Silicon Labs has launched the industry’s first multiband, multiprotocol wireless system-on-chip (SoC) devices for the Internet of Things (IoT) market. These new multiband Wireless Gecko SoCs enable developers to use the same multiprotocol device for operation in 2.4 GHz and multiple sub-GHz bands, simplifying connected device designs, reducing cost and complexity, and speeding time to market. Multiband Wireless Gecko SoCs are ideal for IoT connectivity products in application areas such as building and home automation, smart metering, security, health and fitness monitoring, connected lighting, electronic shelf labels and asset tracking.
These SoCs are designed to support standards-based and proprietary 2.4 GHz protocols for short-range connectivity and proprietary sub-GHz protocols for long-range connectivity. A single hardware design can support multiple connectivity scenarios based on the firmware/software running on the SoC. This flexible architecture enables developers to work with one set of software tools while supporting proprietary stacks and standard protocols such as ZigBee, Thread and Bluetooth low energy. These Wireless Gecko SoCs also enable developers to future-proof their designs. Next-generation connected device products can embed a combination of protocols such as Bluetooth to commission and configure devices with a smartphone or tablet and sub-GHz protocols to communicate over long-range star networks.
This new multiband, portfolio features three SoC families optimized for real-world IoT use cases and the most popular wireless protocols:
- Mighty Gecko family – Supports ZigBee, Thread and Bluetooth low energy connectivity at 2.4 GHz and proprietary protocols in both 2.4 GHz and sub-GHz bands
- Blue Gecko family – Supports Bluetooth low energy connectivity at 2.4 GHz and proprietary protocols in both 2.4 GHz and sub-GHz bands
- Flex Gecko family – Supports flexible proprietary wireless protocols in 2.4 GHz and sub-GHz bands for diverse applications
