Renesas is expanding its low-power WAN product line with an NB-IoT capable wireless module as the company targets markets for smart city, smart homes, medical and ehealth, and industrial internet applications.

The RYZ024A supports Cat-M1 and NB-IoT internet connectivity without need for a gateway. It consumes 1µA (microamp) while in power savings mode, less than competing products. The RYZ024A supports extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) and has an extended voltage range from 2.2V to 5.5V, making it suitable for battery-powered applications.

The addition of NB-IoT connectivity to a Renesas wireless module is a new departure for the company. The module provides two power amplifier output levels: 20dBm (decibel-milliwatts) and 23dBm, ensuring coverage at the cellular network’s edge as well as deep indoor environments.

The RYZ024A is being developed in collaboration with Sequans, a specialist in cellular IoT technology. The company plans to test certify the new module to work with all major radio frequency regulatory specifications defined by organisations such as the Global Certification Forum (GFC) and the PCS Type Certification Review Board (PTCRB), to ensure compliance with complex RF regulatory and carrier-specific requirements for IoT systems of major carriers in North America, Asia Pacific and Europe.

“Cellular LTE-M and NB-IoT categories are now the de-facto wireless standards for connecting low-power IoT devices with global network coverage,” said Georges Karam, CEO of Sequans. “Renesas’ second-generation wireless module based on our Monarch 2 platform offers a certified hardware and software combination with all of the advanced features needed to accelerate the implementation of wireless IoT systems around the world.”

Renesas will provide tools and software that engineers need to design IoT-ready, power sensitive systems based on the RYZ024A, including an evaluation kit, a software stack and RF certifications.

According to Renesas, compared to conventional chipset-based designs, designing in the RYZ024A module will reduce the PCB size by 60 percent and cut development time by up to 90 percent, since the product offers full hardware and software support to integrate the RA or RX family of MCUs.

“Renesas has been aggressively expanding its connectivity portfolio with strategic partnerships and acquisitions for the past five years,” said Roger Wendelken, Senior Vice President in Renesas’ IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit. “The RYZ024A is a great example of our expansive connectivity solution offerings that complement our broad range of embedded microcontrollers and microprocessors to deliver performance, scalability and exceptional reliability.”