New radio chips and integrated modules allow design engineers to quickly and easily add Smart Home/IoT capabilities to their devices and solutions
GreenPeak Technologies launched the new GP691 ZigBee communication controller chip and GPM6000 integrated ZigBee Modules for Smart Home and IoT networks and devices.
The new GP691 ZigBee communications controller provides IEEE Standard 802.15.4-compliant robust spread spectrum data communication in the worldwide 2.4 GHz band and is capable of running the full stack and application for ZigBee applications, including ZHA and ZLL profiles. The GP691 features a radio transceiver, real-time MAC (Medium Access Control) processor, micro-controller, security engine, 16 KB RAM and 248 KB Flash memory for field upgradeability. In addition to fully supporting the latest ZigBee 3.0 (including the ZHA 1.2) specification for wireless sense and control networks, the new GP691 chip boasts the industry’s most efficient power consumption for both transmit and receive. This is critical for the design of battery and energy harvesting powered Smart Home and IoT devices. The GP691 is over the air upgradable and includes support for new 802.15.4 based standards upon availability, such as Thread.
ZigBee 3.0 supports a wide range of Home, Enterprise and Industrial Automation, Smart Energy, and Light Link applications. IEEE 802.15.4 compliant, it can cover a complete home with multiple floors. It can handle dead spots and WiFi interference via mesh networking. ZigBee 3.0 also supports large networks comprised of thousands of devices, which also makes it suitable for industrial applications and building automation. ZigBee 3.0 also includes Green Power, part of the ZHA and ZLL profiles, which supports energy harvesting and battery-free applications. Without requiring batteries, these self-supporting devices typically generate (harvest) just enough power to transmit a brief command to the network via ZigBee.
GreenPeak has partnered with USI, Universal Scientific Industrial (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, to develop an integrated module for the GP691 that reduces product design company’s time to market without having to solve RF product integration challenges or to worry about international wireless certification. The compact (25 × 17 × 2.5 mm) pre-integrated, pre-certified module adds a power stage/LNA providing up to 20 dBm output power, special transmit and receive circuitry and an integrated antenna plus a connector for a second external antenna enabling antenna diversity configurations, which all together, allow for greater range and robustness, providing coverage throughout an entire home. This module will be offered as the first in the GPM6000 module series optimized for Smart Home solutions.
