Breakthrough Hardware and Software Boosts
Bluetooth Device Ranging Accuracy and Security
AUSTIN,
Texas, Sept. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicon Labs
(NASDAQ: SLAB), a leader in secure, intelligent wireless technology
for a more connected world, today announced its support for
Bluetooth® Channel Sounding technology on the
xG24 platform.
Bluetooth® Channel Sounding is a new protocol stack designed to
enable secure and precise distance measurement between two
Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) connected devices. By offering true
distance awareness, Bluetooth® Channel Sounding enhances the
accuracy and security of Bluetooth device-ranging capabilities.
"In a world where location awareness is critical, Bluetooth®
Channel Sounding revolutionizes proximity and location
capabilities, propelling Bluetooth technology into a new era," said
Ross Sabolcik, Senior Vice President
of the Industrial and Commercial Business Unit at Silicon Labs.
"With a legacy of empowering developers with the full potential of
Bluetooth technology, Silicon Labs' latest hardware and software
create an accelerated path to groundbreaking Bluetooth products
equipped with Bluetooth® Channel Sounding."
Bluetooth Channel Sounding Enhances Accuracy and Security for
Distance Awareness
By helping to estimate the distance between two devices,
Bluetooth Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) opened the door
for a new wave of applications. From solutions to help locate
devices like phones or tablets to digital security enhancements
like geofencing, Bluetooth technology has enhanced the convenience
and simplicity of everyday tasks. The challenge, however, is that
Bluetooth RSSI has relied on estimations to determine location.
RSSI is also susceptible to issues like multipath and obstruction
which can significantly reduce accuracy. Bluetooth® Channel
Sounding addresses this by improving the accuracy to sub-meter and
enhancing the security of Bluetooth device ranging
capabilities.
Bluetooth® Channel Sounding uses Phased-Based Ranging (PBR) to
deliver precise distance measurements between two devices and a
secondary ranging method called Round Trip Time (RTT). The
independent distance measurements from RTT can then be used to
verify and cross-check the PBR measurements. This
cross-verification process helps detect anomalies to ensure
applications are secure, which is critical when developing access
control solutions for hospitals and industrial buildings that must
grant or deny access based on proximity.
With PBR and RTT, Bluetooth® Channel Sounding can be used in
home and life applications like smart locks, locating consumer
electronic devices, and pet trackers, as well as industrial and
commercial applications like geofencing, vehicle keyless entry, and
access control – all while delivering accurate, secure, and
dependable Bluetooth ranging services. With advanced distance
estimation techniques, Bluetooth® Channel Sounding can also be used
to triangulate the position of commercial infrastructure like
wireless access points or luminaires to either meet regulatory
requirements or save human labor and costs.
Additionally, Bluetooth® Channel Sounding offers a more
convenient and flexible ranging solution for applications that
already use Bluetooth LE. In such cases, it can be implemented
without the need for extra hardware and design space.
Silicon Labs New xG24 and Antenna Hardware Solutions Support
Channel Sounding
Silicon Labs' new xG24 Radio Board and Pro Kit, available to
order now, provides a fast and efficient way to create and
prototype products using Bluetooth® Channel Sounding for precise
distance estimation. The kit includes a BRD4198A EFR32xG24 2.4 GHz
+10dBm Radio Board, a Sleeve Dipole Antenna, and reference
designs.
Additionally, the xG24 Dev Kit, available in December 2024, features a dual antenna PCB
design, and a Channel Sounding visualizer tool that allows
customers to effortlessly view distance measurements in real time,
streamlining the implementation of Bluetooth® Channel Sounding in
their products and applications.
Silicon Labs offer customers new and advanced hardware solutions
for developing products of varying complexities that support
Bluetooth® Channel Sounding:
- Single Antenna hardware has fewer antenna paths and
limited multipath information, making it more suitable for basic
Bluetooth® Channel Sounding applications, where lower power
consumption and reliability in simpler environments are prioritized
over precise distance measurement.
- Dual Antenna hardware will be available for order and
use in December 2024. The dual
antenna hardware offers higher accuracy, better spatial and
enhanced multipath resolution, and is ideal for advanced
applications that demand precise distance estimation such as key
fobs and tags. The small form-factor of this board makes it ideal
for size-constrained applications. The antenna diversity also
heightens signal quality and robustness.
Silicon Labs' hardware solution is AEC-Q100 qualified, making it
a suitable choice for automotive applications like Passive Entry
and Passive Start systems.
Qualification to version 6.0 of the Bluetooth® Core
Specification for xG24 host stack and link layer are expected by
the end of the year. The qualified stack will support intra-event
antenna switching for optimal Non-Line-of-Sight performance and
supports Channel Sounding when xG24 is operating in either NCP
(Network Co-Processor) mode with an external application MCU
(microcontroller unit) or SoC (System on Chip) mode with an
integrated application MCU.
Get Started with Bluetooth® Channel Sounding with Silicon
Labs
Silicon Labs customers can leverage comprehensive software and
hardware solutions, as well as a patent-pending distance estimation
algorithm, to develop products that use Bluetooth® Channel Sounding
for various day-to-day applications in settings like the home,
industrial, commercial, or connected health. To learn more about
Bluetooth® Channel Sounding, please visit:
- The Silicon Labs Bluetooth® Channel Sounding blog
- The Silicon Labs Bluetooth® Channel Sounding page
- Watch the Bluetooth® Channel Sounding Tech Talk
About Silicon Labs
Silicon Labs is a trailblazer in
wireless connectivity for the Internet of Things. Its integrated
hardware and software platform, intuitive development tools, and
unmatched ecosystem support make Silicon Labs the ideal long-term
partner in building advanced industrial, commercial, and home and
life applications. Silicon Labs leads the industry in high
performance, low power, and security with support for the broadest
set of multi-protocol solutions.
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SOURCE Silicon Labs
