Chipset simultaneously supports ZigBee & Thread

30th June 2015

GreenPeak

Nat Bowers

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GreenPeak Technologies has announced what it claims to be the industry’s first single radio multi-protocol chipset with multi-channel receive capability for STBs, gateways and other advanced IoT devices. The GP712 will enable devices to support multiple protocols in normal operation, or to create a single SKU (stock keeping unit) that determines the type of protocol used in the consumer’s home at the time of installation instead of as a factory selection.

As ZigBee is the dominant communication technology for wireless sensor networks and Thread will quickly become a prevailing player in the same IoT communication space, application developers and device manufacturers need a future-proof solution that can combine both communication protocols for connected home applications. With the launch of the GP712, GreenPeak adds its patented multi-channel receive feature that allows simultaneous listening for both ZigBee and Thread packets using a single radio. This is a major cost reduction for designing future-proof STBs or gateways.

GreenPeak has also improved its frequency agility mechanism to provide enhanced co-existence of the various applications with other 2.4GHz wireless communication systems. In combination with the company’s antenna diversity solution to further optimise the received signal quality, GreenPeak has again created the most robust solution in the market. The GP712 comes in a small footprint 24-pins QFN package, making it well-suited for low-cost PCB design rules in price sensitive applications.

Cees Links, Founder and CEO, GreenPeak Technologies, said: “Both ZigBee and Thread will be dominant in the smart home and IoT. In order to support both communication technologies, the new GreenPeak GP712 supports the two protocols in a single QFN package thereby offering a future-proof, low-cost, small footprint, single chip solution. Our next-gen GP712 radio chip provides the industry’s best multi-channel and multi-protocol solution for concurrent, transparent and complimentary ZigBee and Thread network application processing, all in the same design, at no extra cost.”