Interface definition:
Integrated circuit (IC) interfaces are semiconductor chips that are used to control and manage the sharing of information between devices.
Types:
IC interfaces support many different types of serial and wireless technologies.
1. Serial technologies for IC interfaces include RS232, RS422, and RS485; serial 1-wire, serial 2-wire, and serial 3-wire; controller area network bus (CANbus); serial peripheral interface (SPI); system management bus (SMBus); universal serial bus (USB); and USB on-the-go (USB OTG) or USB 2.0.
2.Wireless technologies for IC interfaces include code division multiple access (CDMA), wide band code division multiple access (WCDMA), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) or IEEE 802.11, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) or IEEE 802.16, wireless mesh (Wi-Mesh), and ZigBee or IEEE 802.15.4. Bluetooth chips also provide wireless connectivity in solution-on-chip (SoC) platforms that power short-range radio communication applications.
3.Wireless IC interfaces are also described as using 3G or 4G technologies.
4.3G (third generation) technologies for IC interfaces include universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), enhanced data rates for global evolution (EDGE), and global system for global communication (GSM).
5.4G (fourth generation) products are based solely on packet switching, whereas 3G is based on a combination of circuit and packet switching.