Imagination announces IoT radios

Available as intellectual property for integration into SoCs, there are versions for 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Smart, or both.

The cores are designed for low power consumption, and applications in wearables, IoT, and other connected devices are foreseen.

“Repurposing mobile or other existing connectivity chips or IP won’t work for wearables and other ultra-low power IoT devices. Connectivity IP must be built from the ground up for these new applications, with a focus on low power consumption and compact area,” said the firm.

As an example of power consumption, Imagination spokesman Richard Edgar told Electronics Weekly that a Wi-Fi beacon would power up once every 100ms, consuming a few mA over 3ms then 60mA for 0.5ms when the receiver is live – figures are for 1.8V and a 40nm process.

There are three versions so far, and at least one in the pipeline:

• C5400: 802.11n Wi-Fi, capable of video streaming (24Mbit/s)
• C5300: Bluetooth Smart for short range connectivity (1 or 2Mbit/s)
• C5401: with both for wearables, for example (right).
• 802.15.4 at low Mbit/s rates.

All need separate power and low-noise amplifiers (PAs and LNAs). “People are still looking at separate RF ICs, there are a wide variety out there,” said Edgar, pointing put that an off-die RF allows the same SoC to be used at different transmit power levels.

No area metrics have been released.