- New SoCs for Wi-SUN, and for Wi-FI 6 with BLE
- Matter 1.0 Ushers New IoT Product Releases
- Aiding Amazon Sidewalk Development
With the growth of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions in the industrial and commercial sectors, Silicon Labs has released two new products, as well as two solutions aimed at developers, to serve the growing diversity of IoT applications. The products are intended for use with multiple IoT networks and protocols, and both are an extension of the company’s Series 2 system-on-chip (SoC) family.
The new offerings include a complete Matter developers solution for those using the Matter IoT standard, as well as a developers platform known as the Silicon Labs Pro Kit for Amazon Sidewalk, for those using connectivity via Amazon’s IoT service. These products and solutions are available now for developers and designers to begin building Matter-ready products or devices leveraging the Amazon Sidewalk network.
Among the new products is an SoC and power amplifier for the Wi-SUN standard, the FG25 SoC and EFF01 Front End Module. When used together, they are designed to provide a sub-gigahertz transmission range of up to 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) in dense urban environments, such as smart cities. The other new product, the SiWx917, is a Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) SoC family, designed for low power and a long battery life.
New SoCs for Wi-SUN, and for Wi-FI 6 with BLE
Matthew Johnson
Silicon labs is a Texas-based IC company that manufactures products for multiple protocols and for interoperability-driven systems. “We see Wi-Fi becoming more relevant in our space,” said Matthew Johnson, Silicon Labs’ CEO, in a recent press conference. The longer battery life, he explained, opens up new application opportunities. The latest products are intended to advance innovations underway in IoT development, based on Matter and Amazon Sidewalk, as well as Wi-SUN and WiFi-6 technologies. The company released its Series 2 SoC family for Internet of Things systems in 2019, and it reports that it has since doubled its IoT revenue. “That momentum and potential has been incredibly exciting for us,” he said.
The Matter IoT standard originated as Project Connected Home over IP for home automation, for use with a variety of technologies, including Wi-Fi, Thread/Zigbee, BLE and Z-Wave (see Alliance for IoT Brand Matter Focuses on Standards). The standard provides a unifying application layer for the interoperation of multiple smart-home ecosystems, and it’s intended to reduce the fragmented development of IoT technologies and devices. Matter membership includes major technology companies and brands. Initially, it covered devices such as light bulbs and switches, but the same standard will now be used for a variety of IoT applications in homes, as well as in industrial and commercial settings.
The Matter-certified products are slated for launch this fall under the Matter 1.0 application layer, Silicon Labs reports. Companies offering Matter-supported devices include Comcast, GE Lighting, LG and Nanoleaf. To accelerate the adoption of Matter-based systems, Silicon Labs says its portfolio of hardware and software is aimed at providing end-to-end Matter development kits for the varied ecosystems and wireless protocols that can operate within the standard.
Matter 1.0 Ushers New IoT Product Releases
The FG25 SoC and EFF01 Front End Module (left) and the SiWx917
The complete Matter solution is a development platform that supports smart-home technology development, whether users employ the Wi-Fi, BLE or Thread protocols. It comes with Silicon Labs’ 2.4 GHz wireless MG24 SoC with Bluetooth, Johnson said, and it offers backward compatibility to work with existing implementations so that when users bring home a Matter-compliant device, it will interact with their existing IoT devices.
The other standard accelerating IoT development is Amazon Sidewalk, an Internet of Things network supported by the company after which it is named (see Amazon Brings IoT Home with Sidewalk). The shared IoT network was taken live in June 2021, and it works with Amazon Echo devices, as well as other home, industrial and commercial devices, for easy connectivity. Sidewalk users would acquire bridge devices that could create a network, which could then be used by a business or be shared throughout a community for a variety of IoT purposes.
The solution, according to Amazon, is intended to take wireless connectivity beyond a home’s front door, for such applications as connecting water sensors for gardens or lawn sprinkler systems; locating valuables, such as a bicycle, a pet or car keys; and diagnostics, to enable customer support for tools or appliances in areas where Wi-Fi connectivity is unavailable. While the focus is on enabling a smart neighborhood, the technology is designed to offer a long range for IoT devices that could be employed by businesses, as well as by consumers in their homes.
Aiding Amazon Sidewalk Development
The Silicon Labs Pro Kit for Amazon Sidewalk is designed to aid in the development of the variety of products and solutions being developed around this network. The kit comes with a pre-flashed software image and Amazon Web Services pre-registration, allowing developers to quickly develop Sidewalk devices. It also includes Simplicity Studio, provided as part of the Matter development solutions, an integrated development environment that guides developers from system setup to finalized code certification.
Early IoT deployments are moving beyond the home to focus on utilities and businesses. The Sidewalk approach, Johnson said, is “opening the door to new applications outside of traditional home applications.” For instance, Silicon Labs is working with IoT engineering company Oxit and sensor company New Cosmos USA on a gas alarm that detects the presence of natural gas and alerts authorized parties using the platform. Other examples of industrial deployments include meter tracking and water loss prevention.
“Sidewalk is creating literally an entire network behind the scenes,” Johnson said, adding, “That network availability just keeps getting bigger and more broad, and that opens the door up to more applications.” Earlier this year, Silicon Labs released its MG24 SoC, which supports Matter over Thread and offers a range of up to 200 meters (656 feet) indoors. The SoC enables the Bluetooth commissioning of new devices and can be combined with the company’s RS9116 Wi-Fi-based product.
Key Takeaways:
- Silicon Labs is growing its presence in the IoT space with two new SoC products and two solutions, intended to help developers create new products and IoT devices.
- The company’s latest offerings are aimed at extending innovation for Matter-based systems, as well as for Amazon Sidewalk.