STMicroelectronics (ST), a global semiconductor company supporting various electronic applications and customers, has expanded smart metering application connectivity.

ST announced on the 6th that its ST8500 G3-PLC (Power-Line Communication) hybrid communication chipset has obtained US FCC (Federal Communications Commission) certification covering the CENELEC-A European band of 9kHz to 95kHz as well as the band plan of 10kHz to 490kHz.

Through such extended certification, data transmission speeds can be increased, design flexibility improved, and final product approval can be easily secured in accordance with specific country regulations.

Smart connected devices using the G3-PLC hybrid profile autonomously select between power lines and wireless communication, and dynamically switch between them to ensure stable connectivity and optimal performance.

ST's ST8500 G3-PLC hybrid chipset consists of an ST8500 protocol controller SoC (System-on-Chip) that supports RF mesh for stable long-range wireless communication, an STLD1 PLC line driver, and an S2-LP low-power IEEE 802.15.4 RF transceiver.

In addition to smart electricity meters, this chipset is used in smart cities, smart infrastructure, andIt provides robust and stable connectivity for smart gas and water meters, environmental monitors, lighting controllers, and remote sensors in environments such as supermarket buildings and smart factories.

ST supports an ecosystem including the EVLKST8500GH868 and EVLKST8500GH915 development kits, which operate at 868MHz and 915MHz respectively, to accelerate the development of smart connected nodes utilizing the G3-PLC hybrid profile for dual PLC and RF connectivity.

Each kit includes a development board to implement a single node by combining the ST8500 and S2-LP chipsets with the STM32G070RB host microcontroller, and custom functions can be added using Nucleo expansion boards.

The related STSW-ST8500GH software framework includes ST's G3-PLC hybrid communication stack, protocol engine, and real-time engine modem firmware images, as well as a framework based on ST's popular STM32CubeMX tool to support developers in rapidly developing and integrating application firmware.

The EVLKST8500GH868 and EVAKST8500GH915 kits are available for purchase at www.st.com and through distributors for $250. For chipset pricing options and sample requests, please contact ST Korea.