The Nordic Semiconductor IPv6 Bluetooth Smart Protocol stack for nRF51 series SOCs enables small iot applications with low cost and ultra-low power consumption

     Ultra-low power (ULP) radio frequency (RF) specialist Nordic Semiconductor ASA announced the nRF51 Internet of Things (IoT) Software development Kit (SDK), This is the complete IPv6-ready Internet protocol suite for the market-leading Nordic nRF51 family of system-on-a-chip (SoC), Take advantage of the Bluetooth SIG's newly adopted Internet Protocol Support Profile, IPSP) and 6LoWPAN technology of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The SDK enables end-to-end IP-based communication to take Nordic's nRF51 series and IoT's Bluetooth Smart capabilities to the next level.

     This includes large distributed cloud connected heterogeneous network deployments related to smart home, industrial and enterprise automation applications, as well as logistics, access control and cloud services, which can communicate directly between services and "things" completely independent of the "last mile" technology enabled by Bluetooth smart wireless technology.

     Native IP means that Bluetooth smart "things" can communicate with each other via a "headless" router and the Internet, and it also means that Bluetooth smart "things" can communicate with other wired or wireless technologies that use Wi-Fi, Ethernet, ZigBee IP, and Thread with IPv6 capabilities. Form a heterogeneous network.

     Unlike other IoT solutions based on proxies or proprietary Internet gateway Bridges, the nRF51 IoT SDK is entirely based on open standards and extends IP addressing down to "things" to enable a "headless router." The first protocol stack to roll out includes: Internet Protocol Support Profile (IPSP), 6LoWPAN adaptation Layer, IPv6 Internet Routing Layer, User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and Transmission Control Protocol (Transmission Control Protocol) TCP) Transport layer, Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) and Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) application layer, as well as a series of application examples. The compact memory footprint also means that the full protocol stack can run on nRF51 series SoCs in a single chip configuration, allowing developers to minimize the power, size, and cost of the final product. The compact network consists of layers, users, and thus enables "no expense router: and the Internet to communicate with it.

     To accompany this development kit, Nordic also provides software Settings for emulating "headless" routers and supporting IPv6 Bluetooth intelligence, These include Raspberry Pi (Model B), Bluetooth Smart Ready USB attachment, Raspbian GNU/Linux Kernel 3.17.4, and radvd deamon. The combination of these "headless" router setups, the new NRF51-DK, and the nRF51 IoT SDK provides developers with a complete and powerful platform for developing iot applications based on Nordic nRF51 series SoCs and Bluetooth intelligence.

     Thomas Embla Bonnerud, Director of product Management at Nordic Semiconductor, said: "With the rise and mass growth of wearables, Bluetooth intelligence is already the main mature technology for connecting 'my stuff' to the Internet. The nRF51 IoT SDK unlocks the potential of Bluetooth smart technology for connecting "things around you." This SDK solution enables developers to take full advantage of Bluetooth smart technology across a range of new IoT market segments and applications. We see Bluetooth Smart IPv6 as the primary enabling technology for power, size and cost constrained IoT applications, and we are proud and excited to be the first to deliver a complete, fully integrated solution."

     ErrettKroeter, Senior Director of Marketing at the Bluetooth Technology Alliance, said: "Bluetooth continues to offer new wireless connectivity possibilities for Oems, developers and consumers, and now a new IPSP profile with Bluetooth 4.2 is available to enable sensors to access the Internet directly over IPv6 and 6LoWPAN. Bluetooth Intelligence is the only wireless technology that offers the flexibility to innovate, the ability to scale markets, and the trust of globally recognized standards, all of which are essential features to deliver on the promise of iot. We are pleased to see enterprises so quickly moving to take advantage of the IP wireless connectivity capabilities offered by Bluetooth Smart technology."