I would like to setup an RF mesh network using solar/battery powered devices. The devices wake-up simultaneously and periodically (i.e. every 15 minutes), send data to a single device that also has GPRS connectivity and fall back to sleep.
The problem is that Digimesh, which seems more suitable for the job, runs on series-1 devices only that are not that good in terms of power-efficiency and range. While Zigbee on the other hand, requires that the coordinator never falls to sleep.
Is it something that I miss? Any workaround/hint on the above?
BTW, does anyone has a clue of the time it takes for a Zigbee network (i.e. one coordinator and 10-15 end-nodes) to be ready for sending and receiving data from the moment the coordinator and end-devices are turned on?
Yes, I know that protocol-wise this is something that shouldn’t be happening, however since the network will be static (no nodes are added nor removed) and for particular time periods (that are well known - all of the devices wake up at exactly the same time) the network is idle, I was wondering if the coordinator was sleeping during this idle periods, would it hurt the network operation/reliability?
Zigbee mesh does not allow you the ability to sleep an entire network. Only End devices can sleep. Trying to sleep parent nodes causes issues with zigbee mesh networks. In your case you really should go with a Digi Mesh network instead. Something that is designed for a sleeping router.
The problem is that DigiMesh is running in series-1 modules that are not that good in terms of power-efficiency and range. Would it be possible to run DigiMesh in the latest S2C series?
No, it is not possible. The XBee ZB modules you are referring to are Ember based and must use an Ember stack. The Digi Mesh protocol is proprietary and does not run with a Ember Zigbee Stack.