IoT

Chipset family supports 6GHz spectrum for Wi-Fi 6E

Wed, Apr 22, 2020

Equipped with an architecture designed to maximise use of the 6GHz band, the QCS-AX2 chipset family is optimised for high-throughput Wi-Fi applications, such as access points, gateways, and mesh networking solutions for dense environments and under-served areas, says ON Semiconductor.

The QCS-AX2 supports the 6GHz spectrum band based on the enhanced Wi-Fi 6E standard. The chipset is built on an integrated baseband and RF architecture that supports key Wi-Fi 6E features, such as orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), advanced multi-user, multi-input, multi-output (MU-MIMO), 160MHz channel support for faster speeds and SmartScan channel selection.

The family consists of the QCS-AX2-A12, tri-band (6GHz/5GHz/2.4GHz) with AdaptivMIMO technology. It supports flexible 8×8 or 4×4 configurations, the QCS-AX2-T12, a tri-band concurrent 4×4 operation for high performance, cost-effective router solutions, says ON Semiconductor, and the QCS-AX2-T8, a tri-band concurrent eight-stream configuration for mesh nodes and mainstream access points.

The Federal Communications Commission anticipates the opening of the 6GHz band in the US later this year, with up to 1,200MHz of newly available spectrum to be designated for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed use. With almost five times more spectrum than the current 2.4 GHz and 5GHz bands combined, the 6GHz band is accelerating the development of Wi-Fi 6 applications. The 6GHz client ecosystem will take time to build but the Wi-Fi infrastructure devices, such as gateways, routers, and access points will need to continue to support existing dual band (2.4GHz/5GHz) clients.

ON Semiconductor’s Wi-Fi 6E products accommodate the transition to the 6GHz band with AdaptivMIMO technology. A Wi-Fi 6E infrastructure device with AdaptivMIMO allows the network to operate in the 5GHz or 6GHz band depending on the clients present in a subscriber’s home network to maximise performance, coverage, and utilisation. The QCS-AX2 series provides the Wi-Fi performance and connectivity in congested environments to multiple devices that applications demand.

ON Semiconductor is now sampling the QCS-AX2 solutions to customers.

http://www.onsemi.com

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Bridgetek adds PanL relay to control smart devices

Fri, Apr 17, 2020

Bridgetek has added the PanL relay to its PanL home automation connectivity platform for the control of smart devices.

According to the company, it brings greater functionality to installed systems to increase levels of comfort. It can deliver smart switching capabilities, via one of the system’s PanL human machine interface (HMI) touch displays. Incorporating PanL relays in a home automation implementation will allow users to be able to activate or deactivate domestic appliances and other items of electrical equipment (like fans, lamps and outdoor heaters).

The relays are contained within compact, low profile enclosures, measuring 145.7 x 96.7 x 29.5mm. Each has a 100MHz-rated, 32-bit FT903 RISC microcontroller, four standard electromechanical relays for conventional control requirements and four solid state relays for controlling higher power electrical devices. All relays have corresponding status indicators, so that users can see what is being controlled.

PanL Relay units can be powered from a 16 to 24V DC supply. They connect directly, via RS485 interfaces to the PanL hub which is at the centre of the home automation system. It is possible to daisy chain multiple units together, for large-scale implementations where more capacity is required (such as residential complexes or office buildings).

The PanL relays are CE- and FCC-compliant.

Founded in 2016, Bridgetek supplies ICs and board level products. The company’s Embedded Video Engine (EVE) graphic controller ICs integrate display, audio and touch functionality in a single chip to reduce the time period and bill-of-materials costs associated with developing next generation HMI systems. These are complemented by its speed-optimised microcontrollers with augmented connectivity features.

http://www.brtchip.com

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Sub-compact board has desktop system flexibility, says Aaeon

Thu, Apr 09, 2020

Powered by eighth generation Intel Core processors, the Gene-WHU6 is the latest compact board from Aaeon. It is built for full-sized applications, says the company, with full-sized functionality and is able to deliver the flexibility of a desktop system in a compact form factor.

The GENE-WHU6 is powered by eighth Generation Intel Core i3, i5, i7 and Celeron processors (formerly Whiskey Lake) and combines this processing power with up to 32Gbyte of DDR4 SODIMM RAM.

It is designed for full-sized functionality, with a full set of I/O features, including four USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, and up to two COM ports supporting RS-232/ RS-422/ RS-485. The Gene-WHU6 also offers flexibility with display ports, featuring HDMI 2.0, VGA and LVDS. A full-sized mPCIe slot and two M.2 slots (one 2280 B Key and one 2230 E Key) allow for expandability. The Gene-WHU6 supports artificial intelligence (AI) accelerator modules, such as Aaeon’s Kneron KL520 NPU modules or the AI Core X family featuring Intel Movidius Myriad X.

The Gene-WHU6 is built to power embedded applications and is designed for tough conditions, says Aaeon. It has a wide voltage input (9.0 to 36V) and a wide operating temperature range (0 to 60 degrees C). These attributes, combined with the compact 3.5-inch form factor, the Gene-WHU6 can be deployed in smart manufacturing and intelligent safety and security applications.

Aaeon can provide customers with custom configurations and end-to-end project support.

Established in 1992, Aaeon designs and manufactures intelligent IoT computing platforms, including industrial motherboards and systems, industrial displays, rugged tablets, embedded controllers, network appliances and related accessories, as well as integrated solutions. Aaeon also has the hardware and services for premier OEM/ODMs and system integrators worldwide.

As an Associate Member of the Intel Internet of Things Solutions Alliance, the company offers customised services from initial product conceptualisation and board product development to mass manufacturing and after-sales service programmes.

http://www.aaeon.com

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NXP offers Wi-Fi 6 processors for automotive and IoT

Wed, Apr 08, 2020

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) devices from NXP Semiconductors support developers’ efforts to adopt the latest Wi-Fi standards. The company says its expanded Wi-Fi 6 portfolio applies to connectivity for automotive, access, mobile and industrial and IoT markets.

Wi-Fi 6 delivers symmetric multi-gigabit uploads and downloads, lower latency, increased capacity and improved power efficiency, explains NXP. These technical advancements have so far been limited to premium products but NXP says these benefits are now available for large-scale deployment across multiple markets, enabling products with up to four-fold performance improvement, greater range, improved battery life and greater connection reliability for Wi-Fi capabilities. Wi-Fi 6 connectivity can be applied to smart homes, connected cars, and industrial machinery.

The portfolio consists of the 88W9064 and 88W9068, 4×4 and 8×8-stream solutions with integrated Bluetooth 5 for home and enterprise access solutions, the 88Q9098 concurrent dual Wi-Fi 2×2+2×2 + Bluetooth 5 AEC-Q100-qualified devices for infotainment and telematics automotive applications, the 88W9098, concurrent dual Wi-Fi 2×2+2×2 + Bluetooth 5 devices for multimedia streaming and consumer access applications. Others are IoT-focused 2×2 WiFi 6 + Bluetooth 5 devices.

NXP’s RF front-end solutions are based on silicon germanium (SiGe) and can scale Wi-Fi 6 capabilities from low to high-end applications, including 1×1, 2×2, 4×4 and 8×8 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO). It is packaged in a compact 3.0 x 4.0mm module for mobile products.

“To date, the adoption of Wi-Fi 6 has predominantly been driven by smartphones. However, we expect significant traction to build within the IoT, infrastructure, and automotive markets throughout 2020 and beyond. said Andrew Zignani, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Wireless Connectivity Principal Analyst at ABI Research.

When combined with the processing power of the EdgeVerse platform, NXP enables smart connected devices, connecting people to the internet, joining IoT devices to the cloud, or communicating with cars.

NXP Semiconductors says it is the world leader in secure connectivity solutions for embedded applications, and is driving innovation in the automotive, industrial and IoT, mobile, and communication infrastructure markets. It has more than 60 years of combined experience and expertise, with employees in more than 30 countries.

http://www.nxp.com

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