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Wi-Fi Connectivity for IoT devices? Of course!

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It goes without saying that the Internet of Things is all about connected devices.  But how are they connected?  Most often these are wireless connections and can include:

  • Bluetooth®
  • ZigBee®/Thread
  • WiFi®
  • Proprietary
  • Cellular

And variants thereof.  Each technology has differing capabilities and usages as seen below:

Wireless Technology

Range

Bandwidth

Power

Network Size (Device Connections)

Usage

Wi-Fi

30m

54 – 1300 Mbps

High

2 – 32

Data, Audio, Video

Bluetooth Low Energy

100m

1-3 Mbps

Low

2-7

Audio, PC, Device

ZigBee/Thread

160m

250kbps

Low

3 – 250+

Automation and Control

Proprietary

Miles, Kilometers

1 – 1000 kbps

Low

2 – 100+

Varies

Cellular

Miles, Kilometers

5 – 12 Mbps

High

1000’s

Data, Voice, Video

 

While Wi-Fi is often thought of for use in higher speed data transmission like connecting your laptop or mobile device to a home or office network, it is also a popular connection technology for IoT devices.  Why? Wi-Fi is well established, well understood and widely available.  Most consumers are very comfortable connecting a Wi-Fi device to their home network.  While in the typical use case, it is not thought of as low power, with proper consideration and design, it can be.

The Silicon Labs WGM110 Wi-Fi Module is an excellent example.  It is a fully integrated module intended for applications that require good RF performance, low power and ease of design integration.  It includes all necessary elements such as stack, HTTP Server, and multiple protocols such TCP and UDP. 

Like all wireless modules from Silicon Labs, it has a free and complete SDK that includes BGScript, BGAPI and BGLIB to ease application development, Further, the modules are pre-certified to help minimize standards conformance testing and costs.

Key features include:

  • 48 MHz ARM® Cortex-M3
  • 128kB RAM, 1 MB Flash
  • +16 dBm TX, -98 dBm RX Sensitivity
  • 261 mA TX, 81 mA RX, 22uA deep sleep
  • UART/SPI/USB, 32 GPIO, 12-bit ADC, Timers
  • 14.4 x 21.0 x 2.0 mm outline

Getting started is easy with the Wizard Gecko Starter kit:

  • Silicon Labs WSTK main board
  • WGM110 module
  • Extension board with buttons, sensors, joystick
  • Display
  • Full SDK

There are varied requirements in the market to deliver connected devices spanning connection technologies, hardware such as modules or SoC and software.  The Silicon Labs wireless portfolio offers these options and flexibility.

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Click here for SLWSTK6120A Wizard Gecko WiFi Module Wireless Starter Kit 111-5839

Click here for WGM110A1MV2 WiFi Module 111-5837

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