Wireless Node-to-Node Planning Guide

Table of contents

Wireless Node-to-Node Planning Guide

Overview

Wireless node-to-node communication is an optional planning tool in LCC Fusion. It supplements wired CAN Bus in cases where cabling is impractical, temporary, or mobile.

Relationship to Wired CAN Bus

Wired CAN Bus remains the primary transport for LCC Fusion
Wireless does not replace CAN Bus
Wireless links carry LCC traffic between nodes that are already part of the CAN Bus

When Wireless Makes Sense

Hard-to-wire locations
Temporary or portable modules
Demonstrations and test setups
Transitional layouts

What Wireless Is (and Is Not)

IS: a transport mechanism between nodes
IS NOT: a replacement for hubs, power planning, or clusters
IS NOT: a hierarchy or control plane

Wireless Transport Options

LCC Fusion supports two wireless transport mechanisms, each with different planning implications:

ESP-NOW
- Peer-to-peer communication between ESP32 nodes
- No SSID, password, or access point required
- Lowest setup overhead; well-suited for quick deployment, portable layouts, and temporary installations
Wi-Fi
- Nodes communicate over a standard Wi-Fi network
- Requires an access point and SSID/password configuration
- Better suited when integrating with external systems, dashboards, or infrastructure networks

Pods and Wireless Connectivity

Wireless connectivity extends CAN communications between nodes without changing how hardware is physically organized.

In a wireless configuration:

Nodes may communicate across pods
Pods remain the physical build-out unit
Power planning remains local to each pod or hub
Nodes continue to operate as peers on the CAN network

Wireless links do not create a new grouping type and do not replace hubs, pods, or power planning. They provide an alternative transport mechanism for CAN participation when physical wiring is impractical or undesirable.

Tradeoffs and Constraints

Range and interference
Reliability vs wired CAN Bus
Planning expectations