At present, a variety of home automation devices have been launched on the market, such as sweeping robots, smart speakers, electric curtains and other products, and wireless connection functionality is gradually being added to many traditional major appliances, making them a part of modern smart home devices. This article will show you the development of home automation devices and the wireless connection module introduced by Murata.
Home automation makes people's lives more convenient
Home automation refers to the automation of various devices in the home, also known as smart home. It is based on the residential platform, using integrated wiring technology, network communication technology, security technology, automatic control technology, and audio and video technology to integrate the facilities related to home life. An efficient management system is built for residential facilities and family schedule affairs that can control the lights, windows, temperature, and humidity, etc., in the building, and may also include home security, such as access control or alarm.
Smart homes can use natural light, ventilation or shade to ensure that the system is started only when electricity and light are needed, which can reduce the use of energy and water. In addition, smart homes can provide proper heating, air conditioning and lighting, improve the quality of life, reduce electricity and water fees, improve the safety, convenience, comfort and artistry of the home, and realize an environmentally-friendly and energy-saving living environment.
One of the important characteristics of smart home devices is that these devices must be connected to the internet. A typical smart home system is connected through a centralized hub or gateway. Touch screens, keyboards, buttons, smart phones, computers, telephones, remote controllers, or web pages, etc., are used as the user interface of the control system, and it is also possible to achieve off-site operation through the Internet. Even if family members are not at home, they can control or monitor smart home devices at home.
Wi-Fi module accelerates the development of smart home devices
In order to accelerate the development of smart home devices, Murata has introduced a highly integrated Wi-Fi® module — Type ABR. Type ABR is a small module (integrated PCB antenna) based on NXP 88MW320 (wireless microcontroller) that supports 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi® 802.11 b/g/n and a PHY data rate of up to 72.2 Mbps, with an integrated 200 MHz ARM Cortex-M4F MCU for host-side applications.
Type ABR can easily implement independent consumer applications through its integrated ARM Cortex-M4F MCU, and using NXP's powerful EZ-Connect tool (WMSDKA), customers can quickly and easily customize their solutions. In addition to the stand-alone WMSDKA configuration, NXP also provides MCUXpresso integration solution. Murata's Type ABR mikroBUS evaluation board (EVB) can be paired with the LPCXpresso 55S16/28/69 development board, where the Type ABR module provides a WLAN link for the NXP LPC MCU through a simple serial interface supported by the WMSDKA firmware.
The network controller module provides an easy-to-design solution
Murata's Type ABR network controller module provides device manufacturers with easy-to-design solutions for data acquisition, device management, and industrial control applications. The RF matching, antenna design and regulatory certification of Type ABR network controller modules have been pre-processed and tested to speed up the development of customers' products. Each module can provide a complete network controller solution through a simple UART interface. Wi-Fi®, TCP/IP, security supplicant and other network application functions of the Type ABR module can be directly controlled by the module, and Amazon's Alexa Voice Service (AVS) is also supported. The feature-rich Type ABR module comes in a small form factor for easy integration into size- and power-sensitive applications.
The Murata Type ABR network controller module supports uAP and STA dual-mode network topology and the DSSS/CCK/OFDM modulation mode. The stack runs inside, with built-in 512 KB SRAM, 128 KB Mask ROM and a 2 MB SPI flash memory module, supports UART and GPIO interfaces, and has an internal reference clock (external sleep clock optional). The module has a size of 22.0 x 19.0 x 2.4 mm and can work in a temperature range of -30 ℃ to +85 ℃. It has passed FCC/CE/IC certification, is RoHS compliant, and is suitable for the Industrial Internet of Things, smart homes, sensor networks, gateways and other applications.
The evaluation board can speed up the product development of customers
For the application of the Type ABR network controller, Murata also launched a related evaluation board to speed up the product development of customers. The Type ABR evaluation board is pre-flashed with a "serial_mwm_demo" image, which can provide a plug and play experience of the NXP reference platform. Murata provides a customized version of the NXP WMSDKA "serial_mwm_demo". At present, the Type ABR evaluation board has been integrated in NXP's MCUXpresso solution. Users only need to download NXP's MCUXpresso IDE and NXP's MCUXpresso SDK to start the evaluation and design of Type ABR network controllers.
Murata also works closely with Embedded Artists AB to provide a flexible evaluation board solution for Murata's Type ABR module, which features a MikroBUS™ interconnect design. The Type ABR MikroBUS evaluation board can be directly connected to NXP's LPC development boards, such as LPCXpresso55S69 development board (LPC55S69-EVK), and can also be connected to NXP's i.MX RT development board family (such as MIMXRT1010-EVK) through an Arduino adapter.
Conclusion
Many smart home devices on the market are connected by standardized and most common Wi-Fi wireless technology. Murata's Type ABR network controller provides a complete and highly-integrated solution. With the supporting evaluation board, it can speed up customers' development of related products, which makes it a choice worthy of understanding deeper.