STRATUM 9 launches industrial DECT NR+ gateway for mobile links

Austrian company STRATUM 9 GmbH has launched the DECT NR+ Gateway, a radio unit it describes as the first industrial-grade gateway built for mobile real-time applications. The device connects DECT NR+ wireless networks to existing Ethernet-based industrial infrastructure, targeting manufacturing, intralogistics, robotics and mechanical engineering.

Deterministic wireless claims

DECT NR+ is a non-cellular wireless standard, also known as DECT-2020, standardised by ETSI and operating in the dedicated 1.9GHz band. STRATUM 9 says the technology uses a scheduled access method with fixed transmission time slots, rather than the contention-based approach of Wi-Fi, which the company states keeps communication latency predictable even as network load or mobility increases.

The company also claims the gateway is the first DECT NR+ wireless unit to transmit PROFINET and PROFISAFE traffic transparently for mobile applications, without protocol conversion, and that it supports uninterrupted handover between wireless cells for continuously moving systems such as mobile robots or conveyor units. These are vendor claims and have not been independently verified.

Early deployment and availability

According to STRATUM 9, the gateway is already used by component manufacturer DETO Automation and conveyor specialist ROFA Group for intralogistics and electric monorail applications. Martin Wolf, managing director of DETO Automation Germany, is quoted by STRATUM 9 as saying the transparent PROFINET transmission supports retrofits during ongoing operations.

STRATUM 9 states the gateway is available now for evaluation, integration and rollout, alongside a licensable DECT NR+ software stack, a starter kit and a development package covering hardware, firmware and cloud backend services. In an accompanying email, STRATUM 9 said the gateway's DECT NR+ communication is based on Nordic Semiconductor's nRF9151, a claim not detailed in the press release itself.