New dual-band SoC extends connectivity and proprietary long-range wireless protocols

Silicon Labs has released the new dual-band FG28 SoC, designed for long-range networks and protocols like Amazon Sidewalk, Wi-SUN, and other proprietary protocols. A dual-band SoC includes radios for sub-GHz and 2.4GHz Bluetooth LE, a built-in AI/ML accelerator for ML inference, and the company's industry-leading Secure Vault technology.

"The FG28 SoC addresses several key needs for our customers when it comes to developing and deploying low-power wide area networks," said Daniel Cooley, CTO of Silicon Labs. "By including Bluetooth, it gives users an easy way to provision and deploy new devices onto the network, while the sub-GHz band is designed to support device communications over one mile, allowing for new edge applications in areas like smart agriculture, smart cities, and neighborhood networks like Amazon Sidewalk."

As connectivity and computing power is being forced further to the edge, new emerging applications need solutions that provide a 'Swiss army knife' of connectivity options. By delivering sub-GHz connectivity employing networks like Wi-SUN, the device can serve as the battery-operated end node in smart cities, for example, as a tracker on dumpsters to assist in locating them and checking the last time they were emptied or in irrigation systems across multi-acre commercial farming operations, or as livestock trackers and health monitors on sprawling ranches. Bluetooth connectivity permits devices to be readily deployed on the network and enables operators to connect to the device locally for diagnostics, data downloads, and more. The SoC has several additional features that can open new applications for sub-GHz devices.

One of the more exciting developments in the IoT this past year was the opening of Amazon Sidewalk for developers. Amazon Sidewalk is a secure, ubiquitous, always-on community network built by the community, for the community. Amazon Sidewalk provides a secure, reliable, and versatile connection that supports long-range use cases by utilising existing smart home devices like select cameras and speakers as gateways.

Developers and designers interested in designing for Amazon Sidewalk utilising Silicon Labs can watch an on-demand replay of 8 June 2023's Tech Talk, 'Designing Long Range Devices with Amazon Sidewalk'.