Greensboro, NC. Qorvo, a provider of RF connectivity solutions, has introduced a complete system on chip for smart home devices that delivers multiprotocol support with low power consumption.
More than 600 million smart home devices are expected to ship annually by 2021, compared with 40 million in 2015, according to ABI Research in ABI Research Deems Voice Control the New Breakout Star in Smart Home Technology, November 2016.
The GP695 SoC integrates multiple communication protocols, including IEEE 802.15.4, ZigBee 3.0, Thread, and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for sensors and actuators throughout the home. The new Qorvo SoC advances the state of smart home networking by supporting these connectivity standards while optimizing energy efficiency and extending battery life.
Supporting these different connectivity options allows for a single development platform and a single SKU, independent of the communication protocol used by the customer. With this, BLE-based smartphone connectivity for proximity-based services can combine with Thread or ZigBee 3.0 for smart home services.
For example, homeowners can use their mobile phones to connect a GP695-equipped door lock to a ZigBee smart home system using the phone’s BLE protocol. The door lock then can be opened or closed from the mobile phone over BLE. To go a step further, this intelligent system can automatically lock the door over ZigBee when it detects that no one is in the home.
The GP695 complements the multiprotocol GP712, for use with smart home gateways. The GP712 was introduced in 2016 by GreenPeak Technologies—now the Qorvo Wireless Connectivity business.
The GP695 uses the proven ARM Cortex-M4 computing architecture, used by millions of software developers around the world. It features Qorvo Wi-Fi interference mitigation technology and has an extended range that covers the entire home.
In the run-up to the 2016 holiday season, said Alex Davies, analyst and editor at Rethink Technology Research, predicted promising growth for smart HVAC, security systems, connected video doorbells and intercoms, garage door controllers, lightbulbs, smoke alarms, and leak detectors. “With operators and insurance providers looking to move into the smart home sector, these devices are on track to enjoy record growth,” he said.
Cees Links, general manager of the Wireless Connectivity business unit, said, “Qorvo now offers power-efficient, multiprotocol solutions for both gateway and sensor devices in the smart-home network. By using these cost-effective chipsets, designers can let consumers control their smart homes without worrying about evolving IoT standards.”
Qorvo is featuring live demonstrations of its smart-home and IoT solutions at CES in Las Vegas, through January 8.
More information about the IoT is available by downloading the newest Qorvo free e-book series, “Internet of Things For Dummies.” The two-volume series is designed to help technical and nontechnical professionals understand the intricacies of the IoT. The e-books are available at www.qorvo.com/iot-for-dummies.
