AIROC WiFi & Bluetooth combo chip brings reliable satnav

The AIROC wireless solution combines WiFi 5 (802.11 ac) and Bluetooth 5.0 on a single chip and adds fast and robust wireless connectivity that is critical to the navigation device. Infineon’s AIROC family includes a broad range of wireless solutions that deliver reliable, high performance connectivity.

The TomTom GO Discover downloads map updates three times faster than other navigation devices, powered by the integrated 5 GHz WiFi frequency band. Furthermore, with the integrated Bluetooth interface, the TomTom GO Discover can also be connected to the smartphone, making both real-time traffic information and TomTom's premium live services available at all times. This includes up-to-date information on fuel prices, parking availability and the localisation of charging points for electric vehicles.

“Built with safety in mind, the new TomTom GO Discover makes every journey more enjoyable,” said Mike Schoofs, Managing Director of TomTom Consumer. “With Infineon's AIROC wireless connectivity solutions, we have succeeded in fitting the satnav with powerful and fast wireless interfaces enabling the device's traffic and map information to be regularly updated. The chip allows us to combine our in-depth understanding of driver requirements with the latest and greatest technology.”

“The low power products from our AIROC wireless connectivity portfolio utilise advanced design and processing techniques to reduce power consumption during operation and sleep mode,” added Sivaram Trikutam, Senior Director IoT Compute and Wireless at Infineon. “In addition, the 1x1 chip integrates high-level hardware processes and algorithms that optimise the collaboration of WLAN and Bluetooth for maximum performance. As a result, the chip is ideal for mobile navigation devices that require reliable wireless interfaces to provide drivers up-to-date information on traffic conditions and other relevant information.”

The AIROC wireless connectivity portfolio offers 1x1 WiFi 5 (802.11ac), Bluetooth, and operates in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency spectrum. The WiFi 5 mode supports 20MHz, 40MHz and 80MHz channels for data rates up to 433.3 Mbps and all rates specified in 802.11a/b/g/n are also supported. This triples the throughput and transmission speed over WLAN and significantly improves scalability.

The high-data transmission speed proves particularly beneficial when streaming media such as HD videos, transferring and storing files, as well as for extending the range of WiFi networks. Furthermore, the WiFi 5 specification helps extend the battery life. Once the WiFi interface has exchanged data at a high rate with its access point, the radio is immediately deactivated and goes back to sleep mode, reducing overall power consumption.

AIROC WiFi & Bluetooth combo chips are now available.