CAMARILLO, CA /BUSINESS WIRE/ -- Semtech Corp., a leading supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, introduced the SX1276/77/78 devices, which integrate Semtech's new LoRa (long range) technology.
The SX127X platform delivers superior system performance for range, battery operation, and interference immunity while eliminating the need for repeaters and complex infrastructure making, it ideal for metering, automation, Internet-of-Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) applications.
The SX1276, SX1277, and SX1278 are key end-node components in the long-range, high-capacity network system offering from Semtech. Semtech's new SX127x platform incorporates LoRa (long-range) spread spectrum technology in addition to the traditional GFSK modulation. Spread spectrum technology has been used in other applications for a number of years, but has not been available until today as a low-cost solution suitable for sensor networks.
Using the LoRa technology, the SX127x family achieves a range of more than 15 km (9 miles) in a suburban environment and 2 km to 5 km (3 miles) in a dense urban environment while operating under U.S., EU, Chinese, and Japanese regulatory limits. Most deployed systems for metering, security, or industrial automation are limited in range to 1–2 km (less than 1.25 miles) in a suburban environment. The additional range provided by LoRa eliminates the need for repeaters in these applications, significantly simplifying the system design and lowering the total cost of deployment.
The SX1276 covers all the major sub-GHz frequency bands, and the SX1277 is a cost-optimized version targeted at applications that use data rates from 5 Kbps to 40 Kbps, such as security systems. The SX1278 is optimized for the rapidly growing smart meter market in China, using the 470-510 MHz band.
All devices deliver over 100 dB of blocking immunity to out-of-band interfering signals, which is a 15 dB advantage over competing devices. Additionally, the SX127x family has a 25 dB improvement over FSK devices for rejecting in-band interfering signals. This makes the device especially effective in industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM)-band applications such as security and metering because it provides immunity from sub-GHz frequency 4G/LTE signals. This immunity, combined with the SX127xX's highly linear RF front end, makes it the most reliable and robust solution for operating in the presence of strong interfering signals.
"The SX127x and LoRa are enabling long-range, high-capacity systems that have previously been unrealizable," said Marc Pegulu, Senior Director of the Wireless & Sensing Product Group. "The parts offer the long-range, low-power, and capacity to handle millions of node transactions per day in a simple star network architecture. This provides significant advantages for existing metering solutions, as well as enables emerging IoT and public network applications."
The fast growth of the IOT/M2M market—predicted by industry analysts to total 50 billion nodes by 2020—provides a great opportunity for the SX127x with LoRa technology. There is a dramatic need for an improved physical layer in this market for long range, low power for battery operation, and low cost for volume deployment. LoRa is the ideal solution to meet these needs and a great complement to 2G/3G GSM in this rapidly growing market.
The SX127x family supports GFSK, FSK, GMSK, and OOK modulation in addition to LoRa and is designed to support WMBus, IEEE 802.15.4g (SUN), FCC 15.247, ARIB T96/108, EN 300-220, and other worldwide standards and regulations.
Pricing and Availability
The SX1276 (order code: SX1276IMLTRT) is available immediately in production quantities and is priced at $3.50 each in 1,000-piece lots. Semtech offers comprehensive design assistance, including field- and factory-based support. Data sheets, volume pricing, and delivery quotes, as well as evaluation kits and samples, are available on the company's Web site.
About Semtech
Semtech Corp. is a leading supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors for high-end consumer, computing, communications, and industrial equipment. Products are designed to benefit the engineering community, as well as the global community. The company is dedicated to reducing the impact it and its products have on the environment. Internal green programs seek to reduce waste through material and manufacturing control, use of green technology, and designing for resource reduction.
Trademarks
Semtech, LoRa, and the Semtech logo are registered marks of Semtech Corp.