10 May 2016

Qorvo unveils ZigBee 3.0 software development kit to speed deployment of smart home gateways

In booth #2255 (hall N2) at the CES Asia 2016 consumer electronics show in Shanghai, China (11-13 May), Qorvo Inc of Greensboro, NC and Hillsboro, OR, USA (which provides core technologies and RF solutions for mobile, infrastructure and defense applications) has announced the availability of a ZigBee 3.0 software development kit (SDK) for smart home gateways that incorporate the new GP712 radio communication controller chip from GreenPeak Technologies (now the Low Power Wireless business unit of Qorvo, after the firm's acquisition last month). The ZigBee 3.0 SDK allows application developers to program a GP712-equipped gateway to communicate seamlessly with various sensors, controllers and systems within the smart home.

The ZigBee 3.0 SDK includes simplified software development models (APIs) that enable quick development of GP712-equipped gateway products as part of complete, end-to-end systems for the smart home. The SDK architecture is fully scalable and flexible, enabling smooth integration of upcoming standards such as Thread. When combined with the GP712, the SDK allows gateway manufacturers to remain protocol agnostic and support multiple communication stacks in a single device.

"Our new SDK allows application developers to quickly build a ZigBee 3.0-enabled gateway that functions as the heart of the integrated smart home," says GreenPeak's founder & former CEO Cees Links (now general manager of Qorvo's Low Power Wireless business unit). "GP712-enabled gateways serve as the central point for information gathering and routing of communication between sensors, controllers and smart phone apps," he adds. "Smart services like home monitoring, senior lifestyle, HVAC and lighting that use different communication standards will be around for some time. This SDK adds protocol intelligence to the gateway, enabling it to communicate simultaneously using a variety of technologies, and helps ensure compatibility with current and future standards… This important addition to our portfolio will allow the smart home market to continue to grow in a future-proof way," he believes.  

The GP712 radio communication controller chip, unveiled at CES2016, enables optimal coexistence of multiple smart home systems based on the IEEE 802.15.4 radio standard, supporting ZigBee 3.0, Thread, ZigBee RF4CE and ZigBee Green Power in a single radio. True multi-channel support enables the protocol stacks to seamlessly communicate on different channels.

See related items:

Qorvo to acquire ultra-low-power, short-range RF SoC firm GreenPeak

Tags: Qorvo

Visit: www.qorvo.com