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New Nordic Bluetooth® Smart Component and Module Seek to Revolutionize IoT Development

2015-10-14

Wireless component manufacturer Nordic Semiconductor introduces a Bluetooth® Smart system-on-chip that handles complex processes with minimal power use. U.S.-based developer and engineering firm Rigado presents a pre-certified, comprehensive Bluetooth® Smart module using Nordic’s SoC to deliver a secure, cost-effective solution to IoT developers.

Nordic Semiconductor’s new system-on-chip is set to revolutionize development for the Internet of Things. On Oct. 5, Nordic launched the Global Tech Tour in Boston, Mass. to introduce the nRF52832 system-on-chip, an ultralow power Bluetooth® Smart solution that can handle complex multivalent processes while maintaining ultralow power consumption. The nRF52 is the basis of Rigado’s newest Bluetooth® Low Energy module, the BMD-300, an easy-to-implement component that shortens IoT developers’ time to market and reduces development costs.

The Global Tech Tour visits thirty cities, including nine in the U.S. The free presentations will feature a thorough introduction of the nRF52 chipset family, along with presentations on RF connectivity and layout, power devices, software development kits and more. Attendees will receive a free nRF52 development kit

The nRF52 is an ultralow power multiprotocol system-on-chip that supports Bluetooth® Smart, ANT and 2.4GHz ULP wireless applications. The chipset is Nordic’s smallest Bluetooth® Smart SoC to date, measuring just 3.0 x 3.2 mm, and is the first Nordic SoC to feature near field communication (NFC) protocol, allowing developers to implement “touch-to-pair” functionality in their designs. Its comprehensive digital and analog interfaces and peripherals address a variety of Bluetooth® Smart design requirements, including digital audio processing, FFT/FIR and security algorithms, driving device displays and user interfaces.

Rigado, a provider of embeddable Bluetooth® Smart modules, is an early adopter of the nRF52 for its next generation of Bluetooth® Smart modules, the BMD-300 and will have a presence at the Seattle, Portland, San Jose and Orange County Tech Tour stops. The BMD-300 is an integrated system-on-module that includes a comprehensive set of RF components, along with all of the features of the nRF52, allowing developers to forgo engineering design and costs when producing wireless products. The module is pre-certified and tested, and it includes added security, libraries and firmware to protect customers’ products, lower their development costs and shorten their time to market. Samples are scheduled to be available in Q4 with production quantities available in early Q1 2016.

Rigado also helps customers seeking assistance with design or chip-down solutions by offering complete, multidisciplinary engineering services and expertise in low power and wireless designs. Rigado provides electrical, industrial, mechanical, software and application engineering to support customers from concept to production.
For more information on the nRF52, visit
https://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/Products/nRF52-Series-SoC.
Learn more about and register for the Global Tech Tour at https://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/Events/Global-Tech-Tour-2015/US.

IoT Security 2015 in Boston SEPTEMBER 22 – 23!

2015-09-11

SEPTEMBER 22 – 23 | RENAISSANCE BOSTON WATERFORTN HOTEL, BOSTON

IoT Security 2015 is the first event of its kind to focus on the security and privacy issues surrounding IoT and managing the information and data associated with the ever increasing amount of connected devices and appliances. Attracting decision makers, stakeholders and investors together under roof, Internet of Things Security boasts a C-Level executive speaker line-up with interactive round table sessions, case studies and networking breaks designed to instigate discussion and enabling business opportunities. For more information about the show or to register for a pass that suits your needs, visit www.iotsecurityevent.com and don’t forget to claim a 15% discount by using code QTOOTH15 !

CSR Applying its CSRmesh Protocol to Other Home Automation Applications

2015-08-11

CSR plc (LSE: CSR; NASDAQ: CSRE) announced the latest version of its Bluetooth® Smart solution for the smart home – CSRmesh® Home Automation. The latest software release adds sensor and actuator models to build on the original protocol that was designed for lighting control. This makes it possible for developers to deliver a wider range of home automation solutions including control of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, door locks and window sensors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtLBazKoFq8&feature=youtu.be
Seamless and Secure

The new flood mesh solution combines a configuration and control protocol based on CSR’s proven Bluetooth Smart devices, including the CSR101x™ family, and allows for an almost unlimited number of devices to be networked together and directly controlled from a smartphone, tablet PC or wearable device. The system does not require a hub or router to function locally, or an end-to-end IP connection which means it offers a simple and seamless user experience. An encrypted network key, combined with other measures, ensures security against eavesdroppers, as well as man-in-the-middle and replay attacks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB-NyMr_ifA

Extended battery life

Importantly, for a positive user experience, CSRmesh for Home Automation significantly extends battery life for sensors and actuators such as door locks. Multiple devices can be easily grouped together with a mains powered proxy device in the group, for example a light bulb, holding data from a battery powered sensor device. This proxy device can then relay that information without ‘waking’ the battery powered sensor. By doing this, manufacturers can reduce the duty cycle of each mesh device to as little as two percent, ensuring long battery life without any impact to the consumer experience. Some battery powered devices, such as security sensors and light switches, need only wake up when they are triggered by user activation such as a window being opened. At all other times the devices would be in sleep mode, providing extremely long battery life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmdM0gVjCLg

Seamless End-User Experience

A recent study commissioned by CSR found that consumers are increasingly interested in home automation, but a quarter (26%) are concerned connected devices would be too difficult to set up and too complex to use (25%). A significant amount is also anxious about security, with 26% worried about devices being open to hacking.

“Consumers want a simple, secure smart-home experience that works with a wide range of devices and smartphones. The set-up process has to be simple and low maintenance with minimal need to change batteries,” says Anthony Murray, Senior Vice President, Business Group at CSR. “This latest version of CSRmesh meets increasing consumer demand for a much wider range of home automation applications that are seamless and secure. And it’s significantly more cost-effective than other RF technologies designed for the smart home market.”

Interoperability to prevent fragmentation

The solution can provide whole building coverage, even in RF dead zones, without the need to add relays or set up routing tables for each device. It does this by enabling an almost unlimited amount of Bluetooth Smart sensors and actuators to be simply networked together. CSR is working in the Bluetooth Special Interest Group’s (SIG) Smart Mesh Study Group to help create a global standard for Bluetooth Smart mesh to ensure interoperability of all compatible devices and prevent fragmentation.

Developer ready

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRJ3RQvsgn8

To enable developers to get products to market quickly the CSRmesh Development Kit provides a complete set of tools for evaluation and software development, including Android and iOS source code. New example applications for the HVAC market, including those that allow developers to set thermostats, trigger air conditioning or heating, or display the current temperature, are also available.

For more information on the new release a whitepaper with more details on the technology and how it works for key applications will be available in the coming weeks. Register today to receive your copy.

CSRmesh™ Soon to Be Found in Retail Stores for GE Branded Smart Lighting and Home

2015-05-05

CSR and Avi-on Labs Add Simple, Seamless Whole-Home Control to GE Branded Lighting

CSRmesh™ IoT Protocol Soon to be Found in Retail Stores for Smart Lighting and Home Automation

Light Fair International 2015 kicked off today. As part of the proceedings, CSR announced that it has worked with Avi-on Labs to provide Bluetooth® Smart mesh connectivity in a new GE branded line of smart lighting from Jasco Products. These lighting and home control products, which are expected to appear in major retail stores this year, use CSR’s Bluetooth® Smart solution – CSRmesh™. The CSRmesh™ protocol allows an almost unlimited number of Bluetooth Smart enabled devices to be easily networked together and controlled directly from a “smart” switch or dimmer, smartphone or tablet.

This might indicate a bit of a change in direction for both GE and Jasco Products, both who have previously relied mostly on the Z-Wave wireless protocol. Certainly, CSRmesh™ offers a much simpler setup that will control a greater number of devices across multiple, “nested” networks. And because more devices already have Bluetooth built into them, a Bluetooth mesh network won’t necessarily require a centralized hub to control it all.

Gateway = Single Point of Failure

Delayed, disjointed dimming
Dumb devices fail when gateway/router fails
Gateway or panel required to operate a single light bulb or device

Avi-on Distributed Architecture

Eliminates single point of failure
Mesh smart devices operate with/without phone
Virtually unlimited programming distances
Optional Wi-Fi bridge enables remote access
Secures & expands CSRmesh™
Real-time dimming performance equal to wires

Jasco Products chose Avi-on Labs’ Powered by Avi-on turnkey lighting and home control platform, which uses CSRmesh combined with CSR’s Bluetooth Smart silicon. Avi-on’s complete residential and commercial lighting solution includes plug and play firmware, iOS and Android mobile applications, a secure cloud service, and a pre-certified module based on the CSR1010™ chipset, which together allows manufacturers to get to market quickly. The platform enables a number of features including real-time dimming, one-touch setup, grouping, schedules, timers and multi-user controls all from an easy to use mobile app.

“CSRmesh has the potential to disrupt the smart lighting market by eliminating the complex setup, pairing, and use of an access device, such as a router, needed with other connectivity solutions available today,” said Cameron Trice, CEO of Jasco Products. “By combining CSRmesh with Avi-on Labs’ software and support we are able to offer a lighting product line that offers an unrivalled user experience and secure connectivity to customers through our major retail partners. Working with CSR and Avi-on allowed us to get to market fast to meet growing consumer demand for these types of smart devices.”

The GE branded Jasco Products range will include “smart” switches, dimmers, an outdoor timer and a smart plug which will give consumers on/off control of virtually any standard home device or appliance.

“CSRmesh is transforming the smart lighting and home automation markets by offering the blend of security, performance and ease of use that is needed to drive broad consumer adoption,” says Anthony Murray, Senior Vice President, Business Group at CSR. “We are seeing interest from a wide variety of lighting and home control device manufacturers and it is exciting to see some of the first CSRmesh home automation enabled products making their way to the shelves. Avi-on’s platform supports multiple lighting products as well as home and commercial automation devices. We are pleased to be working with them to further expand the CSRmesh ecosystem.”

“The ability to replace wires with software will transform the lighting and construction industries worldwide,” said Eric Miller, CEO of Avi-on. “Avi-on has delivered a cost-effective, simple, scalable and proven controls platform based on CSRmesh, and we are excited to move forward in partnership with CSR to provide Jasco Products and other manufacturers with a complete package for wireless lighting.”

Both CSR and Avi-on Labs will be exhibiting at LightFair International in New York City from May 5 – 7. Visitors can see CSRmesh at CSR’s booth #4079 and Avi-on will feature Powered by Avi-on in booth #3126. At the same time, Jasco Products will present its line of GE branded lighting controls powered by Avi-on and CSRmesh at the National Hardware Show in booth #4515 in Las Vegas.

A $7 Trillion Opportunity: Introducing the Next Generation of IoT Disrupters in Boston

2015-04-27

IDC (International Data Corporation) have predicted the Internet of Things (IoT) market will reach $7 trillion in just five years. However, despite this, a recent study found that 73% of companies have yet to make any “concrete investments” in the IoT. Are you ready for a smart, connected world? How will it impact your workplace, job and even your home?

The RE.WORK Internet of Things Summit is a unique opportunity to meet influential technologists, data scientists, engineers, leading industry players and entrepreneurs all in the same room. Discover the latest IoT advancements from a global line-up of experts and maybe even become an IOT disrupter yourself!

The summit will take place in Boston on 28-29 May, with over 40 IoT experts discussing the Industrial Internet, the Connected Home, Wearables, Embedded Devices, Smart Cities, Next Generation Wireless Infrastructure, Personalized Medicine, and the Connected Car. Speakers will include exciting new startups, leading technologists and engineers, and world-class researchers from notable companies and institutions including: Google, MIT, INRIX, BigBelly, City of Boston, AliveCor, Misfit Wearables, Zubie and SafeLogic.

Boston is at the heart of a thriving technology ecosystem, centered around world-leading academic institutions of MIT, Harvard and many more schools, as well as some of the leading Fortune 500 companies in the world including Staples, EMC2 and Boston Scientific. Not to mention unprecedented venture capital investments helping to create the perfect entrepreneurial hub in the city.

This May, top Boston based companies will share their insights into IoT technological trends, applications and insights at the global summit. Sessions from Boston innovators not to be missed include:

Smart Waste Management at the Heart of a Smarter Boston

BigBelly was founded in with the goal of transforming one of the least efficient and resource- intensive industries on the planet — waste collection. Their aim was to stop cities collecting refuse and waste too often and thereby wasting fuel and labor, and creating unnecessary CO2 emissions; or too little and creating problems with overflowing trash cans which causes health and safety issues. The BigBelly solution is smart bins that go far beyond their solar powered motors, equipped with a wireless monitoring system that tracks its trash intake and status, communicating the information over a cloud.

These smart bins are spreading through Boston’s streets and university campuses, revolutionizing the city’s waste management and adding to a growing network of smart devices. Brian Phillips, Executive VP of Strategic Planning at BigBelly, is spearheading the company’s strategic partnerships and next generation product development and capabilities, and will present at the IOT Summit.

City of Boston – Connecting the Citizens of Boston

Boston’s New Urban Mechanics serves as the Mayor’s civic innovation group, piloting experiments that offer the potential to significantly improve the quality of City services. New technology – from smart phones to GPS – and a resurgent spirit of civic engagement have created increased opportunities for closer connection and communication between City government and its citizens.

Nigel Jacob, co-founder of New Urban Mechanics, and the team are exploring ways to deepen this connection by creating new programs for community empowerment. Of the dozens of
projects piloted in Boston, many incorporate IoT technologies to increase community engagement and involvement. Interesting projects include Soofa, a solar-powered seat with the capability to charge two smart phones and collect air quality or other environmental data, and Citizens Connect, a mobile application that empowers residents to be the City’s eyes and ears, engaging them in the process of maintaining their own city neighborhoods.

OnKöl – Elderly Technology Adoption for Connected Caregiving

“Aging in place” elderly people are the fastest growing demographic in the US, and have so far been relatively ignored by the IoT revolution. OnKöl however saw the opportunity to create a better life for the elderly who choose to not live in a care home, and have created an IoT device that simultaneously notifies selected family members and other caregivers of everything from vital signs to incoming and outgoing calls to emergency or panic situations. That way, the caregivers and interested parties can get out in front of specific events or anomalies, before they become full-blown emergencies.

At the Internet of Things Summit, Erich Jacobs, CEO of OnKöl, will discuss the reasons why the elderly are downplayed in the current revolution, the benefits of the getting the elderly to adopt IoT, and how historical hurdles to elderly technology adoption can be overcome through both innovation and design.

Involution Studios – Revolutionizing Human Healthcare with Non-Invasive Sensors

Juhan Sonin is the Creative Director at Boston-based design firm Involution Studios, who focus on harnessing digital, materials and networking technologies to create new user experiences. Design has a huge role to play in translating emerging technologies for everyday users and user experience is integral to IoT being integrated seamlessly. Involution Studios are at the forefront of revolutionising design in human health by tracking real-time health data using non-invasive tools, whilst ensuring a user-friendly and enjoyable experience. Their vision to create a world of automatic health sensing where data about our wellbeing is collected and measured invisibly illustrates the changing role of design in emerging technologies and the convergence of engineering and design disciplines in the IoT.

Make Your Plan

The time to act is now. As said by John Ansbach, General Counsel, General Datatech,
“Collaboration (or lack thereof) will define the success of IoT in the next few years, and the players who find their way here with the vision to see what others do not will be the definitive winners in the new IoT-defined landscape.”

Within the next few years, connectivity in devices, products and infrastructure we use will become a mainstream service, so it’s now that we need to understand where the opportunities lie for consumers and industry players, as well as identifying where the competitive threats from a more connected world will leave you behind.

The Internet of Things Summit is taking place in Boston on 28-29 May. For more information and to register, please visit the event website: re-work.co/events/iot-boston

Don’t forget: Use the QTOOTH20 code at checkout for an additional 20% off!

IoT Industry Leaders to Keynote at Bluetooth World 2015

2015-03-26

Fitbit, Google, Under Armour and Lowe’s Anchor Two Days of Can’t Miss Panels, Sessions and Developer Training

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is set to welcome Fitbit, Google , Under Armour and Lowe’s Home Improvement as keynote speakers at the second annual Bluetooth World event in Santa Clara, April 14-15, 2015. Bluetooth World, the global flagship conference hosted by the Bluetooth SIG, focuses on how Bluetooth® technology and Bluetooth Smart technology are enabling the Internet of Things (IoT). The event will bring together over 700 attendees, 90 speakers and 40 exhibitors for an in-depth exploration of how Bluetooth technology is transforming the connected world.

Bluetooth World is a unique opportunity for industry leaders, developers, engineers, analysts and media to gather and explore the growing IoT landscape enabled by Bluetooth technology. The release of Bluetooth Smart has enabled a new wave of innovation and is considered by many to be the premier wireless technology for the IoT due to its reliability, ubiquity and flexibility. This event enables participants to share and learn best practices, explore various growth opportunities, evaluate business models and network with colleagues across the wireless and IoT ecosystem.

“Bluetooth has become much more than what many people realize. It’s the wireless technology that is going to make the IoT a reality,” said Errett Kroeter, Senior Director of Brand and Developer Marketing at Bluetooth SIG. “Bluetooth World is an opportunity to learn about the key role Bluetooth plays in IoT implementations and how companies large and small can benefit. We are excited to hear how companies like Fitbit, Google, Under Armour and Lowe’s are using Bluetooth Smart in innovative ways. These companies are at the forefront of a new age of connectivity and will provide unique insight and knowledge to conference attendees.”

Bluetooth World features a two-day, two-track (Developers’ Summit and Technical Strategy) conference format that consists of keynotes and panel discussions exploring the biggest trends around Bluetooth technology and the IoT market. Content tracks will encompass multiple industries including smart home, wearables, automotive, sports and fitness, medical, beacons, start-ups and wireless audio. The event will offer developers and OEMs opportunities to gain the business and technical knowledge to bring their innovations to life and will introduce new developer tools that will make developing with Bluetooth even easier than before.

Attendees have the opportunity to participate in panel discussions, including case studies of successful technology and market implementations, as well as Analyst Breakfast Briefings and the Bluetooth World Hackathon. The Analyst Breakfast Briefings, led by analysts from Gartner, IHS Technology and ABI Research, will forecast the IoT market potential. The Bluetooth World Hackathon will challenge developers, designers and entrepreneurs to build connected devices that shape the next generation of the connected world.

Additional speakers from LG Electronics, Samsung, Indiegogo, Siemens and Nokia Growth Partners, as well as media, analysts and developers will further the conversation on Bluetooth Smart and the future of wireless connectivity.

Featured Sessions

The Long Tail of Smart Devices

Scott Jenson, Google

The Smart Home in Retail

Jason Rogers, Lowe’s Home Improvement

Connected Fitness Applications and Partnerships

Chris Glode, Under Armour Connected Fitness

Innovative IoT Solutions for ‘Emotional Home’ and Bluetooth

Kanwar Chadha, Binatone Global/SiRF Technologies

Featured Panels

Innovations Around the Newest Bluetooth Releases

(Moderator: Bill Morelli, IHS; Panelists: Minsoo Lee, LG Electronics; Sonny Vu, Misfit Wearables; Arun Mahasenan, Honeywell Global Labs; Clint McClellan, Indie Health/Continua Health Alliance; Svein-Egil Nielsen, Nordic Semiconductor ASA; David Bean, Frontline Test Equipment, Inc.)

Managing the Successful Start-Up: Funding and Development

(Moderator: Stephen Statler, Statler Consulting LLC; Panelists: Ben Bateman, Indiegogo; Paul Asel, Nokia Growth Partners; Nathan Smith, Wink)

Featured Workshops

Competing Standards for the Internet of Things – What Bluetooth Smart Needs to Win

Jeff Hagins, SmartThings – part of Samsung

Thinking Like a Customer and Testing Like an Engineer

Roland Labana, Motorola Mobility

Making the Bluetooth Developer Studio Your Own

Mark Kirby, Matchbox Mobile

Real World Beacon Architecture and Deployment

Aaron Emigh, shopkick

Developing Cloud Connected Sensors using IPv6 over Bluetooth Smart

Pål Kastnes, Nordic Semiconductor

You can find the full conference program at http://bluetoothworldevent.com/event-program/. Registration is open at http://bluetoothworldevent.com/register/ with special rates for SIG Promoters and Associate Members, startup companies, developers and students.

And if you don’t qualify for either of those discounts, use the following code during checkout. It allows QTOOTH readers to register for 15% off the standard Bluetooth World 2015 pass: I8PBJ/QTSTANDARDCONF

The Bluetooth SIG, along with event partner Informa, will also host Bluetooth Asia in Shanghai, China, August 18 – 19, 2015 and Bluetooth Europe in London, UK, September 15 – 16, 2015.

About Bluetooth^® Wireless Technology

Bluetooth wireless technology is the global wireless standard enabling simple, secure connectivity for an expanding range of devices and serves as the backbone of the connected world. Bluetooth Smart technology, through an updatable platform and low power consumption, creates new application opportunities for the mobile phone, consumer electronics, PC, automotive, health & fitness and smart home industries. With nearly three billion devices shipping annually, Bluetooth is the wireless technology of choice for developers, product manufacturers, and consumers worldwide. Backed by industry leading companies, the Bluetooth SIG empowers over 25,000 member companies to collaborate, innovate and guide Bluetooth wireless technology. For more information, please visit www.bluetooth.com.

For more information about the event make sure to follow the hashtag #BluetoothWorld.

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