Wireless combo chips catering to various radio communication standards are critical in empowering the next generation of internet of things (IoT) hardware. These chips, which incorporate a broad array of wireless protocols, are crucial in designs serving home automation equipment, digital assistants, smart appliances, lighting gateways, climate control systems and electric vehicle charging points.

A combo wireless IC employs sophisticated firmware solutions to combine complex protocol stacks while eliminating issues caused by the co-existence of two or more radios in a single chip. Sivaram Trikutam, senior director of the IoT Compute and Wireless Division at Infineon, notes that a combo chip integrates high-level hardware processes and algorithms to efficiently combine wireless technologies like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on a single semiconductor platform.

This two-in-one solution reduces development time and cost while simplifying the overall system design. For instance, it simplifies antenna design with a single antenna, as well as significantly reduces the certification and qualification overhead for design engineers.

Take the case of NXP Semiconductors, which acquired Marvell’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity assets in 2019 for a transaction valued at $1.76 billion. The acquisition aimed to combine the Dutch chipmaker’s processing platforms with robust connectivity technologies and offer Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo solutions for a variety of applications.

Marvell’s wireless connectivity team has been a pioneer in providing Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo solutions. Fast forward to 2022, when NXP unveiled wireless microcontrollers (MCUs) that boasted multi-protocol radio support for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth LE 5.3, and 802.15.4 capable of supporting Thread and Zigbee.

Market research firm IoT Analytics forecasts the number of connected IoT devices will grow to 27 billion by 2025. These IoT applications often encompass a broad array of wireless technologies, which in turn make wireless combo chips a key recipe for IoT designs. However, if there’s one area that commands the need for multi-standard wireless connectivity, it’s the enablement for Matter in smart home devices.

Smart homes with Matter

A smart home encompasses devices from multiple vendors that incorporate a variety of wireless interfaces and communication protocols. That includes Wi-Fi for high-speed video or data, 802.15.4 with Zigbee or Thread facilitating low-power sensor and control networks, and Bluetooth serving point-to-point communication for audio or file transfers.

Matter—a unified, standards-based communication protocol—enables interoperability in smart homes regardless of which network the devices use. Now add Matter to this multi-radio setting, and you get a clearer picture of the role that wireless combo chips are going to play in embedded IoT solutions targeted at smart home applications.

Matter connectivity is set to become an increasingly important expectation, and wireless combo ICs are forecasted to provide rock-solid connectivity for designs encompassing low-power, multi-protocol systems. With native support for Matter, wireless combo chips can make it easier for developers to integrate Matter functionality into smart home devices.

Take the example of Infineon’s AIROC system-on-chip (SoC) that jointly serves Bluetooth LE and 802.15.4 wireless protocols for Matter-ready smart home applications. The multiprotocol chip CYW30739 comes along with a 96-MHz Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller unit with a floating-point unit that delivers high-performance computing, as well as a highly optimized memory system with flash, RAM and ROM offerings.

Then there is triple-combo SoC from Synaptics that integrates Wi-Fi 6/6E, Bluetooth 5.2 and 802.15.4/Thread for connecting devices across heterogeneous IoT networks. In the triple combo chip—the Matter-compliant SYN4381—Wi-Fi 6/6E encompasses 802.11ax with extended 6 GHz operation and Wi-Fi 6E data rates up to 600 Mbps.

The dual-mode Bluetooth 5.2 (BT 5.2) comes with BLE Audio and high accuracy distance measurement (HADM) technology facilitating proximity detection. Finally, IEEE 802.15.4 features built-in support for the Thread protocol and Matter application layer. Alex Chou, senior VP and GM of the Wireless Connectivity Division at Synaptics, calls triple combo chips the next logical step in smart home networking.

Wireless combo beyond Matter

Matter as an inter-platform communication standard has clearly upended the strategic importance of wireless combo chips. These multi-radio devices are now being designed into smart home applications like thermostats, garage door openers, door locks, IP cameras, robotic vacuums and smart appliances.

However, these wireless combo chips, offering significant integration and power usage benefits, are also used in smart TV, location and gateway applications. Case in point: Infineon’s AIROC CYW43455 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth combo chip has been incorporated into a satnav called TomTom Go Discover, which comes in 5-, 6- and 7-inch displays.

Meanwhile, wireless combo chips continue to grow in sophistication, algorithms use and radio co-existence to bolster overall performance. New communication standards like Wi-Fi 6/E and Bluetooth 5.3 keep boosting speed and streaming capabilities. As a result, these combo chips are likely to grow bigger and more powerful in their quest to efficiently serve a plethora of wireless technologies.

By: DocMemory
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