High-tech industrial wireless to improve
your business

Made in Berlin, built for the world.
Approved by various deployments on 4 continents.

The products behind our technology

Bridge E

 

The industrial wireless device for essential data

Bridge E seamlessly aligns with industrial demands, providing the capability to implement wireless systems that perform with the dependability and rapidity of wired networks in various industrial automation scenarios. It stands out in applications where minimal latency is paramount, ensuring that automated processes are executed without delay.

Bridge E can wirelessly network almost any industrial installation – existing or new without major setup effort and supports numerous common industrial communication protocols. Robotic arms, conveyor systems, and automated storage and retrieval systems, are some of the many applications which can be enabled for wireless communication.


Bridge X

 

State-of-the-art WiFi 6 communication device

Bridge X is specifically designed to cater to the needs of AGVs and AMRs in the realms of intralogistics and factory automation. It sets a new standard in wireless connectivity, offering unparalleled speed and efficiency in data transmission.

Featuring a compact form factor (148 mm), Bridge X is perfect for small-scale AGV/AMR units where space is limited.

The device also boasts advanced energy management capabilities, promoting longer operational cycles and reduced power consumption. These features make Bridge X an ideal solution for OEMs looking to balance high performance, energy efficiency, and compactness in their AGV/AMR systems.

 


Bridge E Starter Kit

 

Everything you need to establish your own EchoRing network

The Bridge E Starter Kit is a comprehensive set of tools to commission, operate and monitor an EchoRing network within an application. It includes Bridge E devices, a Configuration Server software package, 2 hours of support by our Application Engineering team and all necessary accessories.


Robot Emergency Kit

 

The preventer of sudden production downtimes

Robots stop working when trailing cables are failing or tool connections suddenly break down! R3 Solutions' Robot Emergency Kit allows production to continue within a very short time. Bridge E powered by EchoRing technology serves as a bypass solution and ensures the transmission of production data. The Robot Emergency Kit also guarantees the continued operation of the respective system even over longer periods of time.

The Robot Emergency Kit contains all the hardware components required for the immediate bridging of defective cable routes. These include four Bridge E together with the corresponding antennas and installation cables, device-specific adapter kits (i.e. for PROFINET communication), and individual accessories for mounting the Bridge E on the respective robot.

The scope of the solution can be individually adapted to customer-specific requirements. The Robot Emergency Kit is compatible with common robot systems.

Frequently asked questions

You have the questions we have the answers.

Bridge E

What is the difference compared to Wifi?
  • Ultra-reliable and deterministic performance
  • Suitable for real-time industrial controls
  • For example, it can enable real-time communication between robots or connect driverless transport vehicles wirelessly.
Which protocols can be supported?

Any Ethernet-based protocol like PROFINET, PROFISAFE, EtherNet/IP, CIP SAFETY, SafeteNetP, EtherCat, etc.

Why is it called Bridge E?

It’s a network bridge device enhanced by our patented Echoring technology.

What industrial protocol stacks run directly on EchoRing devices?
  • EchoRing protocol, but the device bridges Ethernet traffic transparently - without any modifications.
  • Bridging connects two separate networks as if they were a single network
How does EchoRing achieve such low latency?

First of all it is a protocol optimized for speed and reliability. It combines token passing and massive cooperative techniques to achieve it's impressive results.

What is token passing?

EchoRing uses token-ring technique. Only the device holding a "token" can send data. This method effectively prevents data collisions, ensuring smooth communication.

What reliabilitiy can be achieved?

Down to 0.000000001% packet loss rate

What is massive cooperation and how does it boost reliability?

If a connection between a sender and a receiver is interrupted, another device in the network will automatically resend the data to the intended receiver - an "echo". It greatly improves reliability.

What chipsets are used inside EchoRing devices?

Bridge E runs on WiLink 8 chip from Texas Instruments. R3 Solutions is the only company in the world awarded with access to the source code of the chip.

How does EchoRing coexist with other wireless networks or themselves?

Networks can coexist under condition that each network is configured on a different channel.

Do EchoRing channels overlap?

No, channel numbers are assigned along the U-NII radio band in the US and the ISM band in Europe. They do not overlap.

Bugs

I encountered a bug. What should I do?

Please report it to us using the support@r3.group email. We appreciate you letting us know!

Configuration

What does the "Latency" parameter affect?

This setting limits possible configurations to only those that can meet its set latency.

Priority packets exceeding this threshold will dropped in favor of newer packets.

Is it possible to specify a Capacity Factor of 0 for a station not actively sending signals, i.e. a Relay node?

Not currently - this feature will become available with a future software update. Until then, the minimum Capacity Factor for inactive nodes is 1.

It seems the Configuration Server provided my laptop with a different IP than 172.30.1.10. Can this IP be used instead?

Yes, a R3 Configuration Server runs a DHCP server. The provided IP can be be used instead of 172.30.1.10

What is the recommended "Optimize For" setting?

Selecting "Exact Config" within "Optimize For" disables system optimization. This action highlights the impact of any configuration changes that are made in the "Achievable Configuration" table on the right of the interface.

Diagnosis

I connected two stations in the Perfomance Analyzer with a "double arrow" link. Why am I now seeing two packet streams?

A single arrow represents a single periodic packet stream from a sender to a receiver. The receiving station will then answer each of these packets with a packet of the same size. When a double arrow is displayed, both stations send their own individual stream while answering the other's.

What does the measured Packet Loss Rate refer to, exactly?

The measured Packet Loss Rate (PLR) refers to the rate of packet exchange (request and reply). The unidirectional Packet Error Rate (PER) meanwhile is typically smaller and be calculated as PER=1-SQRT(1-PLR)

What data is important to take away from the Delay Profile when running Performance Analyzer measurements?

Increasing (round trip) latencies are displayed on the Delay Profile's x-axis, while the cumulative number of packets returned by a specific latency is displayed on the y-axis. The Delay Profile's curve therefore should be monotonic - i.e. packets returned within 5ms are grouped with packets returned within 10ms.

Setup

Should EchoRing devices be shut down before a power cycle?

No, direct power cycling is safe for EchoRing devices. That said, please ensure the "Successful Deployment" notification appears in the Health Monitor before resuming operations.

What is the recommended transmission power for an initial EchoRing desktop test?

We recommend a transmission power of ~6dBm for desktop tests.

Is the Configuration Server required to operate an EchoRing network, after it has been configured?

No, it is no longer required. Configuration settings are stored on each Bridge E device and automatically launch the configured network upon startup.

Technical specification

What is the range?

Defined by the maximum transmission power allowed:

  • 14 dBm in EU → up to 35 meters
  • 30 dBm → up to 80 meters in USA
How many participants can join?

Up to 20 per channel, extension possible on request

Can you prioritize or classify traffic into separate streams on an EchoRing network?

Yes, up to 5 priority classes are supported.

What power options exist besides 24VDC (PoE, battery, etc)?

Bridge E supports Power over Ethernet.

Updates

How are software updates installed?

Updates are installed remotely by R3. To ensure security, the client initiates the start of the update process.