March 4, 2014 – CSR ( http://www.csr.com ), a global company providing innovative semiconductor ICs and software solutions in the fields of location awareness, multimedia, and cloud connectivity, announced the launch of an innovative new Bluetooth Smart solution that can place smartphones at the center of the Internet of Things.

CSR Mesh is the world's first to not only control a nearly unlimited number of Bluetooth Smart devices via smartphones, tablets, and PCs, but also provide a mesh network configuration between all devices.

CSR Mesh is a solution that integrates the configuration and control protocols of Bluetooth Smart devices, such as CSR’s industry-proven CSR101x™ and CSR8811™, and is designed to be optimized for smart home and IoT applications.

Consumers can control Bluetooth Smart-enabled lighting, HVAC systems, home appliances, and security systems at home anytime and anywhere via CSR Mesh, either directly or through a cloud network using Wi-Fi on a separate optional platform. As a differentiation strategy from existing Mesh solutions, the solution based on the CSR Mesh protocol eliminates complex setup or pairing processes, and utilizes the Bluetooth Smart capabilities of smartphones, eliminating the need for separate access devices such as Zigbee or Z-Wave.

Anthony Murray, Senior Vice President of the Business Group at CSR, stated, “Unlike existing home automation solutions such as Zigbee and Z-Wave, CSR Mesh enables direct control from anywhere in the house via mobile devices, regardless of location.” "CSR Mesh has eliminated limitations on connection range through communication between devices and does not require a separate hub for device connections," they stated.

Anthony Murray, Senior Vice President of the Business Group, further emphasized, “CSR is committed to ushering in an innovative era of the Internet of Things, and we believe that CSR Mesh will serve as a ‘game changer’ for related developers. Developers no longer need to rely on patented solutions or perform additional development to meet consumers’ diverse network configuration requirements; instead, through the new Mesh solution, they can implement home automation that can be directly controlled anytime, anywhere.”

The CSR Mesh protocol utilizes Bluetooth Smart capabilities to send messages to other Bluetooth Smart devices on a network, and the receiving device then forwards the message. Using this messaging method, control can be performed as a single device or a group, and each device can belong to one or more groups. Control is possible through common Bluetooth Smart devices such as light switches, as well as through most smartphones, tablets, and PCs currently in use.

Anthony Murray, Senior Vice President of the Business Group, stated, “CSR Mesh will support not only smartphone-based control functions but also enable related developers to realize machine-to-machine communication.”

Finally, Anthony Murray, Senior Vice President of the Business Group, stated, “CSR Mesh will be the solution that opens the true future of the Internet of Things, enabling consumers to implement various smart home automation features, including automatic lighting control, as soon as they enter a room. CSR looks forward to seeing how it will change the landscape of the smart home market as we support consumers in developing products based on CSR Mesh.”

CSR plans to release a development kit in April to enable related developers to develop and launch products quickly. The new kit will provide Android and iOS application source code, CSR Mesh software libraries, and related documentation.

A lighting demo incorporating CSR Mesh technology was demonstrated at the 'Embedded World' technology exhibition held in Nuremberg, Germany from the 25th to the 27th of last month.

Product-related videos can also be viewed on YouTube (URL http://youtu.be/FtLBazKoFq8 ).