PRESS RELEASE:
STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor company serving customers in a range of electronics applications, has announced new software for creating smart objects that connect using the latest Bluetooth wireless mesh-networking features. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) recently released its Bluetooth 5 specification, which standardizes mesh networking—connecting large numbers of devices capable of communicating among themselves, as well as directly with mobile phones.
According to STMicroelectronics, all smartphones currently on the market can connect to objects in Bluetooth mesh networks without requiring a central gateway or router, thus allowing easier control of smart lighting, general building automation and other Internet of Things (IoT) applications, such as environmental sensing, industrial monitoring and asset tracking. Mesh networking in Bluetooth 5 presents an industry standard that enables OEMs to create interoperable products that provide flexibility and freedom of choice for users.
ST’s BlueNRG-MESH Software Development Kit (SDK) enables the creation of networked devices and the smartphone apps needed to control them. The three-part SDK provides two app-developer packages for Android and iOS, along with embedded development software for building smart objects, such as light fittings and sensors. These three packages provide the software building blocks required to get applications running using ST’s BlueNRG mesh-ready Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) ICs.
“Bluetooth 5 will become a powerful force in the IoT market, and we have invested heavily to deliver solutions that support its important new features, like mesh networking,” said Benedetto Vigna, the president of STMicroelectronics’ Analog, MEMS and Sensors Group, in a prepared statement. “Adding BlueNRG-MESH to the ST BlueNRG portfolio ushers in an era of connected smart things all around us, like smart-home appliances or lighting switches, and enables secure and convenient control from the feature-rich and stylish user interface of a smart mobile application.”