelerated development of the wireless modem. Any embedded Single Board Computer with standard miniPCI-Express interface is required. The Linux distribution OpenWRT has evolved over time and provides advanced features in a wireless router. It is a stable distribution and many OEMs are using OpenWRT as a starting point and customize further for their application. The distribution includes the ath9k driver to interface with the MIMO transceivers. Both OpenWRT and open source drivers (ath9k and ath10k) have extensive online documentation available. User group forums also provide responsive technical support.

Portfolio Index

Doodle Labs' Industrial Wi-Fi transceiver portfolio provides configurations optimized for a vast variety of project needs. All models are form-factor compatible. For information on other models, please visit - https://doodlelabs.com/industrial-wifi-transceivers/

 

FCC Statement

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

  • Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
  • Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
  • Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
  • Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions (1)this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation

 

CE Statement

This is a Class A product. In a domestic environment, this product may cause radio interference, in which case the user may be required to take adequate measures.

CAUTION: To comply with the Europe CE requirement, this device must be installed with CE certified computer equipment which meet with Class A limits. Be aware that outdoor installations require special attention and will only be handled by trained and qualified installation personnel.

All cables used to connect this device must be shielded and grounded. Operation with non-certified computers or incorrect cables may result in interference to other devices or undesired effects to the product. Particular attention has to be given allowed operational frequencies.

 

IC Statement

This device complies with Industry Canada's licence-exempt RSSs. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

  1. This device may not cause interference; and
  2. This device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.

The term "IC: " before the certification/registration number only signifies that the Industry Canada technical specifications were met. This product meets the applicable Industry Canada technical specifications.

Le présent appareil est conforme aux CNR d'Industrie Canada applicable aux appareils radio exempts de licence. L'exploitation est autorisée aux deux conditions suivantes : (1) l'appareil ne doit pas produire de brouillage, et (2) l'utilisateur de l'appareil doit accepter tout brouillage radioélectrique subi, même si le brouillage est susceptible d'en compromettre le fonctionnement

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