Microchip announces the expansion of its RF Products Division wireless portfolio with the MRF49XA Sub-GHz transceiver radio. The MRF49XA covers the 434/868/915MHz unlicensed Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) Radio Frequency (RF) band, which is ideal for low data-rate, low-power embedded wireless applications. By retaining compatibility with its existing suite of development tools, Microchip makes it easy to integrate this new Sub-GHz transceiver with any 8-, 16- or 32-bit PIC microcontroller, enabling designs for bi-directional, short-range wireless applications, such as remote controls, remote meter reading and home security/alarms.

The transceiver is an addition to Microchip’s current rfPIC family of sub-GHz solutions and expands its overall wireless portfolio beyond the 2.4GHz IEEE802.15.4/ZigBee products. The MRF49XA is available on a PICtail/PICtail Plus daughter board for easy integration with the 8-bit PIC18 Explorer and 16/32-bit Explorer 16 modular microcontroller development boards. The 434MHz Daughter Board ($39.99 for a two-pack) and 868/915MHz Daughter Board ($39.99 for a two-pack) are both available. Tools include the free MPLAB IDE integrated development environment, the MPLAB REAL ICE emulation system, the MPLAB ICD 3 in-circuit debugger, the PICkit 3 debugger/programmer and Microchip’s free C compilers.