RF Monolithics, Inc., a major player in RF module technology and M2M solutions provider, has introduced a new, low-cost 900 MHz frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) module -- the DNT90.

RF Monolithics (News - Alert) officials said in a press release that by operating in the 900 MHz ISM band, the DNT90 is a low-cost, long-range, multi-purpose OEM RF module suitable for a wide variety of cost-sensitive applications including wireless sensor networking, telemetry and control applications.

"At a $29 single unit price, the DNT90 delivers FHSS reliability and robustness of 900 MHz performance without breaking the bank," said Tim Cutler, director of product marketing for RFM, in a statement.

Cutler said that the DNT90, with its unusual price point, allows the integration of an incredibly reliable FHSS radio into applications that could not afford one in the past.

He said that the DNT90 features a 100 kb/s data rate with best-in-class RF power of +22dBm (150mW) coupled with excellent receive sensitivity of -99dBm, to provide exceptional range and performance in an FCC (News - Alert) (USA) and IC (Canada) certified module.

Company officials said that the DNT90 uses frequency hopping technology with a unique TDMA/CSMA hybrid multiple access scheme that delivers low latency to yet a virtually unlimited number of nodes in a single network.

Point-to-point and multi-point networks are supported as well as peer-to-peer and store-and-forward repeating.

Available in pinned and surface-mount versions, the DNT90 footprint and pinout is the same as RFM's 2.4GHz LPR2430ER, allowing OEMs to create both 900MHz and 2.4GHz products on a single hardware platform.

According to company officials, the DNT90's store-and-forward repeating feature can extend the already substantial range of the 900 MHz module without the need for dedicated routing nodes. Plus, at a full 150mW of RF power, the DNT90 provides more than twice the power of competing modules to deliver exceptional range.

The DNT90 supports wireless applications needing to send over-the-air analog and digital data and/or serial data. The module offers three analog inputs and six GPIOs to not only report signal status but also to initiate actions without the need for additional intelligence.

Company officials said that with a standard UART serial port supporting standard baud rates, in addition to the analog and digital I/O, the DNT90 is well-suited for any sensor application.