The Si10xx/1x family, built on an existing transceiver technology called EZRadio® and integrating features from the EZRadioPRO® product line, offers lower cost and simplifies RF design. In many applications, end users require methods to extend the range of the products, increase battery life and improve the link robustness of their communication, while at the same time reducing both the MCU cost and software complexity. The Si10xx/1x family was developed to meet these challenges. As more applications are being deployed, range and data robustness requirements are continuing to increase. While competitive solutions typically deliver up to +10dBm and must use external PAs in order to compete, the Si10xx/1x family offers sensitivity of -121dBm and output power of up to +20dBm. Using external PAs typically results in current consumption of >150mA, which is not a desirable current draw for battery applications. The need to design with an external PA also increases the complexity and cost of the design. The Si10xx/1x has integrated PAs that were optimized to work with the core radio function, and as such deliver +20dBm while consuming only 80mA, approximately half the current of an external PA with similar output power. Also, when the Si10xx/1x operates at low power levels, it consumes lower power than the competitor’s products; for example, 25mA at +13dBm compared to a competitor which uses 32mA at +10dBm. Power consumption while the radio is operating is important, however many RF products spend the majority of their time asleep. The current consumption during sleep periods can greatly impact the overall battery life. The Si10xx/1x has a low sleep mode current of only 50nA; competitive solutions start at 400nA, but can be as high as 9µA. Si10xx products also offer multiple modes of operation where individual blocks and peripherals may be switched to an active or power saving mode depending on the operating state. Environmental factors such as multipath or fading and moving RF nodes affect range and can impact current consumption. An embedded antenna diversity algorithm helps recover from these loss effects. The registers of Si10xx/1x are configured via a standard SPI interface to the MCU. Registers in the radio are used to configure certain blocks in a manner that allows radio centric functions that usually run on an external MCU to run in the radio, providing a more efficient battery powered solution to the market. The MCU can be used solely for radio configuration and non-radio specific application tasks. By reducing the workload the MCU can also remain asleep for longer periods.