Silicon Labs, a leading provider of silicon, software, and solutions, announced the expansion of its Internet of Things (IoT) portfolio with its new standards-based Wi-SUN technology. The new technology aims to accelerate smart city application development and build newer opportunities for IoT market solutions.
Wi-SUN received its certification from the Wi-SUN Alliance, which is a global industry association focused on seamless LPWAN connectivity.
Silicon Labs’ certified Wi-SUN solution brings together the industry-leading EFR32 hardware platform, full-featured IPv6 mesh stack, and advanced development tools. This enables secure wireless connectivity for a broad range of applications such as advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) to street lighting networks, as well as some asset management and smart city sensors such as air quality, parking, and waste management.
“As the leader in IoT wireless connectivity, Wi-SUN is the perfect addition to our portfolio,” said Matt Johnson, Senior Vice President and General Manager of IoT Products, Silicon Labs. “Wi-SUN is a comprehensive solution optimized for large-scale, long-range LPWAN networks. Our Wi-SUN technology enables a non-proprietary approach to industrial and smart city applications, making deployments more scalable, resilient and safer.”
Wi-SUN is built upon standard Internet protocols (IP) and APIs (application programming interface) that let developers extend existing infrastructure platforms to aid new or emerging applications serving a wide range of industrial and smart city workflows. Wi-SUN simplifies wireless infrastructure for cities and emerging suburban areas thanks to its long-range capabilities, high-data throughput, and IPv6 support.
“The Wi-SUN Alliance’s mission is to bring Smart Ubiquitous Networks to service providers, utilities, municipalities and other smart city enterprises,” said Phil Beecher, President and CEO of the Wi-SUN Alliance. “We are pleased to see Silicon Labs and other alliance member companies innovating new solutions on the Wi-SUN FAN specification, which defines everything needed to build secure, reliable, and resilient networks for large scale outdoor smart city applications.”
EFR32xG12 is Silicon Labs’ first family of wireless SoCs ( System on a Chip) to support Wi-SUN, a 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4 platform with a storage capacity of up to 1 MB of flash and 256 KB of RAM and holds an integrated 20 dBm PA (power amplifier) for sub-GHz frequencies. Silicon Labs currently has Wi-SUN FSK PHYs that are accredited, and it is collaborating with lead customers to bring fully certified Wi-SUN applications to the market. The complete Wi-SUN solution from Silicon Labs is scheduled to be available in early Summer 2021.
Silicon Labs presented the advantages of Wi-SUN for smart city applications with Landis Gyr and Pelion at the Smart Cities Connect Virtual Conference held on April 14, 2021.
