RFaxis Collaborates with Renesas on BLE Connectivity

RFaxis, Inc. announced its collaboration with Renesas Electronics America Inc. in a module reference design solution combining Renesas' latest RL78/G1D Bluetooth® Smart microcontroller (MCU) with the RFaxis RFX2411N 2.4GHz RF front-end IC (RFeIC™). Renesas Electronics America has selected the RFaxis RFX2411N RFeIC for its module reference design solution with extended range for Bluetooth Smart, also known as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Renesas provides a range of semiconductor devices that address the growing global Internet of Things (IoT) market and applications, with solutions for appliances in smart homes, smart offices, smart buildings, for automation, remote sensing, industrial control, healthcare and fitness monitoring, asset tracking, among other markets.

“RFaxis provides us with an ideal solution for an extended range module combining our latest BLE v4.1 MCU with their high-performance, low-cost and small form factor RFX2411N RF front–end IC,” said Vin D’Agostino, Vice President, General Purpose Products Unit, Renesas Electronics America, Inc. “We look forward to working with RFaxis on a host of other IoT applications, such as mesh networking technologies as we offer our Bluetooth Smart solution to developers and OEMs who require high efficiency and high link budget for their Bluetooth® devices and networks.”

“We are delighted to partner with Renesas and their cutting-edge solutions addressing a wide range of devices and applications for the world’s rapidly growing IoT markets,” said Raymond Biagan, Vice President of Sales & Business Development at RFaxis. “Our highly integrated, cost-effective CMOS RF front-end IC (RFeIC™) technology supports Renesas’ vision of enabling a high-growth market such as M2M (machine-to-machine) / IoT connectivity through Bluetooth® Smart technology.”

The RFX2411N is a fully-integrated single-die, single-chip RFeICâ„¢ that incorporates all the RF functionality needed for wireless connectivity applications in the 2.4GHz band. The RFX2411N architecture consist of the power amplifier (PA), low-noise amplifier (LNA) with bypass, Transmit and Receive switching circuitry, the associated matching network, a harmonic filter and diversity switch, all integrated in a single-chip CMOS device.

The RFX2411N, is designed for use in 2.4 GHz ISM band and supports Bluetooth Smart, 802.15.4 ZigBee®, Thread standards as well as proprietary protocols. Typical extended range applications include home and industrial automation, smart power, Bluetooth beacons, among others. Combining superior performance, high sensitivity and efficiency, low noise, small form factor, and low cost, the RFX2411N is the perfect solution for applications requiring extended range and high link budget.