Ultra-Low-Power for Cloud Connected Sleep Mode

Wi-Fi IoT devices such as smart locks, switches, security cameras, and sensors spend most of their time in a connected sleep mode – i.e., sleeping while being associated to the Wi-Fi access point (AP) and connected to the cloud. The periods of active communication typically last just seconds after which the device resorts back to the connected sleep mode. Due to the very “sleepy” IoT duty-cycle, the connected sleep is the most critical factor affecting device’s power consumption and battery life.

SiWx917 features the lowest Wi-Fi 6 power consumption for cloud-connected sleep mode in its class, only 22µA. Its combined system power consumption for Wi-Fi 6 connected sleep mode with the application MCU in sleep is just 37µA.

The sheer power-efficiency of the SiWx917 solves the main design challenge for device makers: long battery life and low standby current consumption. In fact, an independent testing provider, Novus Labs, estimated that SiWx917 can enable smart locks to reach a 5-year battery life with four AA batteries with a capacity of 3000mAh.

 

Wi-Fi IoT Frequency Band

The home is a challenging RF-environment for Wi-Fi product developers due to reflecting surfaces and signal attenuating obstacles such as concrete walls. SiWx917 uses the IoT-friendly 2.4 GHz frequency band to deliver energy-efficient, long-range indoor Wi-Fi 6 connectivity with effective wall penetration and high bandwidth.

 

Dual-Processor Architecture

The dual-core processor architecture with a powerful application MCU and network wireless processor (NWP) always maximizes performance and efficiency in both sides. The NWP also runs the IP-networking stack and security engine offloading these tasks from the application MCU, and allowing it to sleep while the NWP handles all network protocol traffic and collects sensor data.

 

Edge Computing

The SiWx917 is a fully-integrated edge computing platform including an application MCU, large memory, a rich set of peripherals, ADC, Sensor Hub, DCDC converter, high GPIO count, security engine, an AI/ML accelerator, and much more, allowing manufacturers to squeeze every last drop of efficiency out of its compact 7x7mm footprint.

 

Ultra-Low-Power Peripherals

The ultra-low-power (ULP) peripherals are a crucial element of the low-power capabilities of SiWx917. They enable sensor data collection while the application MCU and NWP are sleeping, saving considerable amounts of energy.

 

Large Memory

Wi-Fi IoT devices and smart appliances need to run ever more advanced applications and endure years of operational lifetime on the field. During this time, they will receive frequent software and security updates. The SiWx917 features the largest SRAM, PSRAM, and Flash memory configuration in its category, giving device makers more space for the application, OTA updates, wireless stacks, Matter, and future code growth.

 

Matter Protocol Support

The Matter protocol is the de-facto application layer technology aggregating the most popular smart home ecosystems such as Amazon, Apple, Google, and Samsung under a single umbrella. The SiWx917 offers a single-chip Matter support and pre-certified Bluetooth LE for fast integration to popular ecosystems, significantly reducing development and testing work for the device makers.

 

RF-Certified Modules

Competition in the Wi-Fi IoT market is intense, yet Wi-Fi involves a complicated and time-consuming certification and testing, impacting time to revenue. To speed up Wi-Fi antenna design and RF certifications, SiWx917Y modules integrate antenna (or RF-pin), 40MHz crystal, and worldwide RF-certifications in a 16x21mm PCB package, reducing development and BoM sourcing costs and accelerating development time radically.

 

Learn More About IoT-Optimized Wi-Fi

Silicon Labs provides you with the most IoT-optimized Wi-Fi solutions, integrating all the capabilities of modern IoT into a single package while maximizing battery life and minimizing standby current for smart devices. Click below to learn more about our IoT-optimized Wi-Fi solutions and get a low-power Wi-Fi whitepaper and power optimization examples for six IoT devices.