December 18, 2014, Oslo, Norway – Nordic Semiconductor ASA (OSE: NOD, Country Manager for Korea: Soo-Cheol Choi, www.nordicsemi.com ), a specialist in Ultra Low Power (ULP) RF, announced the launch of the nRF51 IoT (Internet of Things) SDK (Software Development Kit), an IPv6-based Internet protocol solution utilizing Nordic’s industry-leading nRF51 series SoC (System-on-Chip). This SDK, utilizing the newly announced Internet Protocol Support Profile (IPSP) from Bluetooth SIG and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)'s 6LoWPAN technology, enables end-to-end IP-based communication, thereby advancing Nordic's nRF51 series Bluetooth Smart® and IoT to a new level.  

This solution is significant in that it enables the deployment of large-scale, distributed, cloud-connected, heterogeneous networks related to smart homes, industrial and enterprise automation applications, logistics and access control, and cloud services—areas where direct communication between services and devices has been possible but mutual recognition has been a problem until now.  

IP itself means that Bluetooth Smart-enabled devices (Things) can communicate with 'Headless Routers' (routers that connect directly via IPv6 without the need for separate profiles) over the Internet, and also means that Bluetooth Smart-enabled devices (Things) can communicate in heterogeneous network forms using other IPv6-enabled wired and wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, Ethernet, ZigBee, and Thread.  

Unlike other IoT solutions based on proxies or dedicated internet gateway bridges, the nRF51 IoT SDK is based entirely on open standards and enables headless routers by extending IP addresses between devices (Things). The protocol stack of the newly released version includes IPSP and 6LoWPAN application layers, IPv6 Internet routing layer, User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), transport layer, Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP), and Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) application layers, along with various application examples. In addition, the built-in memory enables the execution of a complete protocol stack on the nRF51 series SoC, allowing developers to ultimately minimize power consumption, size, and cost of the product.

In addition to this SDK, Nordic provides software configurations to enable the use of a headless router supporting IPv6 Bluetooth Smart using a Raspberry Pi Model B, a Bluetooth Smart Ready USB dongle, Raspbian GNU/Linux kernel 3.17.4, and the radvd daemon. With the combination of this headless router setup and the new nRF51-DK and nRF51 IoT SDK, developers can have a powerful yet complete platform for Bluetooth Smart-based IoT applications with Nordic's nRF51 series SoCs.  

Thomas Embla Bonnerud, Director of Product Management at Nordic Semiconductor, stated, “With the rapid rise of the wearable market, Bluetooth Smart has already established itself as a core technology connecting personal devices (Things) to the Internet.” He added, “The nRF51 IoT SDK maximizes the potential of Bluetooth Smart in connecting all devices around us, enabling developers to leverage the benefits of Bluetooth Smart in entirely new dimensions of IoT and application fields through this SDK solution. We believe that IPv6-based Bluetooth Smart will become a key technology for realizing IoT applications that are sensitive to power consumption, size, and cost. We also take pride and anticipation in being the first company to launch such a fully integrated solution.”  

Errett Kroeter, Senior Marketing Director at Bluetooth SIG, stated, “Bluetooth is continuously striving to provide new possibilities for OEMs, developers, and consumers in the field of wireless access. With IPSP, a new profile introduced in version 4.2, sensors can now access the Internet directly via IPv6 and 6LoWPAN.” He added, “Bluetooth Smart is the only wireless technology that offers flexibility for innovation, the ability to expand markets, and the reliability of a globally recognized standard. All of these are key elements in realizing the IoT.” “Many companies are rapidly responding to leverage the benefits of these IP connectivity features currently available on Bluetooth Smart,” he stated.  

The nRF51 IoT SDK is currently available for download on the Nordic Semiconductor website, www.nordicsemi.no . The first alpha version is based on the nRF51 SDK and is compatible with the new Nordic nRF51 Development Kit (nRF51-DK).

nRF51 Series Details

tinyurl.com/nRF51

nRF51 Series Bluetooth Smart SDK, Development Tools, and Reference Design Details

tinyurl.com/BLEdevkits

Bluetooth Smart (formerly Bluetooth Low Energy) and Bluetooth Smart Ready Details

tinyurl.com/BluetoothLE

Introduction to Nordic Semiconductor

tinyurl.com/NordicSemi

Introduction to Bluetooth SIG

www.bluetooth.com