Robonode

Robonode is a long-range, low-latency data radio built on the Qualcomm® QCS405 SoC and QCN9074 radio chip. Pre-loaded Robosoft firmware delivers powerful features like FEC, fast frequency shifting, and an improved IEEE 802.11ax implementation. These features make it a powerful plug-and-play solution for high-performance unmanned system projects.

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Target industries

Long-range connectivity

UAS

Military applications

Public Safety

Infrastructure Inspection

Qualcomm® QCS405
The powerful QCS405 SoC gives Robonode a 64-bit 1.4 GHz Arm Cortex A53 quad-core processor, 1 GB LPDDR3, and 8GB eMMC.
Extended-range connection
An improved IEEE 802.11ax implementation uses two Qualcomm® radio chips – the QCN9074 and the WCN9380 – to deliver flexible long- and short-range connectivity with maximum ranges of up to 20km.
Advanced wireless features
Pre-loaded Robosoft firmware supports advanced connectivity features and premium capabilities like fast frequency shifting and narrow channels right out of the box.
Simplified configuration and installation
USB gadget mode, an easy-to-use UI, single-file configuration, and plug-and-play aluminum-enclosed hardware make Robonode configuration simple and flexible.
Resilient connectivity
Robonode delivers operational consistency using a powerful dual-band radio and key features like Wi-Fi broadcast, forward error correction, and more.
Operational security
Highly efficient 256-bit (ChaCha20-Poly1305) encryption and other integrated features help maintain security at long ranges and in suboptimal connection conditions.

Plug-and-play out of the box

Robonode comes standard as a plug-and-play device. The pre-loaded firmware supports all of the powerful features your company’s drone project needs and the lightweight ventilated housing makes it a breeze to install. All your developers need to start testing and configuring your Robonode data radio is a power supply and an interface, and USB gadget mode means that this can be as simple as connecting its USB interface to your PC.

Wi-Fi broadcast

Ack-less Wi-Fi broadcast support means Robonode delivers more resilient long-range connectivity and improves video stream stability and continuity at extended ranges. This feature also improves Robonode’s capacity to operate in multi-device wireless networks.

Narrow Channels Support

Robonode supports 5 MHz & 10MHz narrow channels. Narrow channels help significantly increase Robonode’s transmission range, making them crucial for optimizing unmanned system applications requiring long-distance coverage.

Development board details

Mouse over each component of the Robonode DVK to learn more about what it does and what specifications you can expect. The DVK is essential for testing with your Robonode.

Get this DVK

Robonode unit

Power Cable

USB Cable

USB cable

ETH Cable

UART cable

GPIO Cable

GPIO cable

ETH adapter board

USB Adapter board

RF MMCX-SMA cable

RF MMCX-SMA cable, 100mm

2.4/5/6GHz omni antenna

12V power supply

Specifications

Platform

SoC	Qualcomm® QCS405
CPU	Arm Cortex A53 quad-core; 1.4GHz; 64-bit
GPU	Qualcomm® AdrenoTM 306 graphics processing unit (GPU) with 64-bit addressing; 600MHz
Flash	8GB eMMC
RAM	1024MB LPDDR3

Wireless

Radio	Long range connectivity radio (based on QCN9074 from Qualcomm) \| 2x4 MU - MIMO	Short range connectivity data radio (based on WCN9380 from Qualcomm): 1x1
Wireless Standard	Improved IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax
Frequency	2412-2484 MHz 5150-5925 MHz	2412-2484 MHz 5180-5825 MHz
Extended Frequencies	2300 ~ 3200 MHz (2.4 GHz) 4100 ~ 6700 MHz (5GHz)	N/A
Channel sizes	5/10/20/40/80/160 MHz	20/40/80 MHz
Modulation	OFDMA	OFDMA
Data Rate	2402 Mbps (5 GHz \| 160 MHZ @mcs11)	433.3 Mbps (5 GHz \| 80 MHz @mcs9)
Bluetooth	-	Bluetooth 5.0 and FM RDS/RBDS
Max Output Power (per chain)	26 dBm @mcs0	15 dBm @mcs0

Features

AP / Station
Wi-Fi Broadcast
Single config file
Configuration over USB storage
ADB over USB connection
USB to ETH adapter mode
System management (GUI/CLI)

Security

Data Encryption algorithm	crypto_aead_chacha20poly1305_encrypt

Interfaces

Ethernet	1 x 1000 Base-T
USB	DMIC;UART;SPI;I2C
Push buttons	1x Reset button 1x Boot button 1x GPIO
Fan	Programmable fan (GND controlled via MOSFET with GPIO_39)
Slide-switch	x1 Cut USB0 Power for USB recovery mode, x1 GPIO

Power

DC Power (connector type)	8.6 - 33.8 V (JST)

Physical

Dimensions	108.5 x 73.5 x 20 mm
Product Weight	178 g
Temperature range	-45°C to 75°C* We recommend connecting a software-controlled ventilator (not included) to ensure optimal performance under maximum temperature conditions.
Box content (DVK)	1 x Robonode 1 x Power cable, 100 mm 2 x USB cable, 100 mm 1 x ETH cable, 100 mm 1 x UART cable, 100 mm 4 x GPIO cable, 100 mm 1 x ETH adapter board 2 x USB adapter board 5 x RF MMCX-SMA cable, 100 mm 5 x 2.4/5/6GHz omni antenna 1 x 12 V power supply
Warranty	1 year
Certification	CE mark (pending) IC / FCC (pending)

Resources

Robonode datasheet

Robonode hardware spec sheet

Robosoft user guide

STEP files

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