Blending wireless expertise for sub-1Ghz ZigBee sensor networks

By Control Engineering Staff October 5, 2006

ZMD AG, a global supplier of high-precision sensor and wireless semiconductor solutions, is working together with Renesas Technology America , a subsidiary of Renesas Technology Corp., a microcontroller supplier, to offer sub-1GHz, ZigBee wireless-sensor networking products. They will combine ZMD44102 (a sub-1GHz transceiver for ZigBee) and Renesas’ highly integrated M16C microcontroller with full-scale ZigBee software support.

ZMD44102 is based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, operating in the 868MHz and 915MHz bands. It has a range of over 250 m at 0 dBm output-power and a highly integrated hardware MAC for automatic protocol management. Renesas’ M16C microcontroller is designed to minimize electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic susceptibility problems—an important consideration for RF design engineers. It also offers scalable on-chip memory resources, a rich mix of peripherals and complete in-house software support to enable ZigBee applications, including ZigBee software stacks and drivers.

The companies also offer design resources including RF reference design, ZigBee networking software, development kits, and sensor ICs.