- Provides maximum performance and low power suitable for new/proprietary protocols -

November 13, 2014 – Silicon Labs, a specialist in wireless connectivity solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT), announced the launch of its next-generation EZRadio® and EZRadioPRO® wireless ICs. These products provide industry-leading power efficiency, wireless range, and flexibility. Operating in the sub-GHz band, the new Si4x55 EZRadio and Si4x6x EZRadioPRO product families support a wide range of emerging protocols as well as existing proprietary protocols, including IEEE 802.15.4/4g, Wireless M-Bus, and Wi-SUN standards. The EZRadio and EZRadioPRO product families provide a feature-rich, high-performance multiprotocol wireless connectivity platform suitable for various IoT applications, including wireless sensor networks, industrial M2M communications, remote control, security systems, and smart meters.

Silicon Labs' new EZRadio and EZRadioPRO product families provide the highest level of RF performance and single-chip integration in the sub-GHz wireless IC market. These sub-GHz wireless IC products offer industry-leading performance and specifications in terms of transmit power (up to +20 dBm for EZRadioPRO), receive sensitivity (-116 dBm for EZRadio / -133 dBm for EZRadioPRO), and link budget (153 dB).

EZRadio and EZRadioPRO devices are ideal for battery-powered wireless applications and consume the industry's lowest standby current of 40 nA in memory-preserved mode, resulting in up to 75% less sleep mode current consumption compared to competitor solutions. Each device is equipped with a signal arrival detector that can reduce average receiver current by detecting signals faster than existing sub-GHz receivers. This signal arrival detector is patent pending. Accordingly, battery life can be efficiently extended to suit various applications. Equipped with a high-efficiency PA that consumes only 18mA at 10 dBm output, this energy-friendly sub-GHz wireless product can operate on a single coin cell battery and is suitable for smart meter designs requiring long-range communication and battery life of up to 20 years. Advanced features such as autonomous duty cycling between active and low-power modes, frequency hopping, and antenna diversity minimize interaction with the host MCU and further reduce power consumption of the entire system.

Silicon Labs' sub-GHz wireless technology supports various proprietary protocols through flexible on-chip packet handler and modem technologies. EZRadio devices manage the most basic packet formats, while EZRadioPRO devices are designed for more complex packet formats. The flexible architecture reduces the load on the host microcontroller (MCU) without degrading RF performance. EZRadio and EZRadioPRO devices can support protocol stacks such as 802.15.4-based mesh networks or point-to-point star networks by using Silicon Labs' 8-bit MCU or 32-bit EFM32® Gecko MCU as an external host.

The Si4x55 EZRadio transceivers, transmitters, and receivers provide a cost-effective and easy-to-use wireless connectivity solution suitable for basic “push-button” applications such as set-top boxes, two-way key fobs, and garage door openers. Configurations include simple point-to-point or radial networks with standard packet formats. EZRadio devices supporting the 283-525 and 850-960 MHz frequency bands provide excellent communication range, industry-leading power efficiency, and superior blocking and phase noise performance for indoor applications. Supplied in the smallest package size (3 mm x 3 mm) in the sub-GHz market, EZRadio devices are suitable for space-constrained wireless device designs.

The Si4x6x EZRadioPRO transceivers, transmitters, and receivers are an excellent choice for developers requiring state-of-the-art features, superior RF performance, and a wider range of protocol options. These products are ideal for very long-distance narrowband applications utilizing complex and enhanced packet format network protocols. These devices are designed to meet stringent regulatory and standard compliance requirements, including FCC part 90 Mask D, ETSI Category-I, ARIB T108, Wireless M-Bus, and IEEE 802.15.4/4g options. The Si4461 EZRadioPRO transceiver recently received Wi-SUN certification from a leading Japanese sub-GHz wireless module partner and features IEEE 802.15.4g compliance.

Daniel Cooley, Vice President of MCU and Wireless at Silicon Labs, stated, “The sub-GHz connectivity market is continuously evolving to support new wireless protocols that can enable IoT,” adding, “As a leading provider of high-performance, ultra-low-power wireless connectivity solutions for IoT, Silicon Labs has been leading the sub-GHz wireless market for many years.” “We designed the latest versions of the EZRadio and EZRadioPRO devices to meet demanding application requirements, such as longer battery life, longer wireless range, and flexibility for handling multiple protocols, using a single cost-effective RF IC,” he said.

While configuring numerous high-performance RF ICs is becoming increasingly difficult, Silicon Labs has simplified sub-GHz wireless design with its easy-to-use GUI-based Wireless Development Suite (WDS). Available for free on the Silicon Labs website, WDS eliminates the complex manual configuration processes required for most RF designs, thereby reducing the effort involved in the design process by shortening the time needed to calculate and verify wireless parameters. Developers can simply select from predefined, optimized example code or easily design their own custom configurations.

Product Price and Purchase Information
The Si4x55 EZRadio and Si4x6x EZRadioPRO products are currently available in sample and production quantities. The Si4x55 EZRadio product family is priced at $1.02 per unit in 10,000-unit quantities, and the Si4x6x EZRadioPRO is priced at $1.10 per unit in 10,000-unit quantities (all prices are in USD). To accelerate development, Silicon Labs offers EZRadio and EZRadioPRO development kits utilizing a common set of C8051F930-based MCU motherboards and RF Pico boards. The EZRadioPRO development kits (4461C-868-PDK, 4463C-915-PDK, and 4438C-490-PDK) are available for $299.00. The EZRadio development kits (4455C-915-PDK, 4455C-868-PDK, and 4455C-434-PDK) are available for $199 (USD MSRP). For detailed information on Silicon Labs' EZRadio and EZRadioPRO wireless ICs, as well as for purchasing samples and development tools, please refer to www.silabs.com/wireless .