CC1100/CC2500

The CC1100/CC1101/CC2500 radios are transceivers designed for very low-power wireless applications. The CC1100/CC1101 radios can operate at frequency bands 315, 433, 868, and 915 MHz. The CC2500 radio operates at 2.4 GHz.

Dubbed project "Blaze" to encompass all of these radios types, this TinyOS development will continue pushing the boundaries of practical and efficient radio technology in wireless sensor networks.

Platforms

• Tmote2500 wiring description - using a telosb/tmote + CC2500 or CC1100 eval module.

Radio Software

Drivers for TinyOS are open-source and are located in the tinyos-2.x-contrib/blaze repository.

• CC1100/CC2500 Features
• CC1100/CC2500 Recent Updates
• CC1100/CC2500 Known Issues

Notes

• CCxx00 Operating Frequencies

• CC1100 Datasheet
• CC1100 Errata

• CC1101 Datasheet
• CC1101 Errata

• CC2500 Datasheet
• CC2500 Errata

Radio Comparisons

Side-by-side Performance

CC2420 vs. CC1100 vs. CC2500

	CC1100	CC2500	CC2420
Throughput	1.2-500 kbps	1.2-500 kbps	250 kbps
Frequencies	315/433/915 MHz	2.4 GHz	2.4 GHz
Rx Current	14 mA	12.8 mA	19.7 mA
Tx Current	15 mA	21.6 mA	17.4 mA
Output Power	+10 dBm	+1 dBm	+0 dBm
Receiver Sensitivity	-111 dBm	-104 dBm	-95 dBm
Modulation	2-FSK/GFSK/MSK/OOK/ASK	2-FSK/GFSK/MSK/OOK/ASK	DSSS
Packaging	20QFN 4×4 mm	20QFN 4×4 mm	QLP-48 7×7 mm
Encryption	None	None	AES-128
Current Low Power Implementations	WoR/B-MAC	WoR/B-MAC	BoX-MAC-2
Experimental Range on the ground	700-800 ft (315 MHz)	unknown	10-20 ft

Trades

Drivers

The CC1100/CC1101/CC2500 radios are pin and driver compatible. Dual-radio platforms are easily achievable.

Range vs. Frequency

The lower the frequency, the longer the range. The CC1100 sports the lowest frequency.

Frequency vs. Antenna Size

The lower the frequency, the larger the antenna. The 2.4 GHz radios, CC2500 and CC2420, require the smallest antenna.

Throughput vs. Current Consumption

The higher the throughput, the less energy it takes to transmit the data. In terms of raw throughput, the CC1100 and CC2500 can be more energy efficient than the fixed-rate throughput of the CC2420. However, at a lower throughputs, the maximum current consumption decreases. Although the maximum current consumption decreases (helping you match to a particular battery better), the total energy consumption increases because it takes longer to send the same amount of data.

Throughput vs. Range

The CC1100 and CC2500 can decrease their throughput to achieve longer range. With the CC1100 radio at 315 MHz, for example, we've achieved a maximum of ~700-800 feet transmission range on the ground.

Accessories

• The CC2420 includes hardware AES-128 encryption. This is overkill: 64-bit encryption would have performed just as well given the constraints of WSN's.
• The CC2420 radio is intended for 802.15.4 compatibility. You really have to ask yourself if that's worth it: the CCxx00 radio stack was designed to eliminate false acknowledgments and other problems that plague 802.15.4.
• The CC1100 and CC2500 include hardware Wake-on-Radio (low power listening) functionality.