“Microchip’s MRF24J40 IEEE 802.15.4 transceiver can be combined with roughly 200 8-bit and 16-bit PIC microcontrollers, and dsPIC® DSCs, to provide the most cost-optimized wireless networking solutions,” said Ganesh Moorthy, Microchip’s executive vice president. “In combination with our free ZigBee protocol stack, Microchip now offers a complete solution for one of the fastest growing technology market segments.”
Due to the fact that the ZigBee protocol has grown too large and complex for many applications, a large percentage of the market for IEEE 802.15.4 wireless PAN is likely to use alternative, proprietary protocols, such as the MiWi protocol, stated Microchip’s product & strategic marketing manager Kobus Marneweck. Additionally, ZigBee protocol certification is costly and cumbersome for small- and medium-size companies, added Marneweck. The MiWi protocol provides a simpler, lower-cost solution for customers who do not need interoperability but still want to use robust IEEE 802.15.4 radios. No certification is required for MiWi protocol systems, and the protocol stack is provided under a free license, when the combination of Microchip's microcontrollers and MRF24J40 transceiver is used.
