UWB Transceiver IC Blows Away Bluetooth on Wireless Data Throughput
The Overview: A UWB Transceiver that Outshines Wi-Fi
With claims of up to 40X better data throughput, 25X lower power consumption, and 60X lower latency, Spark Microsystems's SR1120 UWB transceiver represents a large leap forward over Wi-Fi performance.
Who Needs It & Why: Greater Data Throughput for Gaming, Edge AI, and IoT Apps
Many applications, such as AI glasses for augmented/virtual-reality gaming, edge artificial intelligence (AI), and IoT sensors for industrial systems, robotics, and many others, require greater data delivery capability going forward.
The device is said to be suited for body area networks (BANs) as they evolve to integrate implantable medical devices and sensors that transmit neural activity in real-time. In such applications, wireless data transceivers will need to accommodate exponentially larger volumes of data.
Under the Hood: Speed, Low Power, and Low Latency
It's said that the SR1120 delivers significantly lower power consumption and latency as well as improved interference robustness compared to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and 2.4-GHz radios. Compared to Bluetooth, the SR1120 doubles Spark Micro’s data-throughput advantage from 20X to 40X higher data rates (40.96 Mb/s) while maintaining its edge over Wi-Fi performance. The SR1120 transceiver achieves these performance metrics at about 25X lower power than Bluetooth and 60X lower latency.
Furthermore, compared to other UWB transceivers, the SR1120 brings competitive ranging capability at approximately 100X lower power consumption in a cost-effective architecture. The device offers about 50% greater range compared to the previous-generation SPARK SR1020 and supports multi-antenna configurations leveraging freely licensed spectrum from 6.2 to 9.5 GHz.
The SR1120 UWB wireless transceivers are available today, as is an evaluation kit (EVK) and software development kit (SDK) to quickly assess, prototype, and integrate designs.
