Roku Selects Ozmo’s Ultra Low-Power Wi-Fi SoC for New Remote Control

Market shifts to using Wi-Fi for feature-rich wireless peripherals

Remote for Roku Streaming Stick Leverages Residential Wi-Fi from Ozmo Devices (Photo: Business Wire)

Remote for Roku Streaming Stick Leverages Residential Wi-Fi from Ozmo Devices (Photo: Business Wire)

PALO ALTO, Calif.--()--Ozmo Inc., the leader in ultra-low power Wi-Fi, today announced that Roku® has integrated Ozmo’s Wi-Fi Direct technology into the remote control that accompanies the new Roku Streaming Stick™.

“Using Wi-Fi for both Internet connectivity through an access point (AP) and direct connectivity to our remote allowed us to reduce the size of the Roku Streaming Stick design by not requiring other RF radios for the remote control,” said Jim Funk, senior vice president of product management for Roku. “This was key in making the form factor of the Streaming Stick as small as possible.”

For platform peripheral developers, Ozmo’s Wi-Fi Direct technology, unlike other RF technologies, utilizes the Wi-Fi adapter already included in the TV, set-top box, PC, tablet, or other device, eliminating the need to add another RF module to the platform. This avoids costly hardware and software complications associated with Bluetooth, RF4CE, or other proprietary short-range RF technologies. Ultra-low power Wi-Fi chips from Ozmo allow this without compromising cost, latency, battery life or quality of the consumer experience.

“Using Wi-Fi as the basis for a variety of high-performance wireless peripheral designs represents a major market shift that we see rapidly increasing through 2012 and beyond. Roku’s remote control project is a great example of how Ozmo’s solution simplifies the platform architecture for lower integration costs and faster time to market. If Wi-Fi is already there, why not use it?” said Vince Murdica, vice president of sales for Ozmo. “Validation from a leading device manufacturer like Roku underscores the capabilities of the Ozmo Wi-Fi Direct platform architecture and is only the beginning towards a rapid adoption of low-power Wi-Fi peripherals.”

Ozmo Devices’ OZMO2000 is the world’s first single-chip, Wi-Fi personal area network (PAN) solution, ideal for battery-powered human-interface device (HID) peripherals like remote controls, wireless mouse and keyboards, wireless audio adapters, and many other applications. The OZMO2000 chip is optimized for low-latency, long battery life, and Wi-Fi a/b/g compatibility. Able to directly communicate with the integrated Wi-Fi technology found in millions of products today, the Ozmo complete Wi-Fi solution can be used for many wireless HID and audio applications.

About Ozmo Devices

Ozmo Devices (www.ozmodevices.com) is the leading provider of low-power Wi-Fi PAN solutions. Ozmo Devices extends the functionality of Wi-Fi-enabled platforms to seamlessly communicate with peripherals. Ozmo Devices’ silicon solution delivers superior performance for battery-powered wireless peripherals like remotes, mice and headsets. Ozmo Devices is backed by top-tier venture capital firms and managed by semiconductor industry veterans. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, and has offices in the United Kingdom and Taiwan.

Roku is a registered trademark and the Roku Streaming Stick is a trademarks of Roku, Inc. in the U.S. and in other countries.

Contacts

Ozmo Devices
Brian Mathews, 408-307-8288
bmathews@ozmodevices.com
or
Stowe Consulting
Kim Stowe, 408-839-8750
kim@stoweconsulting.com

Release Summary

Ozmo Devices announces the remote control used with the new Roku Streaming Stick uses Ozmo Device's Wi-Fi Direct solution, preserving battery life and reducing device size.

Contacts

Ozmo Devices
Brian Mathews, 408-307-8288
bmathews@ozmodevices.com
or
Stowe Consulting
Kim Stowe, 408-839-8750
kim@stoweconsulting.com