October 1, 2012 - Microchip Technology integrated its Wi-Fi modules from the recent Roving Networks acquisition into its flexible, modular Explorer development systems supporting all of Microchip's 8-, 16- and 32-bit PIC microcontrollers.
The RN-131 and RN-171 PICtail/PICtail Plus daughter boards use a simple serial interface to connect with any PIC microcontroller, and expand Microchip's wireless portfolio with low power consumption along with an integrated TCP/IP stack in a certified Wi-Fi solution. The Roving Networks RN-171 and RN-131 fully certified modules from Microchip are comprehensive networking solutions that include a true 802.11 b/g radio, baseband processor, TCP/IP stack and a host of networking application features. No external processor drivers are required, enabling Wi-Fi connectivity for 4-, 8-, 16- and 32-bit processors.
This onboard-stack approach significantly reduces customers' integration time and development effort in a small form factor, while offering ultra-low power consumption (down to 4 µA in sleep, 35 mA in receive and 120 mA in transmit mode).
