CEL Broadens Its Wireless Offering to Include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi SiPs

CEL announces the preliminary release of two new system-in-package (SiP) offerings, significantly broadening the scope and capabilities of its existing portfolio of multi-standard wireless modules.  Both devices – dubbed ‘nano modules’ – complement CEL’s current Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi® family of ‘mini modules.’  Each nano module/SiP employs an identical chipset and RF circuit topology as used on its larger mini module sibling.  CEL customers now have the option of rapidly transitioning their designs to these more compact, highly integrated solutions for instances when their product volumes increase or a smaller form factor is required.  All software ports directly between the nano and mini modules since the same core microprocessor and transceiver are utilized for both variants.

These additions to the CEL portfolio offer customers unprecedented flexibility: mix-and-match the drop-in compatible mini module form factor to support multiple wireless standards with the same PCB, or take advantage of the ultra-small footprint of the nano modules, as needed on a product-by-product basis. Both nano modules are among the smallest stand-alone wireless solutions available on the market today.

The B1012 Bluetooth Smart Nano Module comes fully integrated with a CSR1012 chip scale package IC coupled with two crystals, a low pass filter, and a 64KB EEPROM.  As with its B1010 Mini Module sibling, the B1012 supports Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth Smart or v4.1), as well as the innovative mesh networking capabilities provided by the CSRmesh™ protocol.  Plans are also underway to support the Bluetooth mesh networking standard when it is released later this year.  The device offers a best-in-class RF range of 50m to 100m, with +8.5dBm of output power.  The B1012 Nano Module comes in a 36-pin, 7.2mm x 8.8mm surface mountable package.  Overall size reduction over its mini module sibling is on the order of 79% (antennas not included in the relative comparison).

The WB4343 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth Nano Module integrates a Broadcom BCM4343x, a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4 microprocessor with FPU, two crystals, a low pass filter and RF matching circuitry for a complete, one-chip Wi-Fi + Bluetooth solution.  The device matches the capabilities of the newly released WB4343 Mini Module, supporting Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth Smart.  The WB4343 Nano Module also leverages the world-class WICED SDK toolset from Broadcom, further accelerating design time for customers looking to migrate from the WB4343 Mini Module.

The WB4343 Nano Module offers a best-in-class wireless range, utilizing the BCM4343x’s excellent Wi-Fi and Bluetooth output power levels of +17dBm and +8dBm, respectively.   The device comes in a 151-pin, 10mm x 10mm surface mountable package.  Overall size reduction over its mini module sibling is on the order of 67%  (again, antennas not included in the relative comparison).

Each SiP is 100% RF tested and comes pre-certified for FCC, IC, CE compliance (when coupled with CEL’s reference antenna designs), as well as compliance with the applicable wireless standards (Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth).

The addition of these nano modules facilitates new ways for CEL’s customers to connect their products to a smartphone, tablet or any other Wi-Fi and Bluetooth device within the Connected Home, Lighting, Building Automation, Industrial, and other IoT markets.