Broadcom has added two new products into its Wireless Internet Connectivity for Embedded Devices (WICED) targeted at the Internet of Things (IoT).
The first addition is the inclusion of near field communication (NFC) into Broadcom’s WICED software development kit that the company hopes will allow NFC to reach a broader target audience including those devices competing in IoT.
NFC in the development kit will allow users of mobile and smart devices to activate other devices by simply tapping an activation key. This would be useful in controlling a smart thermostat or portable speak, Broadcom said.
Brian Bedrosian, Broadcom senior director of product marketing for wireless connectivity combos, said in a statement the “massive potential” of NFC combined with IoT will create “significant opportunities for Broadcom” in such markets as the home, medical, retail and enterprise.
Broadcom has also rolled out a dual-band Wi-Fi audio system-on-chip (SoC) for its WICED portfolio that allows for high-definition audio streaming over a Wi-Fi network to wireless audio devices. The BCM43907 SoC integrates dual-band Wi-Fi functionality onto a single device, lowering the cost to OEMs, Broadcom said. The SoC helps deliver cleaner sound to devices such as portable speakers, 5.1 multi-speaker systems, sound bars and media players, the company said.
Bedrosian, in a different statement, said improving audio quality across Wi-Fi versus short range technologies such as Bluetooth creates “opportunities for a wide variety of new wireless streaming devices.”
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