Boosting In-Vehicle Connectivity Experience: NXP's AW693 and Smart Link Management

Electrification has transformed the automotive industry, elevating vehicles beyond mere transportation. Vehicles are now transforming into sophisticated domains of comfort, entertainment and productivity—spaces where digital integration is not just desired but expected.

We’ve witnessed this evolution in smart homes. From voice-activated assistants to smart security systems, consumers now expect their homes to be intelligent and responsive. The invisible network of wireless access points makes this connectivity and harmony possible.

The automotive industry is also racing to adopt this level of high-performance wireless connectivity. The modern vehicle will become capable of smart home-like experiences, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as central hubs. However, as the number of connected devices grows, ensuring consistent performance becomes a complex challenge.

Emerging In-Vehicle Technologies

So, what specific technologies are automakers integrating into vehicles to meet growing consumer demand and new use cases for connectivity? To enhance the in-vehicle experience, manufacturers are equipping vehicles with more customizable, high-resolution displays that provide vital and dynamic information and applications like navigation and multimedia. Additionally, smart camera systems are being implemented to improve safety and convenience, replacing traditional mirrors with digital displays and enabling features such as trailer camera integration.

Future vehicles will also readily and seamlessly communicate with charging stations and home networks, allowing for remote updates and synchronization with other smart devices. Mobile hotspot capabilities will enable vehicles to connect to external Wi-Fi networks, reducing reliance on cellular data and enhancing the overall connected experience.

Balancing Performance and Connectivity

While these advanced features promise significant benefits, their true value hinges on flawless, simultaneous operation. Vehicles must efficiently manage complex data flows, which means handling data from CarPlay or Android Auto while transmitting or streaming various content to front and rear-seat displays and many other smart devices.

CarPlay and Android Auto demand high performance, low latency and significant throughput to ensure the smooth operation of features such as navigation, music streaming and voice commands. While throughput demands increase as more devices or stations are connected, strict latency standards for CarPlay or Android Auto must still be maintained. To achieve this, critical connections must be prioritized, and bandwidth must be efficiently managed among competing connections. Likewise, proper communication link management is essential to prevent data packet collisions, which can lead to increased CarPlay latency and unstable data transfer, negatively impacting user satisfaction.

NXP Empowers Automakers with Advanced Connectivity Solutions

As a trusted partner to OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers for decades, our Wi-Fi μAP micro Access Point Smart Link Management guarantees CarPlay/Android Auto performance both in throughput and latency, even as the number and diversity of connected devices in vehicles increase. The AW693 chip, part of our latest automotive wireless connectivity portfolio, incorporates advanced Wi-Fi features to create a robust in-vehicle wireless infrastructure, including:

1. Wireless Multi-Streaming: Based on Low Latency Data Exchange (LLDE) technology, Wireless Multi-Streaming improves link stability and user experience by preventing packet collisions and prioritizing CarPlay connections to guarantee performance
2. Adaptive Scheduler: The Adaptive Scheduler dynamically allocates hardware resources in real time and is capable of supporting more connected devices while maintaining stable throughput across various scenarios
3. Agile Channel Switching: Agile Channel Switching intelligently switches between clean channels within the same band or across different bands, which is crucial for maintaining performance in the constantly varying wireless environments of a moving automobile

The AW693 chip enables simultaneous Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 connections, all secured by NXP's EdgeLock secure subsystem , allowing for multiple secure connections within the vehicle.

The Future of In-Vehicle Connectivity

As vehicles evolve into mobile smart environments, automakers must be prepared to deliver seamless user experiences even in the face of evolving technical challenges. Future in-vehicle technologies, such as video conferencing and enhanced streaming, will further complicate the vehicle’s network, requiring it to handle a bidirectional flow of data between devices and the central system.

NXP is here to help you navigate these complexities. Learn more about the robust features of the NXP AW693 chip and how it’s shaping the future of automotive technology.

Author | Wei Chang

Wei Chang leads NXP’s product marketing team in Automotive Wireless Connectivity applications. In his 20 years of product marketing, he held various leading positions in wireless connectivity segments at Broadcom and Qualcomm. In 2018, Wei was also involved in 5G millimeter wave Radio start up at Movandi and made numerous deals in infrastructure applications. Prior to his marketing career, Wei was a hardware Systems Engineer at Conexant. Mr. Chang received his PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California Los Angeles and MBA from University of California Irvine.