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u-blox AG: Bluetooth 5.1 module enables mesh networking for 'massive IoT' applications

EQS Group-News: u-blox AG / Key word(s): Product Launch u-blox AG: Bluetooth 5.1 module enables mesh networking for 'massive IoT' applications 18.05.2021 / 09:00 Press Release

Bluetooth 5.1 module enables mesh networking for 'massive IoT' applications

u-blox NINA-B4 modules use Nordic nRF52833 SoC-enabled Wirepas software for large-scale network deployments

Thalwil, Switzerland - May 18, 2021 - u-blox (SIX:UBXN,OTC:UBLXF), a leading global provider of positioning and wireless communication technologies and services, has specified Nordic's nRF52833 Bluetooth(R) Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) System-on-Chip (SoC) to power its NINA-B4 stand-alone Bluetooth 5.1 modules. The small (10 by 15 by 2.2 mm) Bluetooth LE/Bluetooth 5.1 MCU modules with open CPU architecture are optimized for, and can be supplied preinstalled with, Wirepas Massive (previously Wirepas Mesh), a decentralized large-scale mesh networking solution. Wirepas Massive has been developed by global software connectivity company Wirepas, and is designed for a wide array of massive Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

The u-blox NINA-B4 series includes the NINA-B406, which comes with an internal PCB antenna (providing a robust low-profile solution with high performance and extensive range), and NINA-B400, which integrates a U.FL connector for use with an external antenna of the developer's choice. This greatly reduces time, cost, and effort for u-blox customers integrating Bluetooth LE in their designs. The NINA-B4 series also comes with u-blox's u-connect software, supporting dozens of use cases and providing an easy-to-use interface to configure the connectivity required from an external application host.

The NINA-B4 module is suitable for running Wirepas Massive, an updated version of Wirepas's proprietary mesh connectivity software. (The module is also able to run third-party device applications alongside the Wirepas protocol.) Wirepas claims the software is the only solution to combine sensing, monitoring, control, positioning, and large-scale inventory in a single technology. According to Wirepas, networks built with its technology are optimized by local decision-making to reach unlimited scalability, coverage, and density whilst using the available radio spectrum as efficiently as possible. The company says the network is immune to frequency interference, making it ideal for use in harsh industrial environments.