Alpha Micro Components signs distribution partnership with GainSpan and boosts wi-fi portfolio with low-cost ultra low power wi-fi components and modules

A cost effective alternative to solutions developed to run on Zigbee, GainSpan’s Wi-Fi components and modules are ideal for use within the healthcare and fitness, smart energy, industrial, commercial/building automation and home security markets.

New for 2011 is the GS1500M Wi-Fi module which supports 802.11 b/g/n rates up to 72Mbps and peer-to-peer networking. GainSpan’s Wi-Fi GS1011M and GS1500M modules make it easy to add Wi-Fi connectivity to standard 8-32 bit microcontrollers and are aimed at plug-and-play integration of Wi-Fi into embedded platforms using SPI or UART interfaces.

Commenting on the new Alpha Micro/GainSpan partnership, Christos Papakyriacou said, “Competitively priced, the new Wi-Fi family of products is ultra low power which makes it a compelling proposition for clients looking for lower cost alternatives to devices that run on alternative wireless technologies. Most people think of Wi-Fi as a “power hungry” wireless medium but GainSpan has some clever technology that delivers ultra low power Wi-Fi which opens up lots of new opportunities for customers wanting to tap into the well-established and readily available Wi-Fi ecosystem.”

Concluding, Alan Kiltie, Sales Director Europe, GainSpan, said, “Wi-Fi is becoming increasingly ubiquitous and has emerged as the primary means for devices to gain Internet connectivity. Over 1 billion Wi-Fi devices and over 10 billion embedded microcontrollers are expected to ship in 2011, with an increasing number of these microcontrollers requiring connectivity to the internet or to control devices such as smartphones. This combination of ubiquitous access to Wi-Fi, low power Wi-Fi capabilities, and ease of integration of Wi-Fi is allowing new product opportunities to become a reality.”