Qorvo (NASDAQ:QRVO) and ubisys, a smart home and Internet of Things (IoT) company, have developed a gateway solution intended to allow various devices to communicate by integrating a ZigBee 3.0 and Green Power-based smart home network within the Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) IoTivity framework.
The open-source IoTivity framework provides specifications for device-to-device connectivity across physical media, transports and application layers.
The Qorvo IoTivity plug-ins are intended to support a single, multi-stack radio chip. Qorvo's GP712 chip is intended to simultaneously handle multiple IoT network layers, including Thread, ZigBee 3.0 with Green Power and RF4CE networks. The GP712 is intended to simplify the design of IoT gateways, routers and set-top boxes by reducing components and antennas.
Dr. Arasch Honarbacht, founder and managing director of ubisys, said, "We joined the OCF to support its ground-breaking work and are using our IoT expertise to bring ZigBee 3.0 interoperability to this high-level framework. IoTivity is perfectly suited for uniting products under a single IP umbrella. The IoTivity plug-in we created with Qorvo is an adapter to the ubisys Smart Facility Service. It combines the advantages of ZigBee PRO and ZigBee Green Power devices, while supporting the common OCF IoTivity specifications."
In other Qorvo news, the company introduced a system on chip (SoC) for smart home devices designed to support multi-protocol support with low power consumption. The GP695 SoC integrates multiple communication protocols, including IEEE 802.15.4, ZigBee 3.0, Thread and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for sensors and actuators throughout the home.
The company will demonstrate smart home and IoT solutions at CES in Las Vegas.