RFaxis, Inc., a semiconductor company focused on developing next-generation RF solutions for the wireless connectivity market, announced a new collaboration with Austin, Texas-based Silicon Labs SLAB, -0.07% on chipset reference designs to address the high-growth Internet of Things (IoT) and smart home markets.
Specifically, RFaxis has developed RF front-end reference designs that extend the reach and capabilities of Silicon Labs’ ZigBee® and Thread EM35x mesh networking products. Silicon Labs is a founding member of the Thread Group that is helping product developers and consumers easily and securely connect more than 250 devices into a low-power, wireless mesh network that supports seamless Internet and cloud access.
“We are pleased to have collaborated with RFaxis on these new reference designs,” said Greg Fyke, Director of Marketing for IoT Wireless Products at Silicon Labs. “The RFaxis chipset reference designs provide our mutual customers with fully integrated and cost-effective RF front-ends to meet the needs of a wide variety of products in the connected home.”
“We are delighted to be working together with Silicon Labs, a global semiconductor leader that is pioneering solutions for Internet of Things networking products,” said Raymond Biagan, Vice President of Worldwide Sales at RFaxis. “The integrated and cost-effective CMOS RF front-end integrated circuit (RFeIC™) technology that RFaxis provides combined with Silicon Labs’ chips, ZigBee or Thread software and development tools will help spur development of innovative and low-cost IoT products by device makers. This collaboration is not only ideal for RFaxis, Silicon Labs and their customers, but it also helps enable innovations throughout the smart home industry.”
Technical Highlights
RFaxis initially will provide its RFX2401C reference design, followed by its RFX2411 and future products with antenna diversity. The RFX2401C and RFX2411 are fully integrated, single-chip, single-die RFeICs™ that incorporate all the RF functionality needed for IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee, wireless sensor networks, the IP-based Thread mesh networking protocol and other wireless systems in the 2.4 GHz ISM band.
The RFX2401C and RFX2411 architectures integrate the power amplifier (PA), low-noise amplifier (LNA), transmit and receive switching circuitry, the associated matching network and a harmonic filter in a single-chip CMOS device. The RFX2411 includes an additional antenna diversity switch, as well as a bypass mode to provide maximum flexibility for system implementations. Ideal for high-power applications like home automation, smart house/smart living and smart power environments, the RFaxis RFX2401C and RFX2411 combine superior performance, high sensitivity and efficiency, low noise, small form factor and low cost. Both RFaxis offerings provide a perfect solution for applications requiring extended range, receive sensitivity and bandwidth.
