CC1100/CC2500
The CC1100/CC1101/CC2500 radios are transceivers designed for very low-power wireless applications. The CC1100/CC1101 radios can operate at frequency bands 315, 433, 868, and 915 MHz. The CC2500 radio operates at 2.4 GHz.
Dubbed project "Blaze" to encompass all of these radios types, this TinyOS development will continue pushing the boundaries of practical and efficient radio technology in wireless sensor networks.
Platforms
- SuRF Developer's Kit featuring the CC430 System-on-a-Chip
- Tmote2500 wiring description - using a telosb/tmote + CC2500 or CC1100 eval module.
Radio Software
Drivers for TinyOS are open-source and are located in the tinyos-2.x-contrib/blaze repository.
- CC1100/CC2500 Features
- CC1100/CC2500 Recent Updates
- CC1100/CC2500 Known Issues
- SourceForge TinyOS CVS
Notes
Troubleshooting
Radio Comparisons
Side-by-side Performance
| CC1100 | CC2500 | CC2420 | AT86RF230 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Throughput | 1.2-500 kbps | 1.2-500 kbps | 250 kbps | 250 kbps |
| Frequencies | 315/433/915 MHz | 2.4 GHz | 2.4 GHz | 2.4 GHz |
| Rx Current | 14 mA | 12.8 mA | 19.7 mA | 15.5 mA |
| Tx Current | 15 mA | 21.6 mA | 17.4 mA | 16.5 mA |
| Output Power | +10 dBm | +1 dBm | +0 dBm | +3 dBm |
| Receiver Sensitivity | -111 dBm | -104 dBm | -95 dBm | -101 dBm |
| Modulation | 2-FSK/GFSK/MSK/OOK/ASK | 2-FSK/GFSK/MSK/OOK/ASK | DSSS | DSSS |
| Packaging | 20QFN 4×4 mm | 20QFN 4×4 mm | QLP-48 7×7 mm | QLP-32 5×5 mm |
| Encryption | None | None | AES-128 | None |
| Current Low Power Implementations | Wake-on Radio/ XMAC / BMAC / BoX-1 / BoX-2 | Wake-on Radio / XMAC / BMAC / BoX-1 / BoX-2 | BoX-MAC-2 | unknown |
| Experimental Range on the ground | 700-800 ft (315 MHz) | unknown | 10-20 ft | unknown |
Trades
Drivers
The CC1100/CC1101/CC2500 radios are pin and driver compatible. Dual-radio platforms are easily achievable, and exist today.
Range vs. Frequency
The lower the frequency, the longer the range. The CC1100 sports the lowest frequency.
Frequency vs. Antenna Size
The lower the frequency, the larger the antenna. The 2.4 GHz radios, CC2500 and CC2420, require the smallest antenna.
Frequency vs. Throughput
There is no correlation between frequency and throughput on any of these radios. The CC1100 radio at 315 MHz can transmit at 500 kbps, while the CC2420 at 2.4 GHz always transmits at 256 kbps.
Throughput vs. Current Consumption
The higher the throughput, the less energy it takes to transmit the data. In terms of raw throughput, the CC1100 and CC2500 can be more energy efficient than the fixed-rate throughput of the CC2420. However, at a lower throughputs, the maximum current consumption decreases. Although the maximum current consumption decreases (helping you match to a particular battery better), the total energy consumption increases because it takes longer to send the same amount of data.
Throughput vs. Range
The CC1100 and CC2500 can decrease their throughput to achieve longer range. With the CC1100 radio at 315 MHz, for example, we've achieved a maximum of ~700-800 feet transmission range on the ground at 500 kbps. If we were to decrease the data throughput, that would increase radio sensitivity and therefore achieve longer range.
Accessories
The CC1100 and CC2500 include hardware Wake-on-Radio (low power listening) functionality. Your microcontroller can completely go to sleep while your radio duty cycles in the background. Note: it is a considered opinion that bugs present on the CCXX00 silicon prevent this as a reliable operation in current capabilities. This is an active area of research.
