New era for Internet of Things approaches as RoodMicrotec and Cascoda bring superior wireless connectivity to market

Zwolle -  25 May 2016

RoodMicrotec and Cascoda have formed a partnership for the supply of the CA-8210, a high-capability, next generation wireless device set to re-shape the future for consumer and industrial applications in home automation, agriculture, smart cities and security, among other uses. The first shipment of the product has already been made.

Analysts predict the IoT (Internet of Things) will grow strongly given expanding demand and new capabilities for comprehensive, intelligent interaction of physical objects. They project that the installed base for Internet of Things devices will grow from around 10 billion connected devices today to as many as 30 billion devices by 2020.

"Our partnership aims to ensure the broadest distribution of this product so that we can seize the growth opportunities that the Internet of Things presents," said Philip Nijenhuis, CEO, RoodMicrotec. "We worked closely on this device with Cascoda right from the outset, when it was a Eurostars project. Our successful collaboration has taken the CA-8210 device smoothly through the testing and production phases to its arrival on the market. We look forward to many more shipments as we meet the needs of a market that is set to grow significantly," he added.

The CA-8210 uses Cascoda's patented radio architecture to deliver a significant increase in range of wireless personal area networks (WPANs), without increasing power consumption. The transceiver, for IEEE 802.15.4 communications in the 2.4GHz band, can achieve whole-house coverage without external amplifiers. For many IoT applications, this can significantly reduce equipment, installation and maintenance costs.

Cascoda's innovation addresses a key challenge facing IoT systems by providing greater data link reliability with superior enhanced-range, low-power connectivity. This is extremely important for devices that may need to run on battery power for months or years at a time.

RoodMicrotec's experience in handling the testing and qualification of such devices enabled the fast introduction of Cascoda's product to the market. RoodMicrotec will manage the sourcing and testing of wafers and their packaging, as well as volume production testing and final logistics. Using an independent supply chain partner enabled Cascoda to go into production with a high level of flexibility.