Düsseldorf, November 6, 2018 – Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced that Wi-SUN Alliance¹ has adopted Renesas’ sub-gigahertz (Sub-G) wireless solution as a candidate of the interoperability test bed units² (TBUs) for the Wi-SUN FAN (Field Area Network) Certification Program. Renesas is part of the first wave of companies participating in the Wi-SUN FAN 1.0 certification process with its RAA604S00/RX651 wireless solution. Certifications are planned by the end of 2018.

The Sub-G wireless solution features Tessera Technology’s evaluation platform, which includes an evaluation board³ mounted with Renesas’ RAA604S00 wireless communications system-on-chip (SoC) and RX651 microcontroller (MCU), as well as communication control software provided by Renesas. Renesas will demonstrate the new Sub-G wireless solution at its booth (stand B.c44) at European Utility Week 2018, November 6 to November 8, in Vienna, Austria.

“The Wi-SUN community has been making significant strides in the development and deployment of wireless communications in the energy management systems industry, and we are pleased to expand our commitment to the smart energy markets and advance the latest Wi-SUN specifications with our Wi-SUN FAN-certified solution and test bed units,” said Akihiro Kuroda, Vice President, Energy Infrastructure Business Division, Renesas Electronics Corporation.

Users who develop smart meters, smart illumination, infrastructure equipment, and similar products using the Renesas Sub-G wireless solution will be able to easily assure interoperability between equipment that uses the Wi-SUN FAN specification. As a result, they will be able to reduce their development period for Wi-SUN FAN-compliant application equipment by approximately one year compared with alternative solutions.

The Sub-G band offers features that are resilient to physical obstacles and can transmit data even further than supported by earlier standards, even in urban environments. Since wide areas can be covered with good stability through mesh networks, it is appropriate for applications such smart meter communication, power usage visualization, monitoring equipment utilization, and managing various sensors within a utility, factories and buildings.

In 2015, Renesas introduced the world’s first Sub-G wireless solutions to qualify as a Wi-SUN HAN (Home Area Network) standard Certified TBU with its RAA604S00/RX63N wireless solution. In addition to the Wi-SUN HAN standard, which mainly applies to indoor systems, Renesas is now leading the industry with testing for early certification for the Wi-SUN FAN standard, which applies mainly to networks for smart cities, smart utilities, and other applications requiring large-scale networks. This solution provides developers a jumpstart on creating applications such as power management equipment and sensor equipment that support the Wi-SUN FAN standard. Accelerating device interoperability through the Wi-SUN FAN specification supports the deployment of secure, meshable, and adaptable multi-service networks for connecting key infrastructure within energy management and urban environment applications that form the basis of smart city technologies.

The RX651/RAA604S00 Sub-G band wireless solution will be available from Renesas in the first quarter of 2019.

Notes:

Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) delivers trusted embedded design innovation with complete semiconductor solutions that enable billions of connected, intelligent devices to enhance the way people work and live—securely and safely. A global leader in microcontrollers, analog, power, SoC products and integrated platforms, Renesas provides the expertise, quality, and comprehensive solutions for a broad range of Automotive, Industrial, Home Electronics, Office Automation and Information Communication Technology applications to help shape a limitless future. Learn more at renesas.com.