Particle Argon - Mesh Network WiFi Gateway

The world of wireless communications is always advancing at a very rapid pace, and one of the most exciting recent additions for hobbyists and developers alike is the new set of Mesh Network devices from Particle IoT. This Particle Argon is one of these fun new devices, and is a Mesh Network WiFi Gateway that helps to connect Particle Mesh Network Nodes and Endpoints to larger networks like the internet, a home or office network, or even a local interconnected server that logs, controls and maintains vital operations within a massive system.

The Particle Argon is a highly advanced board, with a lot more functionality than may appear from the onset. Equipped with both WiFi and Bluetooth for connecting with both larger networks as well as Nodes on the network, the Argon is essentially the WiFi version of the Particle Boron that is typically included in the Particle Boron 2G/3G Cellular Kit. However, because the Argon uses WiFi instead of GSM, it can actually be used as either a Gateway for a Particle Mesh Network, or simply as a Node or Endpoint to read incoming data and send it along to the designated Gateway.

Additionally, because these Particle Mesh Network products are made to help developers create and deploy projects as quickly as possible, this board also includes an additional u.FL 2.4GHz flexible antenna, which isn’t vital for operations, but will certainly help if you want to communicate reasonably far distances.

Please Note: These Particle Argon Boards and other Particle Mesh Network products rely on a special pricing structure from Particle, although the prices that they offer are exceptionally well-tailored to Makers and Developers. However, it’s a good idea to check their Device Cloud Pricing Structure before committing to an idea, to ensure that you don’t run into any unexpected costs.

Typical Applications for Particle Argon - Mesh Network Wifi Gateway:

With all of these great features and multi-communications capabilities, the Particle Argon is ideal for use as a Gateway for a variety of Nodes of Endpoints. In fact, with just a single Argon WiFi Gateway, you can add up to 100 Particle Xenon Nodes, which can all work together to form an interconnected Mesh Network where data, information or just simple signals can be sent from any single point to any number of other points. The network can then manage the incoming and outgoing data in order to route it in various ways, so that even if multiple Mesh Nodes are busy or possibly even out of order, the data can be still be rerouted around the congestion to arrive at the appropriate destination in a timely manner.

And finally, just to sweeten the deal even further, all of the complicated networking and Communications and complex protocol integration has been abstracted from the user behind an ultra-simplified user interface. And whilst some may be slightly deterred by this idea, we personally love the fact that the user doesn’t ever need to think about all of that, and Makers like yourself can simply get straight into the action without worrying about all of the “Behind-the-scenes” work, and you can instead focus on what you’re good at – making fantastic IoT projects that blow people’s minds and make your life as easy as possible.

Additional Resources:

• The Official Particle Argon Datasheet with excellent insights into the features, functionality, pin definitions and much more.
• The Official Particle Argon Documentation Page, with links to quickstart guides, hardware files, community forums and more, which will help you get started with your Particle mesh network projects.

Particle is a comprehensive Internet of Things platform that is scalable, easy to use and secure, which was started as a Kickstarter campaign in as early as 2013. It was founded with the intent to make IoT easy and accessible for everyone, and by many people’s standards they have successfully achieved that, with over 70,000 engineers in over 170 countries utilising the Particle platform – including several Fortune 500 companies.

One of the recent utilisations of the potential of Particle tools is how it was implemented to connect a vital water-valve to the internet, allowing it to monitor the weather, identify the incoming Hurricane Irma, and prepare to move the water to where it needed to go – before the rain had even begun to fall in the area. This is just one of the many amazing examples of how Particle IoT can benefit more than just businesses or developers, as well as how Particle’s vision of IoT being integrated into almost everything – both online and offline – is quickly becoming a reality.