We’ve recently released a low-cost Wi-Fi IoT Module, SX-ULPGN. The module is less than $10 MSRP and features a hostless mode for stand-alone IoT applications, which eliminates your MCU cost. This means that you can add Wi-Fi connectivity to your IoT solution and run it natively for just $10. The SX-ULPGN evaluation kit for this product is available through the Arrow Website for $49.

When you add Wi-Fi to an IoT application using SX-ULPGN, you can offload your network stack and network security is taken care of through the module. The module features 800KB on-chip RAM memory and 2MB of Flash, making it suitable for most IoT applications. The module also has a wide variety of peripherals that support these applications, such as analog-to-digital converters (ADC) for sensing, pulse-width-modulators (PWM) to drive LEDs or motors, and general-purpose-inputs-outputs (GPIOs) for interrupts or buttons, etc. The SX-ULPGN is an ultra-low power Wi-Fi module with internal 1.2 and 1.8 V regulators, making it suitable for battery-operated devices.

While you can run the SX-ULPGN in hostless mode, we’ve also enabled a UART AT command set for optional external MCU, so you can use this module with your existing MCU without developing any additional code.

This module is built on the Qualcomm Technologies’ QCA4010 system-on-chip (SoC), which features many general-purpose I/O (GPIO) pins. These pins have a multiplexing structure behind them, so depending on your application you can select various functions to come out on various pins. As configured, the SX-ULPGN evaluation kit features one SPI Master, one debug UART, one high-speed UART with optional flow control, 1 I2C master, 1 I2S for audio applications, 2 PWMs, 2 ADCs, 6 GPIOs that you can use for driving pins, interrupts, or other general purpose functions, as well as 1 full JTAG.

The low-cost Wi-Fi module has 46-pins and measures 30x16x2.6mm. It is FCC/IC &CE certified and features an internal PCB antenna. The SX-ULPGN is available for order in a sample pack (minimum order quantity of 10) and a production pack (minimum order quantity of 1,000). The SX-ULPGN evaluation kit combines the EVK hardware and module with USB to UART cable that has 3 pins for the debug UART as well as power so your PC USB port can power the entire EVK. It is loaded with Silex image that we built from the QCA4010 software release available to you on the  Qualcomm Developer Network  and ships with an EVK quick start insert. This is a complete evaluation kit that you can start developing on immediately to evaluate the radio performance.

We’ve created a technical overview video that provides a comprehensive explanation of key features and capabilities of the SX-ULPGN and provides a side-by-side comparison of this module and our existing feature-rich IoT Module, the SX-ULPAN dual-band module with industrial temperature range. Watch the video today to learn more about Silex’s latest IoT Module, the QCA4010, and how to bring up the SX-ULPGN EVK.