MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 31, 2017 – Palma Ceia SemiDesignTM (PCS), a provider of next-generation wireless connectivity solutions, announced today it will be adding a complete baseband solution to its HaLow 802.11ah transceiver offering, providing a complete PHY (Physical Layer) and protocol stack solution for WiFi Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity. The PHY will form the foundation of a complete module solution, including the MAC hardware and software for HaLow, expected by the first quarter of 2018. HaLow is an IoT-targeted WiFi standard offering low-power operation, extended range and variable data throughput in an unlicensed spectrum and was ratified by the WiFi Alliance in 2016.
PCS intends to provide a reference design for both a Station and Access Point so that an operational HaLow network can be prototyped. HaLow will complement the Cellular IoT standards, LTE Cat M1 and LTE Cat NB-IoT, by offering IoT connectivity to WiFi hotspots without data or device access charges. PCS is a fabless semiconductor company offering wireless chips, systems and IP focused on connectivity solutions for emerging WiFi and cellular standards serving Internet of Things (IoT), machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and other markets.
“We are continuing our commitment to become a full solution provider for WiFi IoT and HaLow, or 802.11ah,” said Greg Walker, chief administrative officer of Palma Ceia. “The IoT market requires low-power, long-range, low-cost devices with high throughput, and HaLow offers customers the best option for these use cases. We will provide the connectivity solutions our customers need to build out cost-effective, high-performance IoT networks.”
The PHY supports the mandatory features of 802.11ah at 1MHz- and 2MHz-channel bandwidths. For those channels both 32 and 64 FFT/IFFT are supported. The PHY supports Automatic Gain Control (AGC) for a consistent baseband digital level. A special Tx digital calibration feature improves carrier suppression using a loopback to the RF transceiver.
PCS will provide a set of reference design kits for STA (Stations) and AP (Access Points) to facilitate compliance testing and networking prototyping. For more information on these offerings please contact info@pcsemi.com.