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Semtech, a provider of semiconductors, Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and cloud-based connectivity services, has announced the expansion of its LoRa portfolio with a new transceiver designed for use with IoT end points. The device, according to the company, provides lower power consumption, global connectivity and a long read range.
As the IoT continues to expand, Semtech explains, LoRa-based solutions are continuing to see implementation growth. LoRa technology enables data communication over a long range, while using very little power. According to the company, LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN standard are flexible for applications ranging from long-distance rural to indoor use cases in various industries. These include smart cities, homes and buildings, as well as communities, agriculture, metering and utilities, healthcare, environment, supply chain and logistics.
The LoRa Connect LR1121
Semtech's multi-band LoRa Connect LR1121 allows a single low-power chip to be used anywhere around the world, the company reports. It is pin-compatible with current LoRa Edge devices, enabling module makers such as Murata to have a single hardware design for a range of applications, as well as global connectivity. Integrated passive devices, such as those from Johanson Technology, can be used alongside the LoRa Connect LR1121 to offer a small footprint and minimize design iterations, Semtech explains. The transceiver provides LoRaWAN connectivity for terrestrial low-power wide-area (LPWAN) networks operating at 470, 868 and 915 MHz, and it provides LoRa 2.4 GHz and the S-band for direct connection to satellites.
"Semtech's LoRa Connect is targeting the connectivity challenges faced by the industry today, enabling widespread adoption and reinforcing LoRa's position as the de facto platform for IoT," said Robert Comanescu, the senior director of Semtech's IoT Chips Business, in a prepared statement. "We continue to invest in improving LoRa technology and enriching our product portfolio with multi-band LoRa support and LoRa cloud services that will provide best-in-class, sustainable, ubiquitous and global IoT connectivity."
Modules and reference designs developed in partnership with Johanson Technology and Murata are now ready for launch, Semtech notes, offering a smaller form factor, lower assembly costs and faster time to market. Murata's Type 2GT module, supporting LoRa Edge LR1110 and LR1120 products, now also supports the LoRa Connect LR1121, offering a turnkey solution with a pre-certified LR1121 variant available.
"By collaborating with Semtech on this offering, we are leveraging both companies' leadership and expertise to create the most needed solution in the IoT market, which provides multi-band LoRa and long-range frequency hopping spread spectrum (LR-FHSS) communication over sub-GHz and 2.4 GHz ISM bands, as well as licensed S-Band for satellites," said Sasaki Akira, Murata's general manager of connectivity module marketing, in the prepared statement.
"The new multi-band module allows designers to develop products with a faster time to market by minimizing BOM size, cost and complexity," Akira addsd in the statement. Johanson Technology's integrated passive device is compatible with the LoRa Connect LR1121 and replaces many RF passive solutions, Semtech reports, allowing a smaller form factor and lower assembly costs. A reference design is available at Semtech's website to jumpstart chip-down designs.
