Product category:
Communications ICs (Wireless)
News Release from: Microchip Technology | Subject: MRF24J40, MiWi and Zena
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 24 November 2006
Transceiver, stack and analyser cover
ZigBee
Microchip has released three new offerings for wireless networking - the MRF24J40 transceiver, the MiWi protocol stack and the Zena wireless network analyser.
Microchip has released three new offerings for wireless networking - the MRF24J40 transceiver, the MiWi protocol stack, and the Zena wireless network analyser The MRF24J40 is Microchip's first RF transceiver
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 10 Apr 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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The MRF24J40 IEEE802.15.4 transceiver is packaged in a 40-pin Pb-free/RoHS-compliant 6 x 6mm QFN package.
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Microchip currently offers the only fully featured ZigBee protocol stack with a free of charge license and no royalty fees, which is also one of the smallest in the industry and provides a source-code format that allows designers to customise their product using a broad portfolio of PIC microcontrollers.
However, as the full ZigBee protocol has now grown too large and complex for many applications, a large percentage of the market for IEEE802.15.4 wireless networking is likely to use alternative, proprietary protocols.
In addition, ZigBee protocol certification is a costly and cumbersome process.
Microchip's MiWi protocol is a free, small-footprint protocol developed for customers who do not need full ZigBee protocol interoperability but want to use standard IEEE802.15.4 transceivers in low-cost peer-to-peer, star and mesh networks.
No certification is required for MiWi protocol systems, and the protocol stack is provided under a free license, if used with Microchip's microcontrollers and the MRF24J40 transceiver.
The new Zena wireless network analyser tool (part number DM183023) uses a simple graphical interface to configure the free Microchip ZigBee and MiWi protocol stacks.
This can reduce the code sise by removing optional features; can cut development time by simplifying the interactions with the stacks; and can allow customisation of the stack to fit a particular need.
Consisting of both hardware and software, the Zena wireless network analyser that is capable of decoding IEEE802.15.4 ZigBee and MiWi protocol packets - from the lowest layers to the top of the stack (including the security modules).
The network-configuration display window allows users to see the traffic in real time, as it travels from one node to another.
A session can also be saved to a file, to allow further analysis of all the network traffic.
Regardless of which protocol a design engineer selects, Microchip's complete solution enables them to rapidly evaluate and begin developing a vast array of wirelessly networked IEEE802.15.4 applications, including security, lighting, access control, industrial monitoring and automation and personal computer peripherals.
In addition to the ZENA protocol analyser, Microchip offers the PICDEM Z 2.4GHz demonstration kit (part number DM163027-4), which is an easy-to-use evaluation and development platform for IEEE802.15.4 application designers.
The kit includes all of the hardware, software source code and printed circuit board (PCB) layout files needed to rapidly prototype wireless products.
A detailed application note is also available on Microchip's website.
This development platform is based on Microchip's PIC18 high-performance microcontroller family offering a wide selection of products with up to 128Kbyte of Flash program memory in 28- to 100-pin packages.
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