Hardware
Bluetooth | Zigbee | Thread | Proprietary | Wi-Fi | Max Flash/RAM (kB) | Output Power Range (dBm) | TX Current (0 dBm) | RX Current (mA) | Secure Vault™ | |
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FEATURED
EFR32MG24 Series 2 SoCs
MGM240 Modules
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1536/256 | -20 19.5 | 5 | 5.1 | High, Mid | |||||
EFR32MG27 Series 2 SoCs
EFR32MG27 Series 2 SoCs
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768/64 | -20 8 | 4.1 | 4.0 | Mid | |||||
EFR32MG24 Series 2 Modules
MGM240 Modules
|
1536/256 | -33.7 19.9 | 4.6, 4.8, 7.4 | 5.2, 5.9, 7.7 | High, Mid | |||||
EFR32MG21 Series 2 SoCs
Zigbee and Thread EFR32MG21 SoCs (Series 2)
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1024/96, 512/64 | -20 20 | 9.9 | 9.4 | Base, High, Mid | |||||
EFR32MG21 Series 2 Modules
Zigbee and Thread EFR32MG21 Based Modules (Series 2)
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1024/96 | -20 20 | 16.1 | 9.4 | High, Mid | |||||
EFR32MG12 Series 1 SoCs
Zigbee and Thread EFR32MG12 SoCs (Series 1)
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1024/256 | -30 19 | 8.5 | 8.4, 11 | Base | |||||
EFR32MG12 Series 1 Modules
Zigbee and Thread EFR32MG12 Based Modules (Series 1)
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— | -30 17 | 10 | 10.3 | Base | |||||
EFR32MG13 Series 1 SoCs
Zigbee and Thread EFR32MG13 SoCs (Series 1)
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512/64 | -30 19 | 8.5 | 10.3 | Base | |||||
EFR32MG13 Series 1 Modules
Zigbee and Thread EFR32MG13 Based Modules (Series 1)
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— | -30 19 | 8.5 | 11 | Base | |||||
EFR32BG21 Series 2 SoCs
Bluetooth Low Energy EFR32BG21 SoCs (Series 2)
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1024/96, — | -20 20 | 9.3 | 8.8 | Base, Yes | |||||
EFR32BG21 Series 2 Modules
Bluetooth Low Energy EFR32BG21 Based Modules (Series 2)
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1024/96, 20, — | -20 20 | 16.1 | — | Base, Yes | |||||
EFR32BG13 Series 1 SoCs
Bluetooth Low Energy EFR32BG13 SoCs (Series 1)
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512/64 | -30 19 | 8.5 | 9.5 | Base | |||||
EFR32BG12 Series 1 SoCs
Bluetooth Low Energy EFR32BG12 SoCs (Series 1)
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1024/256 | -30 19 | 8.5 | 10 | Base | |||||
RS9116 Wi-Fi Transceiver SoCs
RS9116 Wi-Fi Transceiver SoCs
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— | — | — | — | — | — | — | Base | ||
RS9116 Wi-Fi Transceiver Modules
RS9116 Wi-Fi Transceiver Modules
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | Base | ||
RS9116 Wi-Fi NCP SoCs
RS9116 Wi-Fi NCP SoCs
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | Yes | ||
RS9116 Wi-Fi NCP Modules
RS9116 Wi-Fi NCP Modules
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | Yes |
Kits and Boards
EFR32xG21 Wireless Gecko Starter Kit
EFR32xG21 Wireless Gecko Starter Kit
Software and Tools
Multiprotocol Software Development
Silicon Labs software includes industry-leading software stacks and development tools for Zigbee, Thread, Bluetooth and Proprietary applications. In conjunction with modules, SoCs and reference designs for wireless solutions from Silicon Labs, developers can use software and tools from Silicon Labs to quickly and reliably:
- Develop multi-node mesh networks
- Monitor and debug multiple nodes simultaneously
- Visually analyze system performance
Bluetooth Low Energy SDK | Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Software Development Kit (SDK) helps designers develop Bluetooth LE, and Bluetooth 5 solutions for the IoT. | |
Bluetooth Mesh SDK | Bluetooth Mesh Software Development Kit (SDK) helps designers develop Bluetooth mesh solutions for the IoT. | |
Connect Stack | Silicon Labs’ Connect is an IEEE 802.15.4 based wireless networking stack for broad-based proprietary applications and is optimized for devices that require low power consumption. This full-featured, easily customizable networking stack is designed for compliance with regulatory specifications across worldwide geographic regions and supports both sub-GHz and 2.4 GHz frequency bands. | |
RAIL (Radio Abstraction Interface Layer) | Silicon Labs’ RAIL (Radio Abstraction Interface Layer) lets you adopt the latest RF technology without sacrificing the investment you’ve made in your wireless protocol. Designed to support proprietary or standards-based protocols, RAIL simplifies and future-proofs the migration of code to new ICs. | |
Thread SDK | Silicon Labs is a founding board member of the Thread Group with numerous successful customer deployments of mesh networking solutions based on 802.15.4 and Zigbee. Registered customers of the kits can access the Thread SDK and development tools through Simplicity Studio | |
Zigbee SDK | Silicon Labs EmberZNet PRO Zigbee networking protocol stack is a complete Zigbee protocol software package containing all the elements required for robust and reliable mesh networking applications on Silicon Labs' Ember platforms. The Zigbee stack provides "professional grade" networking for the most challenging applications such as Smart Energy / Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Home Automation, Home Security, Smart Lighting and Building Automation systems. |
Related Documentation
Technical Documentation
Access to Data Sheets, App Notes, and more.
Wireless Training
Discover training curriculum including written and video modules.
Wireless Software Reference Documentation
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Visit The Community
Engage with our engineers and developers from around the world and check out our knowledge base articles featuring FAQs, example code and additional resources.
Applications
Applications for Multiprotocol Connectivity
The usefulness of connected devices in consumer, commercial, and industrial environments can be enhanced or improved through multiprotocol connectivity. In-home automation, for example, Zigbee provides whole-home wireless coverage with its mesh capabilities and makes it possible to control devices from outside the home via a gateway. When Bluetooth LE is introduced, a smartphone can be used for direct local control and location awareness can be added.
Sub-GHz wireless technologies are ideal for smart metering applications since they propagate over wide areas. By adding simultaneous sub-GHz and Bluetooth communication to metering IoT devices, technicians can utilize mobile apps for local setup, information gathering, and maintenance.
In retail or commercial settings, there is a desire to make use of technologies such as Bluetooth beacons to provide location-based advertisements, track assets, and develop heat maps to track foot traffic. By integrating Bluetooth beacons into connected infrastructure such as lighting, large-scale coverage areas can be created. Instead of having to deploy both connected lights and beacons, a light or luminaire can serve as the means to deploy Bluetooth beacons. This provides a more cost-effective avenue to enable location-based services.
Learn About Multiprotocol
What is Multiprotocol Technology?
Many connected devices can improve consumer experience and enhance functionality by supporting multiple wireless connectivity options. We are used to our smartphones supporting Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and other connectivity options to provide streaming media as well as connectivity to headphones and smart watches. The power, size, and cost requirements for many IoT systems has traditionally made supporting multiple protocols challenging. Dynamic multiprotocol wireless connectivity provides a viable means to simultaneously support multiple wireless protocols on a single chip by using a time-slicing mechanism to share a radio between protocols, reducing wireless system cost and simplifying system design.
What are the benefits of supporting multiple protocols?
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Reduce wireless subsystem BOM and size by up to 40%
Here's a brief look at the different types of multiprotocol connectivity and their benefits.
Programmable Multiprotocol
Programmable multiprotocol support entails having a chipset that, when programmed with the right software stack, can run any number of wireless protocols. Being able to program a chip in production to support BLE, Zigbee, Thread or a proprietary protocol means you can streamline your hardware design and quickly address different markets. A chip platform that supports multiple protocols via different software images is a fundamental prerequisite for all other multiprotocol use cases.
Switched Multiprotocol
Switched Multiprotocol involves having two separate possible modes running on one chip. Each mode from a protocol and stack point of view is separate from each other. To swap protocols, you have two options: 1) Bootload the firmware image you want that contains the other protocol stack, do the communicating, and then bootload back to the other image, or 2) Have one image that has two modes to completely enable or disable each protocol.One example of this is a connected home device (like a door or window sensor) that only needs Bluetooth to be commissioned to join the network, and then will communicate via Zigbee for a vast majority of its life. To do this, you will ship the part with Bluetooth software programmed or enabled, interact with the user/installer via a phone, and then disable Bluetooth, enable Zigbee and join the Zigbee network. Then, typically the only way to go back to Bluetooth is via a user interrupt, like a button, or to reach out to the node via Zigbee to tell it to swap back to Bluetooth because the device cannot simultaneously remain on the mesh network and hold on to its Bluetooth connection. The time between swapping is very long – in the hundreds of milliseconds for Bluetooth and even longer for Bluetooth mesh.
Switched multiprotocol enables your connected device to change which wireless protocol is being used by bootloading a new firmware image when the device is already deployed in the field. Consumer experience of settting up or commissioning your product can be greatly improved by making use of smartphone connectivity to swtich between BLE securely onto Zigbee, Thread and other wireless networks. With the addition of over-the-air (OTA) updates, devices can also be updated in the field to evolve to changing market needs.
Dynamic Multiprotocol
Dynamic Multiprotocol is more fluid and flexible in its ability to swap and can more quickly hop between the two protocols. With dynamic multiprotocol, you do not shutdown or de-initialize the entire protocol stack; instead, you simply keep both running but swap who is using the physical radio, drastically reducing the time to switch. You are sharing the lowest level dependencies between the two protocols, which is typically the radio (this is represented as the bottom brick in the wall in the image below). By being able to swap faster, it allows Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connections to remain active, and at the same time remain on the Zigbee/Thread network, by ensuring you remain in the timing windows for each of the protocols as not to drop connection or be removed from the network. This allows the node to respond to either a command via Zigbee/Thread or Bluetooth, which means a user on the phone can control the node and the main network.A good example of a dynamic multiprotocol application is a door lock where you want the user to be able to lock/unlock to door via Bluetooth on their phone, as well as use sensors, time schedule, or cloud command via Zigbee.
Ultimately, any multiprotocol solution must address the possibility of simultaneously running multiple wireless protocols together on one chip, using a time-slicing mechanism to share the radio. This approach opens up even more use cases, especially when combining BLE with other wireless protocols. The simplest of these use cases involves the periodic use of Bluetooth beacons in retail environments from a device that normally operates on Zigbee, Thread or a sub-GHz wireless protocol.
Switched Multiprotocol | Dynamic Multiprotocol | |
Pros |
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Cons |
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Concurrent Multiprotocol
Concurrent Multiprotocol (CMP) technology is a game-changer in the realm of wireless communication, enabling a single chip to operate multiple communication protocols simultaneously. More specifically, this capability is targeted for devices that need to operate in multiple networks and based on the same 802.15.4 standard such as Zigbee and Thread. CMP when combined with concurrent listening ensures that devices can maintain connections with different networks on separate operating channels without the need for multiple radios or switching between protocols. For instance, a single device can communicate with Zigbee and Thread end nodes on different 802.15.4 channels while also switching to Bluetooth (in DMP mode) for user interface interactions.
With an ability to provide seamless communication across different protocols, enhanced user experience and simplified device management, CMP plays a significant role in the development of gateway devices, which serve as central hubs for connecting various IoT devices within a network. These gateways can then manage multiple communication protocols simultaneously, ensuring seamless data exchange and interoperability between different devices and networks. This flexibility is achieved through advanced software and hardware integration, allowing for concurrent and dynamic multi-protocol operations. The MG21 and MG24 series chips support these features.
Besides gateways, this capability is also important in smart home and commercial building automation applications, where a diverse range of devices and protocols need to coexist and communicate effectively. The MG26 series chips which is pin compatible with MG24 also supports Zigbee and Matter over Thread CMP for end devices.
Multiradio Multiprotocol
Dedicated operation of multiple protocols without any trade-offs, especially where different radio frequencies are used by different protocols, requires two radios. There is a lot of value in an application and networking stack that can operate across two radios that perhaps even utilize two completely different frequency ranges. One example is smart metering in Great Britain, where the government will deploy dual PHY Zigbee communications hubs in 30 million households and businesses by 2020. This effort is to enable a Home Area Network that contains both 2.4 GHz Zigbee devices and sub-GHz Zigbee devices (operating in the 868 MHz band), maintained on the same logical PAN with the communications hub routing traffic between devices on different radio frequencies.
Single Radio | Multiradio | |
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# Antennas | 1 | 2 |
Operation | Time-sliced | Dedicated |
Performance | Bandwidth shared across multiple protocols; potential increased latency and missed packets | No compromises |
Cost | Lower | Higher |
Size | Smaller | Larger |
Explore Multiprotocol Documentation
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Works With 2024
Where Innovation Meets Implementation
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