To address the rapid rise in AI, and IoT, Microchip Technology (NASDAQ: MCHP) adds 20 products to its Wi-Fi portfolio. As per the company, this is one of the industry’s most extensive wireless connectivity product lines. This includes Wi-Fi microcontrollers (MCU), network and link controllers and plug-and-play modules designed to simplify development and speed time to market.
Microchip’s new Wi-Fi solutions are made to support various application needs and developer skill levels. The selection ranges from modules that are regulatory certified in several countries that require no Radio Frequency (RF) expertise and little programming to robust Systems-on-Chip (SoCs) with industrial-level features.
The range includes Wi-Fi MCUs, combining MCU functionality with reliable Wi-Fi, and Link Controllers, which add Wi-Fi to Linux MPUs via an SDIO interface. For MCUs, Network Controllers use an SPI interface to enable wireless connections, while Plug-and-Play Modules simplify cloud connectivity by allowing text commands to be sent from an MCU over a UART interface. These offerings are designed to streamline wireless integration and development for embedded applications.
“For decades Microchip has been a respected MCU provider, and we’ve leveraged that background, along with our comprehensive support ecosystem, to build a portfolio of Wi-Fi products and services that is unmatched in the industry today,” said Rishi Vasuki, vice president of Microchip’s wireless solutions business unit. “Our experience allows us to provide developers with wireless solutions designed to support advanced applications such as precision sensing and motor control operating under harsh conditions.”
The latest PIC32MZ-W1 Wi-Fi MCUs build on Microchip’s trusted 32-bit MCU line and feature advanced analog peripherals—including CAN, Ethernet, capacitive touch and ADC—to offer exceptional versatility. Additionally, the new devices feature some of the highest General-Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) capabilities on the market.
Also included in the lineup are next-generation WINCS02 network controllers and WILCS02 link controllers. Updates to the popular WINC and WILC solutions include improved radio performance and enhanced security features. The new wireless modules are pin-to-pin compatible with previous generations to ease migration from legacy devices.
To simplify Wi-Fi to cloud connectivity, Microchip has also expanded its plug-and-play product line with new RNWF02 modules. These modules connect MCUs to a cloud platform using simple ASCII commands sent over a UART interface.
Secure connections, which are critical for Wi-Fi applications that send or receive data from the cloud, can be challenging to implement depending on the developer’s skill level. To ease this process, Microchip has integrated its Trust Platform into many of its Wi-Fi products. Trust&GO module variants are pre-provisioned for secure authentication with popular cloud services, including AWS and Azure, to streamline the process of network authentication.
