News Briefs

Newly Released Mesh Network Performance Results from Silicon Labs Clarify IoT Connectivity Options

Comprehensive Testing of Zigbee®, Thread and Bluetooth® Mesh Software Compares Throughput, Latency and Network Scalability

AUSTIN, Texas – April 9, 2018 Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB) has released the industry’s first comprehensive network performance results based on large-scale, multicast testing of Zigbee®, Thread and Bluetooth® mesh software. Each mesh networking protocol presents unique characteristics and advantages, depending on the use case and end application. All testing was conducted at Silicon Labs’ Boston design center using the company’s Wireless Gecko SoC platform to eliminate the device itself as a variable in testing the mesh protocols.

“Understanding the inner workings of mesh technologies helps developers assess how these network protocols perform in the key areas of power consumption, throughput, security and large network scalability,” said Daniel Cooley, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Silicon Labs’ IoT Products. “Zigbee, Thread and Bluetooth mesh are designed differently from the ground up, and we’re sharing our performance benchmark results to help developers select the right mesh connectivity option for their IoT designs.”

The mesh network benchmark results can be used by system designers to define expected behavior for Zigbee, Thread and Bluetooth mesh in the 2.4 GHz frequency band. With the growing number of mesh networks available for IoT applications, it is important for developers to understand how these networks differ in terms of use cases and expected performance. The testing focused on device behavior and impact on battery life, network throughput and latency, and the impact of network size on scalability and reliability.

Silicon Labs’ mesh network performance results are available as a series of application notes that define the methodology for performing the benchmark tests, enabling developers to replicate and run similar tests. These results provide guidance on mesh network design best practices and principles as well as expected field performance results. With 15 years of experience in mesh networking and more than 150 million deployed nodes, Silicon Labs is at the forefront of bringing advanced, multiprotocol wireless mesh technology to market.

Silicon Labs’ mesh networking performance test results are available free of charge to developers at www.silabs.com/mesh-performance.

Silicon Labs

Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB) is a leading provider of silicon, software and solutions for a smarter, more connected world. Our award-winning technologies are shaping the future of the Internet of Things, Internet infrastructure, industrial automation, consumer and automotive markets. Our world-class engineering team creates products focused on performance, energy savings, connectivity and simplicity. www.silabs.com

Connect with Silicon Labs

Silicon Labs PR Contact: Dale Weisman +1-512-532-5871, dale.weisman@silabs.com

Follow Silicon Labs at http://news.silabs.com/, at http://blog.silabs.com/, on Twitter at http://twitter.com/siliconlabs, on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/siliconlabs and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/siliconlabs.

Cautionary Language

This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on Silicon Labs’ current expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of factors that could impact Silicon Labs’ financial results and cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, please refer to Silicon Labs’ filings with the SEC. Silicon Labs disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Note to editors: Silicon Labs, Silicon Laboratories, the “S” symbol, the Silicon Laboratories logo and the Silicon Labs logo are trademarks of Silicon Laboratories Inc. All other product names noted herein may be trademarks of their respective holders.

# # #