CSR combines audio and connectivity to drive connected car apps

ENGLAND & USA: CSR plc announced the launch of the CSRC9300, the first auto-grade chipset to combine Wi-Fi and Bluetooth v4.0 connectivity with audio capabilities.

The complete solution will enable car manufacturers to deliver future connected car applications, such as Miracast over 5Ghz, and keyless entry using Bluetooth v4.0. The chipset will be demonstrated for the first time on CSR’s stand #65 at Telematics Detroit  2013 from 5-6 June.

“Bluetooth is a major priority and we recognise that adoption of in-vehicle Wi-Fi is increasing,” says Thomas Carmody, head of Connectivity Marketing at CSR. “CSR is leading the way with CSRC9300, enabling our customers to easily create the connected car of the future. So we have created a chipset that combines CSR’s best of breed automotive grade Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.0 and audio technologies to allow us to support this growing market and enable our customers to differentiate their products.”

The solution will provide:
* Next-generation Wi-Fi for high-bandwidth applications.
* Bluetooth v4.0 Smart Ready for the low-power connectivity ecosystem.
* Complementary audio, including aptX for high-fidelity wireless streaming.

The CSRC9300 enables next-generation 5Ghz Wi-Fi connectivity with the 802.11a standard, which is set to support a number of exciting new applications for the car including in-vehicle video streaming. By moving high bandwidth demanding applications to the 5Ghz frequency, designers can avoid congestion on the 2.4Ghz frequency in the vehicle which is also used for Bluetooth and Bluetooth Smart Ready communications.
The chipset will also support the latest Wi-Fi features, including Wi-Fi direct and its services, which will enable more seamless Wi-Fi connectivity between cars and the latest smartphones on the market.

The chipset also contains Bluetooth v4.0 support which enables low-power connectivity and basic data transfer for applications previously limited by the power consumption, size constraints and complexity of other wireless standards. By including Bluetooth v4.0, the chipset will enable applications such as proximity and keyless entry applications. It will also allow consumers to securely connect to their cars, so they can have data such as lock/unlock status sent to their Bluetooth Smart Ready enabled smartphones.

In addition, the chipset incorporates audio offloading capabilities such as on-chip support for wideband speech codec processing, and Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) decoding for high-fidelity wireless audio. CSRC9300 will also include CSR’s award winning aptX audio codec to ensure consumers can stream CD-quality audio over Bluetooth from aptX-enabled smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4.

By combining and optimising both software and hardware elements of the chipset, CSR has reduced engineering efforts for companies looking to integrate the device into next-generation designs. Existing customers can also reuse their software investment in existing CSR Bluetooth and Wi-Fi solutions, while migrating to the new solution, to enhance their existing designs.

The hardware components required to power the CSRC9300 have also been minimised, providing significant cost savings. CSRC9300 also offers a single, flexible solution for designers with a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capable device, as well as a Wi-Fi only variant in the same automotive grade package.