Primers: What Is Hopping?

TeraHop's Portable Data Collectors (PDCs) and Gateways are part of a movable, wireless network island that forms when PDCs and Gateways come together within ‘reach’ of each other.  Each PDC operates in a very low, receiver-on current state that maximizes battery life.  When an PDC hears a message, it partially "wakes up" to determine if the message is destined for it or other PDCs.  If destined for other PDCs, the receiving PDC reverts to its low-current state.  If the message is directed to it, the PDC wakes up fully and processes the message.  In most cases, the PDC will receive the message and then, based upon its currently stored routing information, pass the message along to another PDC that is closer to the final Gateway destination.  This process of receiving and passing along the message is referred to as "hopping."  A TeraHop network can pass along a message through as many as sixteen hops, thereby greatly extending the range of the network and minimizing the amount of fixed network infrastructure.