World’s smallest Sigfox SiP integrates IoT connectivity

8th February 2018

onsemi

Enaie Azambuja

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Datasheet

Alpha Micro has announced availability of the ON Semiconductor AX-SIP-SFEU, a Sigfox-certified programmable RF transceiver SiP that integrates critical IoT connectivity functions into a single, tiny, ultra-low-power IC package. Features within the package include an advanced RF SoC with complete supporting circuitry including temperature compensated crystal oscillator (TCXO).

Sigfox is a proprietary low data rate LPWAN wireless communications technology that is ideal for applications that require extremely long range and good penetration of dense structures. Sigfox is based on ultra narrowband technology that uses Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) radio frequency ranges.

"This great little single AX-SIP-SFEU IC works just like a traditional LPWAN module but it offers numerous advantages over modules," said Tim Bonnett, Director at Alpha Micro Components. "To put it simply: it's much smaller, much more power efficient, much faster and easier to develop with."

This IC can deliver the extremely long battery life required by IoT devices that may remain in the field and un-serviced for years. Building on the impressively low power consumption already offered by Sigfox technology, the IC's deep sleep mode consumes only 100 nanoamps (nA), while standby and sleep modes run at 0.5 milliamps (mA) and 1.3 microamps (µA) respectively.

The AX-SIP-SFEU is the world’s most compact Sigfox-verified solution. Designers can reap remarkable space savings by taking advantage of the IC’s tiny 7 mm x 9 mm x 1 mm size to replace much larger traditional communications modules, which typically have three times the board footprint and ten times the total volume of this IC.

With the assurance of Sigfox verification, pre-certified radio regulatory compliance and conformal shielding, engineers can fast track their development process and devote more attention to critical antenna and application design tasks.

For designers and developers, ON Semiconductor provides a development kit and an integrated IDE, and an API is available for custom software development.

Basic control of the device, for example to send frames and configure radio parameters, is provided by familiar AT style commands sent over a simple, standard universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART) interface – making development easy for engineers familiar with traditional modules.