Jan 14, 2022NXP Semiconductors has announced its IW612 secure tri-radio device, which supports the Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and 802.15.4 protocols. Part of NXP's family of tri-radio products, the device enables seamless, secure connectivity for smart-home, automotive and industrial use cases, the company reports, and it supports the new Matter connectivity protocol (see Alliance for IoT Brand Matter Focuses on Standards).
According to NXP, the IW612 is intended to free consumers from the restrictions of single-protocol ecosystems, providing them with seamless interoperability across various ecosystems and wireless network technologies. The solution enables the simultaneous support of three radios on a single device, thereby reducing costs and development times. The device offers secure boot, debug and over-the-air firmware updates for ongoing protection, NXP adds, as well as WPA3 security and hardware encryption engines.
One challenge facing the Internet of Things (IoT), the company explains, has been limited interoperability, which can restrict consumers' ability to mix smart-home products from multiple providers. Matter, a standardized IoT connectivity protocol designed by a consortium of businesses including NXP, was created to address these limitations by unifying how devices communicate, independent of manufacturer or wireless technology. The protocol creates more connections between more objects, NXP notes, simplifying development for manufacturers and compatibility for consumers.
To foster greater interoperability, the IW612 was designed to integrate three connectivity radios onto a single device, in order to provide users with strong radio performance. This technology combination, according to the company, enables interoperability in smart homes, allowing users to reduce development times, simplify design and decrease costs. The integrated solution is built to address developers' hardware coexistence challenges, while enabling security protocols to thwart the increasing number of threats faced by the IoT.
"With the IW612, developers can leverage different wireless connectivity protocols on a single device to create an easy-to-use, secure product for smart-home, industrial and automotive use cases," said Larry Olivas, NXP Semiconductors' VP and general manager for wireless connectivity solutions, in a prepared statement. "From door locks and smart speakers to in-vehicle entertainment and telematics, products can now benefit from our tri-radio solutions that address multiple technologies and ecosystems, including Matter. This provides developers with a more cost-effective solution, while streamlining deployment for the consumer."
Jonathan Collins, a research director at ABI Research, added in the prepared statement: "Interoperability has been a key challenge that has fragmented the smart-home market for years, but Matter-enabled devices can change that. With its new monolithic devices, NXP enables developers to leverage Matter-supported connectivity protocols for their smart-home applications and help accelerate Matter adoption. This, in turn, will provide consumers with improved useability by making smart devices easier to connect and greater choice among the interoperable devices they can use."
The IW612, NXP reports, is suitable for border routers, bridges and gateways in smart homes that require connecting Thread or Bluetooth devices to the cloud using the integrated Wi-Fi 6 radio. Additionally, the device enables communication between Matter devices, regardless of whether or not they employ Wi-Fi or Thread. This allows Matter-over-Wi-Fi products to control and monitor Matter-over-Thread devices, and vice versa, for the purposes of interoperability. The Wi-Fi 6 radio reduces network congestion, extends range, improves robustness and lowers power, NXP explains, while Bluetooth 5.2 enables audio (A2DP and LE Audio), voice and network commissioning, and 802.15.4 allows mesh networking.
The device is built to facilitate coexistence for internal and external multi-radio operation, according to the company, as well as provide security for protection against IoT attacks. Other features include a pre-validated connection to NXP's microprocessor and microcontroller portfolio, plus an integrated RF front-end, including LNAs, high-power PAs and switches for cost savings, reduced bill-of-materials and a lower footprint. The IW612 is being offered as samples now.
