Palma Ceia SemiDesign Announces New Wi-Fi HaLow Chips, PCS2100 and PCS2500 - Ideal for Industry 4.0

PCS2100 Station Modem Chipset Combines with PCS2500 Access Point to Form Complete Wi-Fi HaLow Network

SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 7, 2021 — Palma Ceia SemiDesign, a fabless semiconductor company specializing in wireless connectivity solutions, announced it has taped out two chips supporting the Wi-Fi HaLowTM connectivity protocol. The PCS2100 and PCS2500, new chips based on the IEEE 802.11ah wireless standard, complement each other to form a complete Wi-Fi HaLow network supporting multiple Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

“The PCS2100 and PCS2500 enable the long-range, low-power wireless connectivity required in fast-growing use cases enabled by Wi-Fi HaLow,” said Palma Ceia Chief Executive Officer Roy E. Jewell. “Palma Ceia offers a complete set of Wi-Fi HaLow chipsets which support Industry 4.0 and other IoT use cases that demand long range and scalability.”

Wi-Fi HaLow, the designation for chips based on 802.11ah, has emerged as the Wi-Fi standard for IoT. The radio and protocol elements defined in the specification make it an ideal communications standard for IoT devices. Expansion in use of IoT is driving applications in domains such as agriscience, Industry 4.0, smart home, smart health, and surveillance and safety. But the connectivity capabilities of conventional Wi-Fi are insufficient for the requirements of these increasingly in-demand use cases. Wi-Fi HaLow’s longer range, scalability and efficiency make it a superior choice for Industrial IoT and other applications.

“Wi-Fi HaLow enables the low-power connectivity necessary for a variety of IoT applications, and solutions are beginning to enter the market,” said Kevin Robinson, SVP of Marketing at Wi-Fi Alliance. “As part of the Wi-Fi portfolio, Wi-Fi HaLow delivers many of the benefits users have come to expect from Wi-Fi today, including multi-vendor interoperability, easy setup, and the latest Wi-Fi security.”

The PCS2100 is a highly integrated Wi-Fi HaLow modem chipset for use on the STA/Client side of a Wi-Fi HaLow IoT network. The PCS2500 operates as an Access Point (AP) in a Wi-Fi HaLow IoT network. The two products combine to form a complete Wi-Fi HaLow network supporting multiple IoT devices.

The PCS2100 and PCS2500 chips offer features and performance characteristics targeting the technical demands of these advanced applications:

• The PCS2100 and PCS2500 both operate in a sub-Gigahertz (S1G) frequency range, extending their operating range to 1 kilometer and beyond, depending on conditions.
• Operating using a Wi-Fi protocol with special IoT network management functions, the PCS2100 provides exceptional range, scalable throughput and low power, all key performance metrics for efficient and robust IoT networks.
• The PCS2500 supports complete AP functionality including device authentication, security, and protocol functions that optimize network operation such that devices contend for the network in an orderly fashion.
• Both the PCS2100 and PCS2500 support streaming and telemetric — continuous — communication links.

Availability

The PCS2100 and PCS2500 are expected to be available for sampling beginning in Q4. Contact Palma Ceia SemiDesign via email at info@pcsemi.com for details.

For specifications and other information on the PCS2100 and PCS2500, visit the Palma Ceia website: www.pcsemi.com/products.

About Palma Ceia SemiDesign

Palma Ceia SemiDesign (PCS) is a fabless semiconductor company and leading provider of communication semiconductors and IP for next-generation Wi-Fi and cellular applications. With a focus on emerging Wi-Fi and LTE standards, particularly for IoT (Internet of Things), PCS targets the design of ICs for broadband, wireless, medical and automotive applications. Palma Ceia SemiDesign solutions are differentiated by low power, high performance and ease of integration. Headquartered in the Cayman Islands, the company has design and sales support centers in Cambridge (United Kingdom), mainland China, Hong Kong, and McKinney, Texas (United States). PCS is soon expanding to provide direct support for Israel, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Visit Palma Ceia SemiDesign on the web at pcsemi.com