A new video demonstration for Laird’s Sterling-LWB 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module is now available. The five-part demo features the Sterling-LWB module and walks viewers through the process of integrating it’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality with a Freescale i.MX 6UltraLite evaluation kit running Linux. In the video we establish a baseline by building and booting the Freescale-provided Linux distribution without modification. We then modify the device tree and kernel configuration, build the Laird-supported drivers, and finally use the Sterling-LWB module to communicate via an open Wi-Fi network and Bluetooth.

The full video demonstration is available here. You can also follow along with the integration user guide, available here.

Stay connected with Laird by subscribing to the Wireless Connectivity Blog for future demonstrations, updates, and announcements regarding our products.

The post Demo: Integrating a Wi-Fi + Bluetooth Module with i.MX 6UltraLite Eval Kit on Linux appeared first on Laird Technologies Wireless Connectivity Blog.

Today Laird launched the new Sentrius™ RS1xx Series sensor platform that enables enterprise customers to deploy secure, stable wireless sensors in long-range Enterprise Internet of Things (EIoT) applications. The RS1xx is a battery powered, long-range integrated sensor platform that leverages LoRaWAN and Bluetooth low energy (BLE) connectivity for EIoT applications that require precise temperature and humidity control.

The RS1xx will be displayed at Sensors Expo, June 27-29, at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose.

At its core, the RS1xx utilizes Laird’s field-proven and reliable RM1xx module hardware, providing LoRaWAN options in 868 and 915MHz frequencies, with BLE for local data display, configuration, and troubleshooting. The RS1xx also features IP65 rated enclosures, robust multi-layer security to safeguard your network at every level, industry leading support services, and is fully certified for FCC, IC, CE, and Bluetooth SIG listing.

Based on the Semtech SX1272 and Nordic nRF51 silicon, the RS1xx is the latest addition to Laird’s Sentrius Series of LPWAN solutions, joining the RG1xx multi-interface gateway, RM1xx LoRa + BLE enabled modules, and LPWAN antennas. This ecosystem of pre-integrated solutions provides developers and OEMs the flexibility and freedom to create everything from a single standalone node to a complete end-to-end IoT network.

The RS1xx works with Laird’s RG1xx Series of LoRa/multi-wireless gateways for simple out-of-the-box integration and is compatible with 3rd party Cloud and LoRa network ecosystem partners. Sensor data can easily be routed to the Cloud with Laird’s simplified wireless connectivity deployment, and with minimal development effort, batteries, and simple out-of-the-box configuration, the RS1xx is ready to capture data to a smartphone or tablet.

The RS1xx IoT sensor platform is ideal for use cases such as greenhouses, grain storage, cold chain monitoring, cooling tanks, equipment, or any application that requires constant monitoring and reporting of temperature fluctuations, humidity, and other critical metrics across an entire facility or ecosystem.

RS1xx Features at a Glance

	Your Wireless Network Develop a fully-owned private LoRa network to capture, route, and process IoT data for your application – choose from RM1xx modules, RS1xx finished sensors or RG1xx Gateways
	Rugged Durability with a Broad Sensor Array IP65-rated enclosures provide a robust and resilient platform for recording and delivering sensor data from a range of harsh environments
	Comprehensive Security and Reliability Robust multi-layer security at each interface to safeguard your network at every level
	Broad Certification and Approvals FCC, IC, CE and Bluetooth SIG listing (all pending)
	Platform for Building Actionable IoT Intelligence Route sensor data to the Cloud with Laird’s simplified wireless connectivity deployment
	Personal Support for Your Implementation Support works with Laird engineering to help configure and deploy your application

The post New LoRaWAN + BLE Sensor Platform for Long Range IoT Applications appeared first on Laird Technologies Wireless Connectivity Blog.

Choosing a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) module for a product design can be overwhelming, especially given the demand and sheer volume of design projects involving BLE for applications like IoT deployments and other wirelessly enabled products. The pace is fast and the competition is fierce, so decisions need to be made quickly. However, picking the wrong module can lead to delays, unexpected costs, and compromised product performance. So, how do you choose the best BLE module for your design? Sifting through data sheets can be time consuming and tricky since they are a sales tool that presents information about the module in the most positive light, but if you know what to look for the process can be much easier. Embedded Computing Design recently featured the article, “Four tips for assessing BLE module data sheets“. Written by Jonathan Kaye, Product Director at Laird, the article explains what to look for on a datasheet to ensure you select a Bluetooth module that truly meets your needs. Factors such as range, power consumption, testing, price vs. TCI, and future proof/upgrade path capabilities are all important factors to consider.

Check out the full article, here.

The post New Article: Four Tips for Assessing BLE Module Data Sheets appeared first on Laird Technologies Wireless Connectivity Blog.

This week, Laird will be exhibiting at CommunicAsia 2017. Join us Tuesday-Thursday, May 23rd-25th, at Booth BL4-01 to learn about our innovative antenna and wireless solutions for seamless connectivity! Taking place at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, the conference brings together a comprehensive display of cutting-edge technologies and will feature trending technologies and themes such as:

• Smart Cities
• IoT
• SatComm
• Connect Everywhere
• Cloud & Big Data
• Security & Cybersecurity
• Enterprise Mobility
• Borderless Broadband

Schedule an appointment at the show with our subject matter experts to learn more about our Antenna Solutions and Connectivity Solutions.

The post Meet Us at CommunicAsia 2017 appeared first on Laird Technologies Wireless Connectivity Blog.

An article written by Laird’s Jonathan Kaye was recently featured on Electronic Products and Technology. Titled, “Going the distance: LoRa+BLE makes it possible for IoT to go nearly anywhere geographically“, the article discusses how combining Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) with LoRa technology can bring Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity to even the most remote locations.

“BLE connects small wireless devices in any physical location they are needed, creating an integrated, short-range network that can operate for a very long time without battery changes and be controlled from anywhere via a smartphone or tablet. BLE also can enable a wireless interface to the sensor using the phone/tablet screen in place of buttons and switches, reducing the overall cost / size of the sensors. LoRa allows those BLE-powered networks of devices to go anywhere geographically by providing an ultra-low power means of communicating to those IoT networks over a longer distance.” Together, these two technologies can enable smart connections virtually anywhere, removing geographic limitations for many IoT deployments.

The full article can be found on Electronic Products and Technology’s website, here.

Learn about Laird’s LoRa+BLE Sentrius Series, here.

The post LoRa+BLE Removes Geographic Limitations for the Internet of Things appeared first on Laird Technologies Wireless Connectivity Blog.

With billions of connected devices, Bluetooth technology continues to be a global driver of the Internet of Things (IoT). Today there are more than six billion devices wirelessly connected to the Internet, and that number is estimated to grow to 20.8 billion “things” by 2020, according to Gartner. The rapidly expanding and evolving IoT market has opened a huge array of Bluetooth low energy (BLE) applications. Designed specifically for the IoT, Bluetooth 5 provides increased range, speed, and broadcast messaging capacity in addition to enhanced security features introduced in version 4.2 of the spec. As a result, BLE devices can now offer significantly improved throughput to securely handle the massive amounts of data within the IoT.

Laird is at the forefront of deploying certified module solutions for Bluetooth 5 development, which enables customers to better address the growing data and performance demands for IoT deployments. Today Laird announced the new SaBLE-x-R2 BLE module. The SaBLE-x-R2 builds on the field-proven hardware of the SaBLE-x to provide a simple drop-in upgrade path for Bluetooth 5 connectivity. With longer range, higher throughput, and extended advertising options, the SaBLE-x-R2 accelerates the development time for implementing cutting-edge BLE connectivity in IoT sensors and beacons for commercial, medical, and industrial applications.

Built to deliver unmatched RF and power performance, the SaBLE-x-R2 is the first and only module on the market based on the SimpleLink™ Bluetooth low energy CC2640R2F wireless microcontroller (MCU) from Texas Instruments (TI). Designed to remove complexity and accelerate development time, the module is pin-to-pin compatible with the original SaBLE-x hardware, which means upgrading to R2 does not require any PCB, footprint, or hardware changes in any existing SaBLE-x board layout.

The SaBLE-x-R2 will include certification compliance with the FCC, Industry Canada, CE, Giteki, and C-Tick regulatory bodies, as well as qualification with the Bluetooth SIG. The module certifications will feature no less than four pre-certified antenna options, with the option to add additional custom antennas to the certification at little to no cost to the customer.

Engineering samples of the SaBLE-x-R2 BLE module are now available. Modules and kits are expected to be commercially available in June 2017.

For more information, visit the SaBLE-x-R2 product page.

Read the full press release, here.

The post Optimized BLE Module Simplifies Bluetooth 5 Upgrade and Speeds Time to Market appeared first on Laird Technologies Wireless Connectivity Blog.

Today Laird announced the new Sentrius™ RG1xx LoRa Gateway which offers multi-protocol connectivity to long-distance Enterprise Internet of Things (EIoT) sensors and devices to create actionable IoT intelligence. This secure, scalable, robust LoRa network solution leverages Laird’s field-proven and reliable 50 Series “Wireless Bridge” certified module and offers enterprise dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (BLE and Classic), and wired Ethernet for complete design freedom.

The RG1xx is the latest addition to Laird’s growing Sentrius™ LPWAN family of long-range EIoT solutions. The Sentrius ecosystem leverages Laird’s years of RF expertise to enable secure, low-power, long-range EIoT deployment with ease. This array of pre-integrated solutions, which includes the Sentrius™ RM1xx LoRa + BLE modules and LPWAN antennas, gives developers flexibility and freedom to create everything from a single standalone node to a complete end-to-end IoT network that balances throughput and range while using minimal power.

Based on the Semtech SX1301/SX1257 chipset designs, the Sentrius™ RG1xx provides a LoRa range up to 10 miles and comes pre-loaded with LoRa Packet Forwarder software, perfect for highly scalable and flexible IoT networks. The RG1xx Gateway works seamlessly with Laird’s emerging LoRa enabled ecosystem, including the RM1xx Series of LoRa + BLE certified modules and LPWAN antennas for simple out-of-the-box integration, and is compatible with third party Cloud and LoRa partners, as well as any LoRaWAN certified client devices.

Customers also have the option of the Sentrius™ RG1xx-M2 Concentrator Card. The pluggable M2.COM LoRaWAN adapter integrates a high performance, certified LoRaWAN gateway interface to any Linux based platform. This hardware solution expands upon Semtech drivers and reference design for improved RF performance.

Learn more about the Sentrius™ RG1xx LoRa gateway and the Sentrius™ RG1xx-M2 concentrator card, here.

Read the full press release, here.

The post New Multi-Interface LoRa Gateway Enables Versatile IoT Network Deployment appeared first on Laird Technologies Wireless Connectivity Blog.

By Youssif Saeed, Firmware Engineer

Overview

While originally designed for low data-rate applications, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) has evolved to provide increasingly higher speeds. Since its introduction in 2010, incremental iterations of the spec have increased the maximum data packet length and added a new modulation scheme to enhance the practical data-rates. As a result, there is a significant impact on throughput allowing BLE devices to address the evolving expectations coming from IoT applications. The increase in throughput also improves power consumption for BLE devices. The radio is active for shorter periods of time to send a certain amount of data, therefore reducing the current consumption. Moreover, it can go into deep sleep for longer periods of time resulting in reduced average power consumption.

Bluetooth v4.2 LE Data Packet Length Extension

With the introduction of the v4.2 spec, the maximum data packet length increased from 27 to 251 bytes. With this near tenfold increase in data that can be sent per packet, the data-rate is significantly enhanced. Fragmentation is also improved as data that is larger than 27 bytes can now be sent in fewer packets. This is particularly important for the Internet of Things (IoT) market, as no fragmentation is needed for IPv6 data packets that would otherwise be split into 27 byte packets. Efficiency is also improved as less packet overhead is sent with larger amounts of data.

Bluetooth 5 LE 2M PHY

Prior to Bluetooth 5, BLE only operated on 1Mbps modulation. Bluetooth 5 has added support for an optional 2Mbps modulation; this feature is known as LE 2M PHY. It allows data to transmit at the higher 2Mbps symbol rate, which should theoretically double the throughput. However, due to factors such as the packet format being slightly different, the practical impact is lower than the theoretical double. The LE 2M PHY feature is relatively new and might take some time before it is supported by silicon and stack vendors, although you can test it now using alpha firmware running on Laird’s BL652 module.

Conclusion

The growing demands of the IoT market and the huge array of BLE enabled applications have resulted in the addition of the LE Data Length Extension and LE 2M PHY features to the Bluetooth specification. A BLE radio can achieve the maximum possible data-rate when both features are implemented. However, there are other factors that can affect the measurement such as connection interval, attribute size, and bandwidth configuration.

Furthermore, since BLE throughput is calculated between two devices, the result will always be dependent on the capabilities and limitations of each device. Support of the optional features varies by OS, stack, and device, resulting in different calculations and adding to the complexity of the throughput measurements.

With devices connecting and sharing data wirelessly, increased security is also a growing demand. BT v4.2 was designed with the IoT in mind and includes major security upgrades that are also available in Bluetooth 5. AES-128, Diffie-Hellman pairing, and link layer privacy all provide enhanced security. Check out the Leveraging Security Features of Bluetooth for Your IoT Applications webinar for more information about these security features and more.

Please see Laird’s BL652 Bluetooth Module Series for our production release FW image supporting LE Data Packet Length extensions in the “Software Download Tab”. There you can also access a brand new ALPHA FW build that includes the new Bluetooth 5 feature “LE 2Mbps PHY” support. Please note, this is an engineering firmware release to enable early access testing of this new Bluetooth 5 capability. As such, it has not yet been thoroughly optimized and validated for production use.

The post Maximizing Reliable Bluetooth Low Energy Throughput for the IoT appeared first on Laird Technologies Wireless Connectivity Blog.

The EU published the new Radio Equipment Directive (RED) or RED 2014/53/EU on April 16, 2014 as part of an effort to implement the EU’s New Legislative Framework (NLF), which hopes to harmonize and simplify the CE marking process across many directives. RED requires device manufacturers of applicable wireless products to transition from the current Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE) directive to RED. As the deadline to comply quickly approaches, June 13, 2017, LSR’s compliance experts have created a white paper to help clarify the directive and answer many of the questions currently asked by device manufacturers.

Titled, “The Road Ahead for RED: Navigating Compliance in the EU’s New Radio Equipment Directive (RED),” the white paper provides an overview of RED, answers many frequently asked questions, lists common RED related standards such as 300 328 and 301 893 and how they are impacted by the changes, provides next steps or action items for devices manufacturers, and explains what to expect for affected Laird and LSR products.

Download the white paper, here.

For a complete overview of RED and its effects on Laird and LSR products, including an update timeline, please see our Radio Equipment Directive (RED) Updates document located on the Certifications tab of all our products. This is a living document that is continually updated as more standards are updated. We encourage our customers to always reference the online document to ensure you have the latest information on this important topic.

The post New White Paper: Navigating Compliance in the EU’s Radio Equipment Directive (RED) appeared first on Laird Technologies Wireless Connectivity Blog.

Laird recently released two updates that provide new features for the RM1xx and smartBASIC series of modules.

1. New RM1xx Firmware
   With the latest RM1xx firmware (RM186: v18.17.1.0 / RM191: v17.17.1.0), customers now have the option of either Central OR Peripheral variants for their modules. The new firmware is available in the software download tab on the RM1xx product page. You can also download the Upgrading Firmware via JTAG application note for a step-by-step guide on how to download and upgrade firmware within Laird’s RM186 and RM191 LoRa modules using a J-Link Lite Debugger.
2. MCU Flash Upgrade
   Laird now offers the ability to download new firmware from a host microcontroller that is physically connected to the UART pins of smartBASIC modules. Laird provides C++ source code that you may embed into your host microcontroller. This code acts like a black box so that a firmware upgrade is as simple as calling a single blocking function called UwFlashUpgradeFirmware();. The only requirement is that the host microcontroller has access to the firmware .uwf file (for example, from a serial flash, SDIO card, Wi-Fi or Ethernet link). Refer to the Upgrading Firmware from your Host Microcontroller application note for more information.

Visit the RM1xx and respective smartBASIC radio module product pages for complete product information, video demonstrations, links to all detailed technical documentation, and access to the software download center.

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