AIROC Wi-Fi & Bluetooth combo chip brings connectivity to TomTom’s new satnav

AIROC wireless solution combines Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 ac) and Bluetooth® 5.0 on a single chip

TomTom GO Discover, developed by TomTom, the location technology company, is claimed to be one of the quickest and most powerful satnavs on the market today. The satnav with its 5, 6, and 7-inch display usesthe AIROC CYW43455 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth combo chip from Infineon Technologies A. The AIROC wireless solution combines Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 ac) and Bluetooth 5.0 on a single chip. Infineon’s AIROC family includes a range of wireless solutions that deliver reliable, high performance connectivity.

The TomTom GO Discover downloads map updates three times faster than other navigation devices, powered by the integrated 5 GHz Wi-Fi frequency band. Furthermore, with the integrated Bluetooth interface, the TomTom GO Discover can also be connected to the smartphone, making both real-time traffic information and TomTom’s premium live services available at all times. This includes up-to-date information on fuel prices, parking availability and the localization of charging points for electric vehicles.

The AIROC wireless connectivity portfolio offers 1×1 Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Bluetooth, and operates in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency spectrum. The Wi-Fi 5 mode supports 20 MHz, 40 MHz and 80 MHz channels for data rates up to 433.3 Mbps and all rates specified in 802.11a/b/g/n are also supported. This is claimed to triple the throughput and transmission speed over WLAN and significantly improves scalability.

The high-data transmission speed is said to prove particularly beneficial when streaming media such as HD videos, transferring and storing files, as well as for extending the range of Wi-Fi networks. Furthermore, the Wi-Fi 5 specification helps extend the battery life. Once the Wi-Fi interface has exchanged data at a high rate with its access point, the radio is immediately deactivated and goes back to sleep mode, reducing overall power consumption.