Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo SoCs deliver enhanced performance

Infineon Technologies AG has expanded its wireless portfolio with the AIROC Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo SoCs. The new line claims the industry’s first 1×1 Wi-Fi 6/6E and Bluetooth 5.2 combo SoC for the IoT, enterprise, and industrial applications, and its first 2×2 Wi-Fi 6/6E and Bluetooth 5.2 combo SoC for multimedia, consumer, and automotive applications.

The Wi-Fi 6/6E combo SoCs operate in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and the greenfield 6 GHz spectrum for high performance and minimal latency. Key applications include high-quality video and audio streaming applications like gaming consoles, AR/VR, smart speakers, media-streaming devices, and automotive Infotainment. Applications that require an instant response – like security systems and industrial automation – are also target markets, said Infineon.

The AIROC Wi-Fi 6/6E-certified solutions deliver benefits beyond the standard requirements, which include enhanced interference mitigation, lower latency, and better Wi-Fi/BT Coexistence, according to Infineon. Other advantages include double the wireless coverage range compared to Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 4, 40 percent more coverage than typical Wi-Fi 6/6E solutions, and over 20 percent power savings for longer battery life.

The highly integrated Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo SoCs also feature an on-chip power management unit, power amplifiers, and low noise amplifiers. It also comes packed with multi-layer security, including secured boot, firmware authentication and encryption, and lifecycle management, enabling a higher level of security for IoT applications.

Other features include the latest Bluetooth 5.2 technology for high-quality audio with LC3 and new BLE audio use cases such as audio sharing and audio broadcast, and a unique low-power Wake-on-Bluetooth LE mode that allows the host CPU to conserve power while the Bluetooth core autonomously “listens” for incoming connection requests. It also leverages Infineon’s Smart Coex that maximizes Wi-Fi throughput when used concurrently with Bluetooth, and optimizes for multi-media use cases.

Module partners are finding that the Wi-Fi 6/6E integrated solutions allow for faster development, lower test costs, and product certification. The AIROC Wi-Fi 6/6E and Bluetooth 5.2 combo is currently sampling to select customers. Infineon offers a range of Bluetooth MCUs that include the previously introduced CYW20819 and CYW20820 devices.