NXP Launches Industry’s First Secure Tri-Band Radio to Advance IoT Connectivity

Industry’s first single-chip tri-band radio family supporting Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth® 5.2 and 802.15.4, enabling simultaneous transmit and receive, bringing higher performance to smart solutions

The series supports Matter, the future secure connectivity standard for smart home interoperability, and offers outstanding coexistence, performance and radio integration 

Seamlessly connect smart devices across protocols and ecosystems, simplifying development and reducing cost and board space for smart home, automotive and industrial devices

CES, Las Vegas, USA - January 7, 2022 - NXP Semiconductors NV (NXP Semiconductors NV) today announced the industry's first secure tri-band radio device IW612 that supports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and 802.15.4 protocols. This new device belongs to NXP's new tri-band radio product family, which enables seamless and secure connections in smart home, automotive and industrial use cases, and supports the new groundbreaking Matter connection protocol. IW612 frees consumers from the limitations of a single protocol ecosystem, and they can enjoy seamless interoperability between different ecosystems and wireless network technologies. In addition, developers can use NXP's advanced coexistence features to support three radio frequencies on a single device, reducing costs and saving development time. 

One of the biggest challenges facing the Internet of Things is interoperability limitations, which prevent consumers from mixing smart home products from different companies. Matter, a new standardized IoT connection protocol designed by industry leaders including NXP, removes restrictions on the use of different manufacturers or wireless technologies by unifying the communication methods of devices. The protocol supports the creation of more connections between more objects, thus simplifying the development process for manufacturers and enhancing compatibility for consumers. 

为了支持新时代互操作性，IW612率先将三种先进的无线电连接集成到同一台设备，可提供强大的无线电性能，同时集成了高性能射频前端。这一技术组合能够让智能家居实现真正的互操作性，显著缩短开发时间，简化设计，降低成本。该解决方案高度集成，可帮助开发人员克服硬件共存挑战，同时支持先进的安全协议，有助于抵御物联网日益增多的安全威胁。 

The IW612 helps combat the ongoing security threats facing smart devices with NXP’s cybersecurity solutions built on years of technology experience. The IW612 provides secure boot, debugging, and wireless firmware update capabilities for continuous protection, while also using the WPA3 security standard and hardware encryption engine.

“With the IW612, developers can create easy-to-use and secure products for smart home, industrial and automotive applications using different wireless connectivity protocols on a single device,” said Larry Olivas, vice president and general manager of Wireless Connectivity Solutions at NXP Semiconductors. “Products ranging from door locks and smart speakers to in-car entertainment and telematics benefit from our tri-band radio solution, which supports multiple technologies and ecosystems, including Matter. This provides developers with a more cost-effective solution while simplifying deployment for consumers.”

“Interoperability has been a key challenge that has led to a fragmented smart home market for years, but Matter-enabled devices can change that,” said Jonathan Collins, research director at ABI Research. “With this new single-chip device from NXP, developers can use Matter-enabled connectivity protocols in their smart home applications, while also spurring greater adoption of Matter. This in turn makes smart devices easier to connect and provides consumers with a greater choice of interoperable devices, improving usability.”

Other details

The IW612 is also ideal for edge router, bridge and gateway applications in smart homes where an integrated Wi-Fi 6 radio is needed to connect Thread or Bluetooth devices to the cloud. In addition, the IW612 supports communication between Matter devices, regardless of whether the device uses Wi-Fi or Thread. Therefore, Matter-over-Wi-Fi products can control and monitor Matter-over-Thread devices, and vice versa, achieving seamless interoperability. 

Key features of the IW612 include:

Tri-band radio integrated

-Wi-Fi 6 reduces network congestion, increases range, improves robustness and reduces power consumption 

- Bluetooth W5.2 for audio (A2DP, LE audio), voice and network debugging

- Bluetooth 802.15.4 for Matter and Thread mesh networks 

Advanced coexistence supports internal and external multi-radio operation

Strong security features to protect against IoT attacks

Pre-verified connectivity to NXP’s broad portfolio of microprocessors and microcontrollers

Integrated RF front end including LNA, high power PA and switch to save system cost, reduce bill of materials cost and reduce space

Product Availability

The IW612 is sampling now and will be demonstrated at CES 2022. For more information, visit NXP.com/Matter or contact a global NXP sales representative.