• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Microcontroller Tips

Microcontroller engineering resources, new microcontroller products and electronics engineering news

  • Products
    • 8-bit
    • 16-bit
    • 32-bit
    • 64-bit
  • Applications
    • 5G
    • Automotive
    • Connectivity
    • Consumer Electronics
    • EV Engineering
    • Industrial
    • IoT
    • Medical
    • Security
    • Telecommunications
    • Wearables
    • Wireless
  • Learn
    • eBooks / Tech Tips
    • EE Training Days
    • FAQs
    • Learning Center
    • Tech Toolboxes
    • Webinars/Digital Events
  • Resources
    • Design Guide Library
    • DesignFast
    • LEAP Awards
    • Podcasts
    • White Papers
  • Videos
    • EE Videos & Interviews
    • Teardown Videos
  • EE Forums
    • EDABoard.com
    • Electro-Tech-Online.com
  • Engineering Training Days
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Wireless MCUs feature matter protocol enhancements

December 14, 2022 By Redding Traiger

NXP Semiconductors announced new devices designed to simplify the development of IoT and industrial IoT solutions. Adding to NXP’s expanding portfolio of end-to-end Matter solutions, the RW612 and the K32W148 devices combine advanced edge processing capabilities with integrated security to streamline development, simplify designs and reduce costs for Matter-enabled smart home devices. 

The recently launched Matter standard, developed within the Connectivity Standards Alliance by a consortium of industry leaders, including NXP, to ease device interoperability in the smart home. Matter aims to enable devices from different brands and ecosystems to seamlessly, reliably, and securely communicate and thereby free consumers from ecosystem restraints. This innovative approach allows consumers to select devices based on desired features rather than complex or confusing connectivity requirements. With native support for Matter, the multi-protocol enablement provided by the NXP K32W148 and the tri-radio capabilities of the RW612 make it easier for developers to integrate Matter functionality into smart home devices. 

The RW612 is the industry’s first tri-radio wireless MCU with concurrent, multi-protocol support for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3, and 802.15.4, capable of supporting Thread or Zigbee. It is targeted at smart home devices such as thermostats, garage door openers, door locks, IP cameras, robotic vacuums, as well as smart appliances. 

The K32W148 wireless MCU offers multi-protocol enablement across Thread, Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3, and Zigbee for devices such as smart plugs, smart lighting, and low-power smart devices and sensors. It also easily adds Thread and Zigbee support to home routers, hubs, and bridges. The multi-protocol enablement reduces costs and simplifies antenna design with a single antenna. 

The RW612 leverages an integrated tri-radio and advanced edge processing capabilities from the EdgeVerse i.MX RT crossover MCU family. It features an Arm Cortex-M33 MCU subsystem with TrustZone-M and fully integrated Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth LE 5.3, and 802.15.4, capable of supporting Thread or Zigbee. Offering a high degree of integration to reduce design complexity, BOM costs, and solution size, it includes on-chip SRAM and high-performance configurable peripherals, including Ethernet, LCD controller, and five FlexComm modules to support a variety of serial protocols. The RW612 is supported by the unified MCUXpresso development environment to reduce time to market. 

NXP also offers the RW610, part of the same family of devices, which are ready to support new features such as Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast broadcast audio for audio-focused applications, including portable audio devices and speakers, home theater systems, and gaming controllers. 

The multi-protocol K32W148 wireless MCU is architected with separated radio and security execution environments to free the main Arm Cortex-M33 core and memory for the customer’s application. The multiprotocol radio supports Matter, Thread, Bluetooth LE 5.3, and Zigbee. It also includes the dual-PAN capability to simplify the co-existence of multiple IEEE 802.15.4 networks, such as Thread and Zigbee. The K32W148 is also supported by the unified MCUXpresso development environment to reduce time to market. 

Both the K32W148 and the RW61x wireless MCUs are part of NXP’s EdgeLock Assurance program, which follows a secure-by-design approach, including protection against remote and local software attacks, as well as support for secure boot, secure debug and secure over-the-air firmware updates, with an immutable root-of-trust, hardware accelerated cryptography, and lifecycle management. They are also optimized to seamlessly work with the EdgeLock SE05x secure element and EdgeLock A5000 secure authenticator. These discrete security components with optionally pre-injected keys and certificates provide a Common Criteria EAL6+ certified, turnkey plug-in solution, bringing additional tamper resistance and support for additional security use cases (such as device integrity protection or secure UWB ranging). Both devices will also support the NXP EdgeLock 2GO service for simplifying the provisioning and management of device credentials from manufacturing and through the device lifecycle. 

The K32W148, RW612, and RW610 are currently sampling.

You may also like:


  • MOSA and SOSA join the lexicon of military frameworks: part…

  • MOSA and SOSA join the lexicon of military frameworks: part…

  • How does Matter work as middleware for IoT devices?

  • How many internal memories does an MCU have?

  • Exceptions, traps, and interrupts, what’s the difference?

Filed Under: Connectivity, Industrial, IoT, microcontroller, Products, Security, Telecommunications, Tools, Wireless Tagged With: nxpsemiconductors

Primary Sidebar

Featured Contributions

Five challenges for developing next-generation ADAS and autonomous vehicles

Securing IoT devices against quantum computing risks

RISC-V implementation strategies for certification of safety-critical systems

What’s new with Matter: how Matter 1.4 is reshaping interoperability and energy management

Edge AI: Revolutionizing real-time data processing and automation

More Featured Contributions

EE TECH TOOLBOX

“ee
Tech Toolbox: 5G Technology
This Tech Toolbox covers the basics of 5G technology plus a story about how engineers designed and built a prototype DSL router mostly from old cellphone parts. Download this first 5G/wired/wireless communications Tech Toolbox to learn more!

EE Learning Center

EE Learning Center

EE ENGINEERING TRAINING DAYS

engineering
“bills
“microcontroller
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, tools and strategies for EE professionals.

DesignFast

Design Fast Logo
Component Selection Made Simple.

Try it Today
design fast globle

Footer

Microcontroller Tips

EE World Online Network

  • 5G Technology World
  • EE World Online
  • Engineers Garage
  • Analog IC Tips
  • Battery Power Tips
  • Connector Tips
  • DesignFast
  • EDA Board Forums
  • Electro Tech Online Forums
  • EV Engineering
  • Power Electronic Tips
  • Sensor Tips
  • Test and Measurement Tips

Microcontroller Tips

  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
  • About us

Copyright © 2025 · WTWH Media LLC and its licensors. All rights reserved.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media.

Privacy Policy