Why Use a Module to Eliminate Network Congestion
February 11, 2025
Sponsored Blog
Congestion and interference of Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi® signals are a way of life as the number of devices on networks is increasing on both the 2.4- and 5-GHz bands. It’s becoming more difficult to get reliable, stable, long-range connections for devices in many applications across Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth®, which hurts the users’ experience, and potentially reduces business productivity and efficiency.
This challenge is exacerbated by the environment. Industrial and factory floors can be difficult places to engage wireless communication technologies. It isn’t just their physical make-up, with concrete walls, spinning motors, and metal structures. As the density of wireless sensors and other connected devices increases, RF interference becomes a bottleneck while bandwidth in the required frequency bands is increasingly occupied.
At the same time, expectations of Wi-Fi® and related equipment are rising. Factory operators expect sensors to deliver 24/7 availability to avoid downtime and the associated costs. Latencies need to be minimized to flawlessly orchestrate complex production line processes. Seamless roaming is vital, particularly for applications (and people) that move around the production facility. At the same time, connected solutions need to be simple to commission, maintain, and scale.
Developers of this technology have other fears and frustrations as well. That would include the need for a cost-efficient solution, being able to stream Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® simultaneously, and ensuring that battery life is not negatively impacted. In a (near) perfect world, they’d be able to address all (or most) market segments with one product and/or one design. The obstacles to be overcome include a lack of RF expertise in many organizations, and the decision of whether to deploy a modular approach versus a single-chip design.
Troubles at 2.4 GHz
Operating in the 2.4-GHz band is particularly problematic, since it is shared by a wide range of devices, including routers, smartphones, IoT gadgets, and smart home systems. In the industrial or healthcare spaces, the number of devices can balloon quickly. This band also offers a limited number of channels. As more devices compete for bandwidth, interference increases, leading to slower speeds, dropped connections, and degraded performance. Bluetooth, while designed to coexist with Wi-Fi, can still cause interference in environments populated with many devices.
Compounding the issue, older devices lack advanced interference mitigation features, and the proliferation of IoT devices with constant connectivity needs adds to the strain. Additionally, walls, furniture, and other physical barriers can further weaken signals, exacerbating performance issues.
Efforts like using the less crowded 5- or 6-GHz bands for Wi-Fi and adopting newer standards such as Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E help reduce congestion. However, full adoption takes time, leaving many devices reliant on the overcrowded 2.4-GHz spectrum.
Following the Standard
The most Wi-Fi relevant specification for industrial application right now is Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and its extension Wi-Fi 6E. Wi-Fi 6 operates on both the 2.4- and 5-GHz bands, while Wi-Fi 6E extends support to the newly opened 6-GHz band. The 6-GHz spectrum offers significantly more bandwidth and less interference, as it’s less crowded and includes additional non-overlapping channels. This expansion drastically reduces congestion in areas with many competing devices.
Furthermore, Wi-Fi 6 incorporates BSS Coloring, a technique that marks transmissions from different networks to distinguish them, reducing interference from neighboring networks.
These features together allow Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E to better manage spectrum resources, ensuring faster, more reliable connections even in high-density environments, such as urban areas, stadiums, and smart homes.
Designing a state-of-the-art Wi-Fi device presents several engineering challenges, including spectral efficiency and bandwidth management, the hardware design, including the transceiver and the antenna, software/firmware development, regulatory compliance, and cost optimizations.
The spectrum efficiency and bandwidth management is made both easier and more difficult when you move to Wi-Fi 6. It’s easier because there is more bandwidth available. But it’s harder simply because the design is more complex, entailing the use of three different frequencies (2.4, 5, and 6 GHz).
Choice of a processor/transceiver is obviously important, as is the antenna placement, which can be a confusing and frustrating design element. Too many engineers simply don’t have enough experience with RF to handle this part. It’s further complicated by adding multi-user multiple-input, multiple output (MU-MIMO) technologies.
On the software side, some advanced features can be integrated, like OFDMA, MLO, and QoS. But it’s important that these additions don’t break the backward compatibility. A layer of software security should be included to prevent vulnerabilities, like firmware exploits and unauthorized access, while allowing frequent updates.
Regulatory compliance has a lot to do with the geography in which the product is being deployed. Many countries use similar regulations, but not all. And each of these elements must be implemented with an eye toward cost optimization. Balancing features with component and manufacturing costs is key to producing a competitive end product.
Modular Approach
One way to alleviate some of these challenges, for a host of reasons, is to implement a modular approach. For example, modules reduce design risks because lots of the engineering decisions have already been made by experts in the field, particularly regarding the RF issues. This will reduce the time to market, which thereby reduces overall cost. It could also help streamline the certification process as the groundwork has been laid by the module maker.
The table below discusses the benefits of a modular approach:
MAYA-W3 Module & AIROC CYW55513 Solution Example
One module that fits the bill for industrial, commercial, and consumer applications is the MAYA‑W3[AD1] , developed by u-blox. These host-based modules are designed, built, and tested to meet the high reliability and quality requirements of a wide range of industrial applications, such as smart manufacturing, tracking and telematics, building automation, professional appliances, healthcare, and EV charging infrastructures.
The MAYA-W3 modules provide SISO Wi-Fi 6/6E operation with 20-MHz channel width and MU-MIMO, which helps avoid interference amongst the signals, which is becoming more prevalent, as discussed. The modules can be implemented as access points, stations, in P2P connections, or in combinations of these.
Beyond Wi-Fi, the MAYA-W3 series supports Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) Core 5.4, including the use of isochronous channels for Bluetooth LE Audio. And that’s in a package that measures just 10.4 by 14.3 mm.
The MAYA-W3 series is based on Infineon’s AIROC™ CYW55513 chip. The versatile tri-band Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth® Core 5.4 single-chip combo surpasses Wi-Fi 6/6E wireless standards with integrated security. This power-efficient device offers a cost-effective balance of advanced Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth®/ Classic/Bluetooth® LE features with performance and power savings to meet the IoT connectivity needs for a host of applications.
Using the CYW55513, u-blox’s MAYA-W3 boasts improved range in a congested network space. And thanks to the efficient antenna design and placement, many of the designer’s challenges are removed.
Additional features of the CYW55513 include network offload power-save options, WPA2 and WPA3 security, SDIO and GSPI host interfaces, and secure boot, encryption, and authentication. And it’s able to operate in industrial grade temperatures, ranging from -40°C to +85°C.
For a full list of the CYW55513, u-blox’s MAYA-W3 benefits, check out the list below.
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Additional Resource Links
- MAYA-W3 series | u-blox
- Can Wi-Fi 6 connect smart factory solutions? | u-bloxAIROC™ CYW55511
- AIROC™ CYW55512
- AIROC™ CYW55513
