Silicon Labs expands its portfolio of modules and transceivers designed for IoT
Able to cut wi-fi power consumption in half, modules and transceivers in the Silicon Labs’ portfolio help IoT developers to create small, secure battery-powered products for noisy RF environments.
The modules and transceivers in the wif-fi portfolio enable developers to create end node products with what is claimed to be best-in-class power efficiency, superior RF blocking performance and advanced security.
Designed for the specific needs of IoT applications, the Wireless Gecko portfolio halves wi-fi power consumption compared to competitive offerings, providing wi-fi for power-sensitive connected products, including battery-operated IP security cameras, point-of-sale scanners, asset trackers and personal medical devices.
According to Silicon Labs, the combination of industry-leading transmit current of 138mA and a receive current of 48mA and sleep current of less than 40 microA, saves power to a significant degree, says the company, for saving power in IoT use cases. High throughput and fewer retransmissions help minimise power consumption by using less channel capacity.
The Silicon Labs’ wi-fi portfolio offers built-in security features to protect IoT products from online and physical hacking, including secure boot with anti-rollback, secure link and efficient implementations of industry-standard encryption such as WPA3.
The company designed its wi-fi devices with RF selectivity to block out adjacent channel noise and maintain throughput and connectivity in crowded RF environments such as smart homes which are typified by numerous connected devices.
Developer support is available in the form of the Gecko OS, an optional IoT OS, eases design complexity, allowing IoT developers to focus on wi-fi applications. Developers can get started in minutes using comprehensive development tools and a wireless starter kit with embedded and Linux host drivers. The wi-fi modules are pre-certified for worldwide operation to reduce development time, effort and risk.
There are three device types in Silicon Labs’ wi-fi portfolio. The first is the WGM160P, which offers an easier way to create cloud-connected IoT products by combining an onboard Gecko microcontroller, host support, integrated antenna, pre-certification, large memory (2Mbyte flash and 512k RAM), and extensive peripheral capabilities including Ethernet and capacitive touch. The second device is the WFM200 module. This is believed to be the smallest pre-certified wi-fi system-in-package (SiP) device with an integrated antenna. The module is also applicable to new industrial and outdoor applications with 105 degrees C temperature support.
The third device is the WF200 transceiver IC which provides a cost-effective way to add wi-fi to existing high-volume designs. It works well with a variety of hosts (ranging from 8-bit to Linux-class processors) and supports antenna diversity.
Samples and production quantities of the WF200 transceiver, in a 4 mm x 4mm QFN32 package, are available now. Samples of the WFM200, in a 6.5 mm x 6.5mm SiP module, are available now, and production quantities are planned for Q2 2019. Samples of the WGM160P in a PCB module are available now, and production quantities are planned for late February.
