8 Experts on Overcoming Challenges of RF Solution Design 6
"The more time it takes to develop a product, the higher its
development costs and the longer it will be before that product
gets into the market where it can start generating revenue."
Tony Garcia
Senior Manager, Business Development
at Murata Electronics North America
Tony Garcia is Senior Manager, Business
Development, with Murata Americas'
Connectivity Solutions Group. He has been
at Murata for thirteen years and is currently
responsible for promoting wireless modules
and supporting customer designs in North
America. His experience includes twenty-
four years in the wireless industry.
One of the first considerations in developing any wireless design is choosing the
communication protocol appropriate for the application. This choice usually depends on
the kind of data the device will send and the transmission range. Range and throughput
go hand-in-hand, with lower frequencies typically operating at longer ranges and lower
throughput. The communication protocol affects all aspects of the design, including
radio-frequency (RF) components, battery requirements, and antenna design.
Major challenges in any design are cost and time to market. These factors relate to each
other in that the more time it takes to develop a product, the higher its development
costs and the longer it will be before that product gets into the market, where it can start
generating revenue. Key factors that contribute to costs and development time include:
• Software development. Software manages how the RF section operates in the
device to enable wireless communications and data transfer. Depending on the
application and data throughput requirements, software development can be
complex and time consuming. Software developers need a working prototype with
RF and data processing so that they can develop and test software drivers.
Speeding Time to Market
for Wireless IoT Solutions
