Wirepas

Thingsee uses Wirepas Mesh for low-power, scalable wireless sensor networks. This page explains how Wirepas technology works within Thingsee deployments.

Overview

Wirepas is one of the most robust and scalable IoT mesh networking technologies available. Thingsee products use Wirepas 5.0 as the default mesh networking protocol.

How Wirepas Works

Radio Technology

Wirepas operates on unlicensed frequency bands:

Thingsee sensors use Nordic nRF52-series chips with 2.4 GHz radio.

Spectrum Efficiency

%%{init: {'theme':'base','themeVariables':{'primaryColor':'#73F9C1','primaryTextColor':'#143633','primaryBorderColor':'#143633','lineColor':'#143633','secondaryColor':'#C7FDE6','tertiaryColor':'#F6FAFA','clusterBkg':'#F6FAFA','clusterBorder':'#143633'}}}%%
flowchart TB
    subgraph Spectrum["40 Channels @ 2.4GHz"]
        CH1[Channel 1]
        CH2[Channel 2]
        CHN[Channel 40]
    end
    
    subgraph Access["Access Methods"]
        TDMA[Time Division]
        FDMA[Frequency Division]
    end
    
    Spectrum --> Access
    Access --> EFFICIENT[Collision-Free Transmission]

Features:

• 40 channels at 2.4 GHz band
• TDMA + FDMA for collision-free operation
• Dynamic channel selection - routers change channels when interference is detected
• No impact on other devices when changing channels

Mesh Routing

The Wirepas mesh is completely decentralized:

• No routing tables - Decisions made locally based on radio environment
• Routing cost based - Optimal paths calculated dynamically
• Infinite scale - No theoretical limit on network size
• Self-healing - Network adapts when devices are added or removed

%%{init: {'theme':'base','themeVariables':{'primaryColor':'#73F9C1','primaryTextColor':'#143633','primaryBorderColor':'#143633','lineColor':'#143633','secondaryColor':'#C7FDE6','tertiaryColor':'#F6FAFA','clusterBkg':'#F6FAFA','clusterBorder':'#143633'}}}%%
flowchart LR
    S1[Sensor] --> S2[Sensor/Router]
    S2 --> S3[Sensor/Router]
    S3 --> GW[Gateway/Sink]
    
    S1 -.-> S4[Sensor/Router]
    S4 -.-> GW

Device Roles

Role Selection

Most Thingsee sensors operate in Autorole mode:

• Network automatically determines optimal role
• Sensors near gateways may become non-routers
• Sensors far from gateways become routers
• Balances power consumption across the network

Operation Modes

Low Energy Mode

Optimized for battery life:

Suitable for:

• Battery-powered sensors
• Multi-year deployments
• Infrequent data transmission

Low Latency Mode

Optimized for speed:

Suitable for:

• Real-time monitoring
• Actuator control
• Requires external power

Network Management

Wirepas Network Tool (WNT)

Optional tool for visualizing network:

• Network topology visualization
• Device status monitoring
• Parameter configuration
• Performance metrics

The same data is also available through Wirepas diagnostics API.

Over-The-Air Updates (OTAP)

Wirepas includes built-in firmware update capability:

• Update sensors without physical access
• Staged rollout support
• Automatic retry on failure
• No service interruption

Use Cases

Retrofitted Sensor Networks

Scenario: Add sensors to existing buildings without infrastructure changes.

Benefits:

• No repeaters needed - sensors form the mesh
• Self-configuring network
• Simple installation

%%{init: {'theme':'base','themeVariables':{'primaryColor':'#73F9C1','primaryTextColor':'#143633','primaryBorderColor':'#143633','lineColor':'#143633','secondaryColor':'#C7FDE6','tertiaryColor':'#F6FAFA','clusterBkg':'#F6FAFA','clusterBorder':'#143633'}}}%%
flowchart TB
    GW[Gateway] --> S1[Sensor]
    S1 --> S2[Sensor]
    S2 --> S3[Sensor]
    S1 --> S4[Sensor]
    S4 --> S5[Sensor]
    S3 --> S6[Sensor]

Actors and Controllers

Scenario: Cloud-triggered actions on devices.

Wirepas enables two-way communication:

• LED control from cloud events
• Actuator triggering
• Configuration updates
• Status queries

Asset Tracking

Scenario: Track moving assets within facilities.

Using Non-router long sleep mode:

• Assets connect intermittently
• Report location when needed
• Ultra-low power consumption
• Long battery life

Wirepas Ecosystem

Thingsee installations can extend with other Wirepas 5.0 devices:

Resources

• Wirepas Website
• Wirepas 5.0 Documentation