u-blox's subcompact module is a high performance low power Bluetooth (BLE) module in a small package

     U-blox's ultra-compact ANNA-B4 module is a high-performance BLE module in a small package. Nordic Semiconductor's modules are based on nRF52833 chips and offer stand-alone versions with open cpus (ANNA-B402) or u-connectXpress (ANNA-B412). The size of the system level Package (SiP) module is only 6.5mm x 6.5mm, including the antenna.

     The ANNA-B4 module comes with an internal chip antenna for easy integration, as well as an antenna pin for optionally connecting the external antenna. The series can be used with internal or external antennas, which have been certified worldwide. This reduces the client's time, cost, and effort to integrate ANNA-B4 into the design. To ensure operation in harsh professional environments, the module has an extended temperature range from -40°C to +105°C.

     The ANNA-B402 features Bluetooth 5.1, an embedded Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller with FPU, and state-of-the-art power performance. With 512 kB flash memory and 128 kB RAM, it can support advanced applications developed using an open CPU architecture and the Nordic Semiconductor SDK. Wired interfaces such as UART, USB, high-speed SPI, I²C, I²S and GPIO can be used to connect peripheral components.

     The ANNA-B402 supports Bluetooth direction finding, Angle of Arrival (AoA) and Angle of departure (AoD). This allows for more accurate positioning than using only the strength of the received signal. The module uses Bluetooth remotely to provide extended communication range or more reliable connectivity. Large-scale industrial mesh networks can also be built with Wirepas Massive mesh stacks or Lumenradio MiraOS.

     In addition to Bluetooth low power, it also provides support for Zigbee and Thread protocols, as well as NFC. Specific applications include smart lighting, asset tracking, indoor positioning, sensors, and wireless connectivity and configurable devices.

     The ANNA-B412 module comes with u-connectXpress software, which provides support for u-blox low power Bluetooth serial port services, GATT clients and servers, beacons, Bluetooth remoting, NFC, and both peripheral and central roles. u-blox u-connectXpress software allows hosts to easily configure connections using AT commands via the UART interface. With the safe startup feature, the module provides first-class security to ensure that the module can only be started using the authenticated u-connectXpress software.