Redpine intros first wireless M2M combo chip for Internet of Things

USA: Redpine Signals, Inc., a leading developer of ultra-low-power and high-performance multi-standard wireless chipsets and systems, today announced the release of its RS9113 M2MCombo chip, the first of its kind in the industry. It integrates dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and dual-mode BT 4.0 wireless connectivity, making it the ideal device for universal M2M communications applications.

"M2M is a key application driving the realization of The Internet of Things, which is one of the fastest growing areas within the tech industry," said Scott Gardner, analyst of the Linley Group. "With the rapid proliferation of new protocols, wireless manufacturers need a cost-effective wireless connectivity solution to keep up with the pace. Allowing multiple wireless protocols to easily communicate frees up the market for all sorts of possibilities."

The RS9113 M2MCombo chip is a fully self-contained solution, with no requirement of any part of the protocols to run on a host processor. It is accompanied by a high level of hardware integration and saves manufacturers time and money by accelerating the product introduction by removing challenges involved in solving multiple wireless co-existence issues. Redpine also provides a complete reference design and development environment for creating applications using the new chip, and offers an easy-to-use development kit with a USB interface.

Devices and systems use ZigBee, Wi-Fi, BT and other wired means to communicate, with gateways and hubs offering multiple protocols and providing the link between the devices and cloud systems through the internet.  As a convergence device, RS9113 maintains connections on some or all interfaces – Wi-Fi, BT 2.1+EDR, BT 3.0, BT 4.0, and ZigBee – presenting a virtual simultaneous multi-protocol connectivity, a key feature to create a device which can be deployed in legacy and new wireless environments.

For example, a gateway device implemented with RS9113 could communicate with a medical sensor with single mode BT 4.0 connectivity, a smartphone with BT 4.0/Wi-Fi, or an HVAC device with ZigBee connectivity without the need for multiple modules from various vendors.

"Our experience with thousands of customers in the growing wireless M2M space over the past decade has shown us that they need a way to hurdle over the barriers of multiple protocols in order to accelerate product time to market, and therefore drive The Internet of Things market," said Venkat Mattela, CEO of Redpine Signals.

"Our M2MCombo solution not only provides an outstanding customer value for cost but also speeds up the product lifecycle by removing challenges involved in wireless co-existence issues."

The RS9113 is sampling now and multiple form-factor certified modules based on RS9113 will be available in the second quarter of 2013.