KRN-P v0.1
KRN Protocol v0.1
A proposed one-way paging protocol for small networks, low-power receivers, and the orderly delivery of short messages.
KRN-P v0.1 is the experimental protocol currently implemented by Kōwhai Ridge Network. This page describes its present arrangement; the working specification defines the wire format and implementation profile.
No claim is made that the arrangement represents an unmet industry requirement. It represents the sort of pager network its designer would like to build.
Purpose
A KRN receiver is expected to spend most of its time asleep, wake for predictable traffic, receive a page, and return to sleep. The protocol is designed around three principal requirements:
- Deterministic scheduling for low-power receivers.
- Compact, bounded packets suitable for small embedded systems.
- Separate individual, operational-role, and group destinations.
Current Arrangement
A KRN network has one authoritative Field Station and any number of receive-only devices. Time is organised into continuous traffic cycles. A control transmission establishes the schedule, after which receivers need only monitor the traffic opportunities relevant to them.
KRN-P defines addressing, timing, packet semantics, and receiver behaviour. The current implementation uses a binary GFSK lab bearer with Gaussian shaping at BT = 0.5; a radio-independent KRN-FSK specification remains future work.
Delivery remains one-way. Controlled repetition and duplicate suppression may improve reception, but no radio acknowledgement or delivery receipt is returned by a receiver.
Scope
Version 0.1 does not provide receiver-originated radio traffic, mesh routing, store-and-forward delivery, or over-air provisioning. Initial receivers are configured locally over serial or USB.
KRN-P is an unauthenticated open-broadcast protocol. It provides no confidentiality, authenticated sender identity, or assured delivery, and is not suitable for sensitive or safety-critical communication.
Present Status
Version 0.1 defines implemented wire bindings for the Traffic Control Frame, Text Page, and Network Identity. Herald and Field Station firmware exercise traffic scheduling, controlled repetition, and duplicate suppression on Sled 1 hardware.
The protocol remains a working draft. Acquisition Beacons, extension payloads, conformance profiles, and a final interoperable bearer remain for later revisions.
Supporting Studies
The following KPSAG Engineering Studies record earlier evaluations of network timing and recipient addressing. Their recommendations inform the present architecture and its future revisions.