ST releases G3-PLC Hybrid Powerline and Wireless Converged Communications Certified Chipset

STMicroelectronics Releases G3-PLC Hybrid Powerline and Wireless Converged Communications Certified Chipset

Turnkey solution based on the proven ST8500 programmable multiprotocol power line communication SoC and ultra-low power sub-GHz S2-LP RF transceiver

China, June 2, 2021 - STMicroelectronics' ST8500 and S2-LP chipsets are the first to pass the G3-PLC Hybrid powerline and wireless media convergence communication standard certification.

The G3-PLC converged communication specification allows smart grid, smart city, industrial and IoT devices to automatically and dynamically select the best available wireless or power line connection at any time based on network conditions, thereby achieving higher network coverage, connection reliability and system scalability, while also improving system operating cost-effectiveness and supporting new application scenarios.

STMicroelectronics demonstrated the world’s first ST8500 Hybrid chipset supporting the G3-PLC Hybrid fusion communication specification at the 2020 G3-PLC Alliance Interoperability Test Conference. Now, the chipset has taken the lead in completing the latest G3-PLC certification program. The program was released in March 2021 and includes hybrid fusion scenario testing.

The new certified chipset integrates the ST8500 programmable multiprotocol power line communication system-on-chip (SoC), the STLD1 line driver and ST's S2-LP ultra-low-power sub-GHz RF transceiver. The programmability of the SoC chip can support various power line communication protocol stack implementations in global frequency bands such as CENELEC and FCC.

The ST8500 Power Line Communication SoC platform is widely used in smart meters, smart industry and infrastructure. The new ST Hybrid overall solution has been selected by major companies in the smart grid market. In addition, the G3-PLC Alliance's official RF certification test equipment has also selected STMicroelectronics' hardware and firmware solutions.

The ST8500 SoC is available in a 7mm x 7mm x 1mm QFN56 package. Both the STLD1 and S2-LP are available in a 4mm x 4mm x 1mm QFN24 package. All products are in production quantities now. For pricing and sample requests, please contact your local ST sales office.

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The ST8500 SoC implements 6LowPAN and IPv6 communication protocols, integrates RF connection technology with native G3-PLC protocol stack, and receives less than 100mW of power consumption, ensuring ultra-low power performance in line with the latest specifications for minimizing the load that new smart meters bring to the power grid. The chip has built-in high-performance DSP and ARM®Cortex®-M4F processor cores, which are used for real-time processing of protocols and upper-layer applications and system management tasks respectively. Both the DSP and ARM cores have their own on-chip code and data SRAM memories, and integrate peripherals such as 128/256-bit AES encryption engines to meet the needs of smart meter applications. The chip also integrates an analog front end (AFE) for connecting to the STLD1 line driver. The STLD1 chip has the characteristics of low impedance, high drive capability and high linearity, which can achieve reliable communication even on power lines with considerable noise.

The S2-LP is a high-performance ultra-low-power RF transceiver for wireless communication applications in the sub-1 GHz frequency band. It is designed to operate in the license-free ISM and SRD bands of 433, 512, 868 and 920 MHz, and can be configured to the 413-479 MHz, 452-527 MHz, 826-958 and 904-1055 MHz bands. The transceiver has an RF link budget of more than 140dB, which enables long-distance wireless communication and meets the radio equipment regulations of countries and regions such as Europe, North America, China and Japan. ST provides a matching highly integrated balun/filter chip for the S2-LP to simplify the antenna connection circuit design and save PCB area in space-constrained applications.