OORT adopts Nordic Semiconductor SoCs for IoT home appliances

Nordic Semiconductor announces that OORT, a specialist in connected devices and IoT, has selected Nordic’s nRF51822 Bluetooth Smart System-on-Chip (SoC).

Ort's Bluetooth Smart Controller enables appliance manufacturers to wirelessly connect any electronic or electromechanical device, and allows consumers to control their smart devices directly via the Ort app on their iOS or Android-based Bluetooth Smart Ready smartphone or tablet.

The OORT SmartHub and peripherals, with added Bluetooth Smart Ready and Wi-Fi compatibility, can be controlled from anywhere, via the OORT Cloud platform on a mobile device or standard web browser.

Oort’s Bluetooth Smart Controller, which uses Nordic technology, can be embedded in any existing appliance, such as a washing machine, oven, refrigerator, kettle or coffee machine, without changing the original hardware, allowing manufacturers to develop a fully wirelessly connected device based on a prototype within 6 to 9 months.

Through the iOS or Android app on their smartphone or tablet, users can locate all Ort connected devices within range of their smartphone or tablet, name them on the app, or add them to the app by grouping them within a room. Users can then control all connected wireless devices, setting operating rules for each device or creating scenarios, such as turning on kitchen appliances in the required order.

By adding the Ort SmartHub, users can connect to their home remotely via the Internet, controlling all their devices via a smartphone or tablet, or via a web browser to access a dedicated cloud platform. The SmartHub communicates with all of your connected devices via Bluetooth Smart, and uses Wi-Fi to ‘push’ data to the cloud. You can also configure automatic actions between connected devices on the Ort SmartHub cloud platform, and collect information from the devices, then generate different reports on which devices are being used most frequently and how much power they consume.

Nordic’s nRF51822 is a powerful and flexible multiprotocol SoC ideal for Bluetooth Smart and 2.4GHz ultra-low-power wireless applications. The nRF51822 is based on a 32-bit ARM® Cortex™ M0 CPU with 256kB/128kB Flash and 32kB/16kB RAM. The integrated 2.4GHz transceiver is fully compliant with the latest Bluetooth Smart specification, Bluetooth v4.2. In the OORT Bluetooth Smart controller, the nRF51822 SoC provides wireless connectivity for iOS and Android-based Bluetooth Smart Ready devices.



“We considered other forms of wireless technology, but Bluetooth Smart offered significant competitive advantages,” says Simon Janiak, Chief Marketing Officer at Ort. “It uses very little energy, is easy to pair, and Bluetooth Smart can control more than 400 devices simultaneously. This is a critical advantage when dealing with so many connected devices in a home.”

“With our Bluetooth Smart controller using Nordic technology, Oort has enabled smart wireless connectivity to appliances and products that were previously lacking this capability. The modular approach also makes it easier for product designers, even those without wireless design experience, to add connectivity to make their products smart,” says Geir Langeland, Nordic Semiconductor’s sales and marketing director. “One of Oort’s more important innovations is our Bluetooth Smart Ready and Wi-Fi SmartHub, which allows users to control their appliances when away from home. This is a major milestone in the advancement of smart home technology.”