Microchip Combines Wi-Fiï½ Module and 32-bit PIC32 Microcontroller in Cost-Effective New Demo Board

Microchip Technology, a leading provider of microcontroller, analog and Flash-IP solutions, today announced the Wi-Fi® Comm Demo Board, which combines Microchip's best-in-class 32-bit PIC32 microcontroller family with its low-power MRF24WB0MA agency-certified, IEEE 802.11, embedded Wi-Fi radio transceiver module. Additionally, Microchip provides a free and full-featured TCP/IP stack, which is available today for download at http://www.microchip.com/get/A3VP. This compact and cost-effective demo board is easy to integrate with existing embedded designs, to evaluate Wi-Fi connectivity and 32-bit performance with minimal effort. Microchip's free, commercial-grade TCP/IP stack delivers all the key stack layers for a complete Wi-Fi based design. This includes HTML, DHCP, DNS, IPv4/v6, SSL, etc. In combination with the low-power Wi-Fi module and a PIC32 MCU, this stack delivers a highly optimized embedded Wi-Fi solution. The pervasive Wi-Fi infrastructure continues to enable the rapid growth of the embedded "Internet of Things" in an expanding number of applications, such as thermostats, appliances, meters, pumps, security systems and sensors. This expansion includes the owners of existing systems, who want to retrofit and add connectivity without installing wires. Microchip's Wi-Fi module and TCP/IP stack enable this connectivity for control and communication over the Internet, while its 32-bit PIC32 microcontroller family provides the performance and features to simultaneously process both Wi-Fi communications and a large number of other functions. These functions include audio, graphic displays and touch sensing, and general system command-and-control operations. "This demo board makes it easy to evaluate and integrate the combination of Microchip's Wi-Fi solutions and 32-bit MCUs in one compact and cost-effective package," said Steve Caldwell, director of Microchip's Wireless Products Division. "Our free, full-featured TCP/IP software stack and the fact that our Wi-Fi module is certified by multiple international communications agencies further speeds development." www.microchip.com