November 7, 2013, Seoul — STMicroelectronics (ST), a global semiconductor company providing a wide range of electronic applications, has launched the 'ST2100 STreamPlug,' a HomePlug® smart SoC targeting smart home and smart energy applications worldwide. This device is currently being incorporated into a new intelligent product portfolio jointly developed by ST and Tatung, a Taiwanese electronics company specializing in smart home solutions.

ST's ST2100 StreamPlug is the world's first intelligent gateway SoC that combines a high-performance processing subsystem with Powerline Communications (PLC), security, and peripherals to support hybrid networks using popular wired and wireless standards. The ST2100 is designed to support IEEE 1905.1, enabling customers to integrate Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and other networking standards into new gateway or hub designs. The ST2100 StreamPlug supports HomePlug® AV and HomePlug Green PHY, as well as popular PLC protocols such as IEEE 1901 broadband power line connectivity.

Through collaboration based on the ST2100 StreamPlug SoC, ST and Tatung have developed innovative solutions, such as Tatung’s 'Gateway One' home networking hub and smart-energy devices. Gateway One enables the construction of a multi-bearer home network integrating Ethernet, WLAN, PLC, and multimedia devices, significantly enhancing energy efficiency, security, comfort, and convenience throughout the entire home. Tatung’s Meter Bridge and Home-Area Network (HAN) Bridge allow multi-family homes to enjoy the convenience of smart energy applications while resolving challenges related to energy usage and billing. The M1i and M3 are intelligent devices that provide network connectivity and energy management for devices connected to AC power lines. While the M1i is optimized for industrial applications, the M3 includes features widely used in residential settings, such as plug-in electric vehicle charging.

"We have long foreseen that open service platforms would become a key element of the smart energy and smart home markets. Gateway One is a significant milestone for this vision and the result of our partnership with ST, centered around the ST2100 StreamPlug SoC," said Wen K Lin, Vice President of Tatung. "Since the two companies first announced their collaboration at CES in January 2013, we have made tremendous progress by combining our technologies. We sincerely thank ST, a leading company in smart home networking technology, for their contribution to our vision."

Matteo Lo Presti, ST Group Vice President and General Manager of Industrial and Power Conversion, said, "Through our successful collaboration with Tatung, we were able to demonstrate and highlight the unique capabilities of the ST2100 StreamPlug SoC as a platform for implementing hybrid networks for smart energy and IoT applications in consumer and industrial markets. This innovative IC is not only available to designers worldwide but also provides the support necessary for customers to successfully complete their projects."

The StreamPlug ST2100 is currently available to select customers and is supplied in a 12mm x 12mm TFBGA 373 BGA package. Pricing and sample requests can be confirmed with the ST Seoul office.

Additional technical information
The ST2100 StreamPlug SoC application processor features an ARM926EJ-S core running at 330 MHz and provides an external memory management subsystem. In addition to a PLC modem, analog front-end, USB 2.0, Ethernet interface, and color-LCD controller, a dedicated security engine supporting advanced encryption algorithms such as AES, DES/3DES, and IPSec is also integrated into the chip.

From a software perspective, virtual machine support provides an interface to guest operating systems (OS), such as Linux kernel 2.6, which is distributed directly by ST. PLC protocol support includes popular HomePlug standards, such as the latest IEEE 1901 Broadband Power Line (BPL) standard, 200Mbps HomePlug AV for HDTV and VoIP traffic transmission, and HomePlug Green PHY optimized for smart grid applications.