Sigma Designs, the chip maker driving Z-Wave home automation as the sole chip supplier, has come out with a new RF transceiver module, the ZM5101, which is the new backbone of Z-Wave systems, and it has just gone into volume production.
The ZM5101 is claimed to be exceptionally low-powered, and uses 32 mA when receiving and 35 when transmitting, and a virtually dead sleep mode, where it uses almost no power. Sigma says this is its flagship product, and that it offers the smallest footprint in the industry. It has an onboard AES 128-bit security engine, a learning IR engine with 128 key keyscan controller, and full speed USB support.
It also provides a fully compliant ITU-T G.9959 communications protocol stack, combined with 256kB of flash memory, 16kB SRAM and an 8 bit microcontroller.
The company said that Z-Wave is already being used by 250 companies and is found in over 1000 wireless control products worldwide and it expects this new 500 Series family to be their next step. No prices were given for the chip.