--- title: "How Does a WIZnet W5500 Link the W&H ioDent Gateway mini to Its Built-in Wi-Fi Access Point?" url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/ElenaLee/resellers/how-does-a-wiznet-w5500-link-the-w-h-iodent-gateway-mini-to-its-built-in-wi-fi-access-point/" markdown_url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/ElenaLee/resellers/how-does-a-wiznet-w5500-link-the-w-h-iodent-gateway-mini-to-its-built-in-wi-fi-access-point/md" type: "VAR: Value-Added Reseller Products" author: "ElenaLee" author_url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/ElenaLee/" original_author: "W&H Dentalwerk Bürmoos GmbH" original_url: "https://www.wh.com/en_global/dental-solutions/iodent" published: "2026-11-07" language: "en" tags: ["Ethernet", "STM32", "Health & Medical Devices"] hardware: ["WIZnet W5500"] likes: 0 views: 3 comments: 0 source: "WIZnet Makers (https://maker.wiznet.io/)" --- # How Does a WIZnet W5500 Link the W&H ioDent Gateway mini to Its Built-in Wi-Fi Access Point? > W&H's dental IoT gateway, designed by Microtronics, uses a W5500 as the Ethernet bridge between its STM32F429 and an 8devices Carambola2 Wi-Fi module. Original author: W&H Dentalwerk Bürmoos GmbH (source: https://www.wh.com/en_global/dental-solutions/iodent) ## Components - **WIZnet W5500** x 1: SPI Ethernet link from STM32F429 to the Carambola2 Wi-Fi AP module ([docs](https://docs.wiznet.io/Product/Chip/Ethernet/W5500)) WIZnet parts: W5500 ([Datasheet](https://docs.wiznet.io/Product/Chip/Ethernet/W5500/datasheet?utm_source=maker&utm_medium=project&utm_campaign=w5500), [product hub](https://maker.wiznet.io/products/w5500/)) ## Documents and links - [ioDentGW block diagram (FCC exhibit)](https://fccid.io/Z9W-CM2/Block-Diagram/Block-Diagram-4674476) (schematics): W5500 evidence: SPI Ethernet Controller Wiznet W5500 linked to the Carambola2 eth0 port - [FCC ID Z9W-CM2 filing](https://fccid.io/Z9W-CM2): Original source: 2020 Class II permissive change with block diagram, user manual and test reports - [ioDent Quick Installation Guide (FCC exhibit)](https://fccid.io/Z9W-CM2/User-Manual/Users-Manual-4674477): Official W&H setup guide for the Gateway mini, March 2019 - [W&H ioDent product page](https://med.wh.com/en_global/dental-solutions/iodent): Official product documentation: Gateway mini and connected devices - [W&H interview on ioDent (2025)](https://www.wh.com/en_uk/dental-newsroom/news-article/1744701770035): Vendor context: sterilizer documentation, digital twin, remote maintenance - [W&H FutureZone Award 2019](https://www.wh.com/en_na/dental-newsroom/news-article/1574675833206): Launch context for the ioDent brand - [W&H Lisa Mini dealer listing](https://www.ddgroup.com/equipment/autoclaves/qhw039--wh-lisa-mini-sterilizer-5l): Dealer listing noting Ethernet connection for ioDent compatibility - [WIZnet W5500 documentation](https://docs.wiznet.io/Product/Chip/Ethernet/W5500): WIZnet product documentation ## Article ## 📌 Overview W&H Dentalwerk is a dental equipment maker based in Bürmoos, Austria. Its ioDent® platform connects sterilizers, surgical motors, and other practice devices to a cloud service for automatic documentation, monitoring, and remote maintenance. The **ioDent® Gateway mini** is the small box that links those devices to the platform, and W&H states that the number of devices it can connect is unlimited. The gateway's block diagram, filed with the FCC in 2020 under 8devices' module ID Z9W-CM2, shows how it is built. The board is called **ioDentGW** and was designed by Microtronics GmbH, an Austrian industrial IoT company. Its main controller is an STM32F429, and a WIZnet W5500 connects that controller over Ethernet to an 8devices Carambola2 Wi-Fi access point module on the same board. ![W&H ioDent Quick Installation Guide showing the Gateway mini and setup steps](https://maker.wiznet.io/upload/ckeditor5/801678a889ea4644891d9554e6c9e9b2.jpg) *ioDent® Quick Installation Guide, W&H (51026 AEN Rev. 000, March 2019). Image: FCC ID Z9W-CM2 user manual exhibit.* > **Key takeaway:** In a certified dental IoT gateway, the W5500 is not a customer-facing LAN jack. It is the on-board Ethernet link between a microcontroller and a Linux Wi-Fi module, giving the STM32 a hardwired TCP/IP path into the gateway's local wireless network. ## Why Dental Practices Need a Gateway Dental practices must document every sterilization cycle to meet hygiene regulations, and much of that work has traditionally been done by hand. W&H's own example of what ioDent changes is the full automation of sterilizer documentation, with cycle reports stored in the cloud. The platform also keeps a digital twin of each device, so a service technician can see when maintenance is due and plan the visit before the device fails. The Gateway mini is what makes that possible in a practice. The Quick Installation Guide describes a six-step setup: power the Gateway mini, plug the ioDent® Wi-Fi dongle into the dental device, power the device, follow the e-mail link, run the initial setup on the ioDent.com platform, and confirm the connection. ## System Configuration: Inside the ioDentGW Board The block diagram (Microtronics GmbH, dated 2020-01-23) lists every major part: - **MCU:** STMicroelectronics STM32F429, with 4 Gb NAND flash, 64 Mb RAM, an MB85RS1 FRAM, and a PCF85263 real-time clock. - **Ethernet controller:** WIZnet W5500 on the MCU's SPI2 bus, with its own 25 MHz crystal. - **Wi-Fi access point:** 8devices Carambola2 module, connected to the W5500 through a differential-pair Ethernet link on its eth0 port, and to the MCU through a UART. - **Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module:** ISM4343-WBM-L151 on SPI1. - **Cellular modem:** u-blox SARA-U201 with a SIM switch between an internal SIM card and an embedded NAND SIM. - **Power and I/O:** 12 V DC input, status LEDs through a PCA6416 port expander, a button, and a USB service port. ![ioDentGW block diagram with STM32F429, W5500, Carambola2, ISM4343 and SARA-U201](https://maker.wiznet.io/upload/ckeditor5/f7ea8304900b431ebdec5b0b3f375311.jpg) *ioDentGW block diagram, Microtronics GmbH, 2020-01-23. Image: FCC ID Z9W-CM2 block diagram exhibit.* The front panel of the Gateway mini matches this design. Its LED icons show Wi-Fi, GSM, and internet status on the left, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a home icon in the middle, and power on the right. ## ⚙️ Role of the WIZnet W5500 The W5500 sits between two computers on the same board. On one side is the STM32F429, which runs the gateway's application. On the other is the Carambola2, a Linux-based Wi-Fi module that the diagram labels as the gateway's Wi-Fi access point. The two are joined by an Ethernet link, exactly as if two devices were plugged into each other with a short cable. ![Close-up of the SPI link from the STM32F429 to the W5500 and the Ethernet link to the Carambola2](https://maker.wiznet.io/upload/ckeditor5/67a2339bf5df45ec932d613dfb48c3b2.jpg) *STM32F429 SPI2 to WIZnet W5500, then differential-pair Ethernet to the Carambola2 eth0 port. Crop from the FCC ID Z9W-CM2 block diagram.* This design choice matters for three reasons: - **A standard interface between two different systems.** The Carambola2 already exposes Ethernet. Using a W5500 lets the STM32 talk to it over normal TCP/IP sockets instead of a custom serial protocol. - **The MCU keeps its resources for the application.** The W5500 handles TCP/IP in hardware, so the STM32 does not need to run a software network stack for this link. - **Each radio stays in its own module.** The access point, the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module, and the cellular modem are separate parts. The W5500 gives the wired internal link the same kind of self-contained part. W&H does not publish its firmware, so which messages travel over the W5500 link is not disclosed. The block diagram confirms the part, its SPI connection to the MCU, and its Ethernet connection to the access point module. ## Vendor, Availability, and Price - **Brand:** W&H Dentalwerk Bürmoos GmbH, Bürmoos, Austria. - **Board design:** Microtronics GmbH, Ruprechtshofen, Austria, per the block diagram title block. - **Wi-Fi module and FCC filing:** 8devices (Lithuania), FCC ID Z9W-CM2, Class II permissive change dated 2020-04-02, tested by 7layers GmbH. - **Launch:** W&H introduced the ioDent® brand at IDS 2019 and placed in the top three of the FutureZone Award 2019 in the "Internet of Dental Things" category. - **Where to buy:** through W&H dental dealers or wh.com. - **Price:** not published. W&H's ioDent page asks buyers to request a price. ## Where It Fits The Gateway mini is one piece of a larger W&H product line. Sterilizers such as Lisa and Lisa Mini, and surgical units such as Implantmed Plus, connect to ioDent for cycle documentation, real-time monitoring, and service planning. Dealer listings for Lisa Mini note that its Ethernet connection is what guarantees compatibility with ioDent and the W&H Steri App. ## Value and Limits **Value.** This is a certified, shipping product from an established medical device maker, in a field with very few WIZnet entries on Maker. It shows a reusable design pattern: an MCU and a Linux connectivity module linked by a W5500, so each side can keep its own role while speaking plain Ethernet. **Limits.** The FCC exhibits date from 2020, and W&H does not publish hardware revisions, so the current production board may differ. Firmware is closed. ## Related WIZnet Maker Projects The same design house appears in Alan's [rapidM2M C3](https://maker.wiznet.io/Alan/resellers/rapidm2m-c3/), a Microtronics industrial IoT data logger. Reading both shows how one Austrian IoT company has used WIZnet parts across very different markets, from industrial logging to dental equipment. For another medical use of WIZnet Ethernet, Hannah's [Medical Telemonitoring System](https://maker.wiznet.io/Hannah/projects/medical-telemonitoring-system/) sends patient data over a wired link. It is a research build rather than a certified product, which makes the W&H gateway a useful commercial counterpart. This post uses the same evidence method as the [Rently Access Panel](https://maker.wiznet.io/ElenaLee/resellers/how-does-the-rently-access-panel-with-intercom-use-w5500-for-wired-cloud-access-control/): the WIZnet part is confirmed from the product's FCC filing rather than a spec sheet. ## ❓ FAQ **Q. What does the W5500 do in the ioDent Gateway mini?** It gives the STM32F429 controller an Ethernet link to the Carambola2 Wi-Fi access point module on the same board, using hardwired TCP/IP over SPI. **Q. How do we know the gateway uses a W5500?** The ioDentGW block diagram in FCC ID Z9W-CM2 labels the part "SPI Ethernet Controller Wiznet W5500" and shows its connections. **Q. Does the gateway have an Ethernet port for the practice network?** The block diagram does not show one. The W5500 is used for the internal link, and the board's external connections are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular. **Q. Who designed the hardware?** The block diagram title block names Microtronics GmbH of Ruprechtshofen, Austria. The product is sold under W&H's ioDent brand. **Q. Which dental devices work with ioDent?** W&H names its Lisa and Lisa Mini sterilizers and the Implantmed Plus surgical unit, and says devices from other manufacturers can also be registered on the platform. --- Source: https://maker.wiznet.io/ElenaLee/resellers/how-does-a-wiznet-w5500-link-the-w-h-iodent-gateway-mini-to-its-built-in-wi-fi-access-point/