Rapid ZigBee-enabled designs for IoT with new expansion kits

Mouser is now stocking the JN5169 ZigBee expansion kits from NXP Semiconductors. Equipped with NXP’s pre-certified ZigBee and IEEE802.15.4 JN5169 wireless microcontroller, these kits enable designers to rapidly introduce ZigBee-enabled wireless products without the need for advanced RF design skills. Each kit comes equipped with pre-programmed software capabilities, such as wireless lighting and sensor functionality, providing engineers the tools necessary for wireless network development for IoT and smart home applications. The expansion kits each contain components that form a ZigBee network node based on the NXP JN5169 wireless microcontroller. Depending on what type of wireless capability is required, each kit concentrates on a particular type of ZigBee-enabled functionality. The JN5169XK010 expansion kit provides a dimmer switch, level control, and LED functionality, and the JN5169XK020 expansion kit provides lighting and sensor functionality as part of a ZigBee wireless network. Both kits include a Carrier Board and a JN5169 module with integrated PCB antenna. The JN5169XK010 features an expansion board that features four switches, four LEDs, and a potentiometer, while the JN5169XK010 includes a Lighting/Sensor Expansion Board that features a white dimmable LED cluster, an RGB color LED module, a light sensor, and a humidity/temperature sensor. Both the JN5169XK010 and JN5169XK020 kits can be introduced into the network via ZigBee commissioning or, optionally, via NFC commissioning. Both kits also include an adapter for connecting the Carrier Board to an NXP NTAG I2C antenna board, also available from Mouser. Rounding off the expansion kit offering is the OM15020: JN5169 USB Dongle, which can be used as a node in a ZigBee wireless network and configured as a control bridge, co-ordinator or packet sniffer. The dongle comes pre-programmed as an IEEE802.15.4 packet sniffer, which enables it to be used with available Ubiqua Protocol Analyzer software to detect packets in a ZigBee wireless network. The dongle can be re-programmed with other JN5169 applications simply by plugging the dongle into a PC and using a JN51xx Flash Programmer utility to download a new application to the flash memory on the device.