Here comes BLE power tool. So many power tools are used in our daily life, such as, Grass Trimmer, Drill Driver Polisher, Chain saw Nailer Vacumms, etc. What functions does the BLE add to the power tools? Monitor the Range Monitor Temperature Range Monitor Charging Condition It achieves the function of battery management and also the asset management with one BLE device.

With years of intensive cultivation in the IoT industry, RF-star has been committed to providing wireless RF modules and solutions. As one of the world's most deployed wireless IoT connectivity technologies, Bluetooth has always been our strategic focus as it is enabled widely in IoT devices across all sectors and applications. According to the latest forecasts from ABI Research, Bluetooth device shipments are expected to approach 5 billion units annually by 2022 and surpass 6 billion units annually by 2025. What makes Bluetooth the go-to wireless technology for IoT device makers and application developers? It is the ubiquitous support and global interoperability on digital devices of all kinds and types! Why has Bluetooth technology been available to meet the growing demand for wireless communication across countless use cases for more than 20 years? The hard work and collaboration between Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) member companies ahve driven the continuous innovation of the technology. On 13 July 2021, the Bluetooth SIG released Bluetooth® Core Specification version 5.3. This new standard has several features that provide IoT device makers and application developers with significant reliability, energy efficiency and user experience improvements. All lead to a continuous global growth of Bluetooth-enabled products. New Features of Bluetooth 5.3: Periodic Advertising Enhancement Encryption Key Size Control Enhancements Connection Subrating Channel Classification Enhancement Removal of the Alternate MAC and PHY (AMP) Extension Congratulations to Bluetooth SIG on the release of the Bluetooth 5.3 specification. We believe that the new specification will enable Bluetooth technology to create ever more innovative ways to win the IoT race. RF-star technology will persistently update the latest advancements in SIG's technology, conducting research and developing cutting-edge industry technologies. This will enable our customers to maintain their competitive edge in the rapidly evolving wireless field. We eagerly anticipate the unveiling of new products that harness the exciting capabilities of Bluetooth 5.3 through our collaborative efforts.

RF-star today rolled out its BLE module portfolio based on TI’s new CC2340 wireless microcontrollers (MCU) that enable high-quality Bluetooth® Low Energy (LE) modules much cheaper than the competing devices. Featuring top-ranking standby current and radio-frequency (RF) performance, the Bluetooth LE CC2340 modules are positioned for ultra-low power wireless applications, such as smart homes, medical devices, industrial sensors, and automobiles (like EV chargers and PEPS) at a lower price, making them affordable for engineers to add Bluetooth LE connectivity modules to more products. According to the 2023 Bluetooth Market Update released by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), ABI Research anticipates a higher growth in the Bluetooth market over the next five years. By 2027, 7.6 billion Bluetooth-enabled devices will be shipping annually, representing a nine percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Driven by continued strong growth in peripheral devices, Bluetooth® LE single-mode device shipments are forecasted to more than double over the next five years. Figure 1 Single-Mode Bluetooth® LE Device Growth (numbers in billions) It follows that Bluetooth LE technology is still all the rage. As one of the Bluetooth SIG members, Texas Instruments is dedicated to Bluetooth technology to meet the growing demands for enhanced wireless connectivity in a wider range of applications. Last year, TI announced its fourth-generation Bluetooth LE Wireless MCUs, which is the CC2340 family featured with best-in-class standby current and ultra-low power radio-frequency (RF) performance. The CC2340 device family provides a highly integrated wireless connectivity function with support for Bluetooth 5.3 Low Energy, ZigBee, and proprietary 2.4GHz protocols. So far, the family has two latest ultra-low power additions: CC2340R5 and CC2340R2. The CC2340R2 MCU provides 256 KB Flash, 28 KB SRAM, and 12 I/O pads, while the advanced version ― CC2340R5 offers an in-system programmable flash of 512 KB, an ultra-low leakage SRAM of 36 KB, and up to 26 I/O pads. Additionally, both of them share the same MCU architecture to support OTA and a wide selection of peripherals communication interfaces such as UART, SPI, I2C, timer, temperature sensor, battery monitor, analog comparator, and ADC analog-to-digital converter, etc. Based on TI’s new-level wireless MCUs, RF-star CC2340 modules with high-quality RF and power performance will have a broad range of wireless connectivity applications, such as smart homes, medical, industrial sensors, and automobiles. Figure 2 CC2340R5 module series Let’s have a quick preview of the irresistible features of RF-star CC2340 modules. CC2340 Modules with High-Quality RF and Power Performance at An Affordable Price The CC2340 BLE modules have an industry-leading standby current of less than 710 nA, which is 40% lower than competing devices. Up to 10 years of service life on a coin cell battery can be ...

This week comes the BLE temperature sticker. Real-time temperature monitoring Temperature alert through the APP when the value exceeds the set value. Temperature record and the diagram BLE technology supports more and more telemedicine devices. It achieves the interaction between the mobile and our bodies and records a long-time physical condition, which makes a more accessible timely warning and rapid diagnosis.

2020 Apple's autumn conference was held at the Jobs Theater on September 11. At this conference, one detail is that the iPhones are all equipped with U1 chip that supports ultra-wideband (UWB) technology. According to official publicity, the new technology will significantly improve the Spatial Awareness capabilities of Apple mobile phones. So, what does spatial awareness mean? What exactly can the U1 chip do? What is UWB technology? All of these will lead to a new round of smart device application innovation? The answers to these questions will be revealed next. The Spatial Awareness is the ability to perceive orientation which is positioning ability. According to Apple's introduction, iPhone equipped with the U1 chip further enhances the positioning function of the mobile phone. It can not only sense the location of its own mobile phone, but also the location of other nearby mobile phones. Based on the space awareness capability provided by the U1 chip, when using AirDrop (AirDrop is the function of wireless file sharing provided by Apple devices), you only need to point your iPhone to someone else’s iPhone, and the system will prioritize it (the closer you are, the higher the priority), allowing you to share files faster. iPhone11 can achieve the application effect of "the closer you get to me, the first you get a response". Positioning is a familiar topic for all of us. We often use APPs such as Google Map or Baidu Map, which have positioning and navigation services. Location services help us indicate directions and increase our sense of security as well as control, which bring great convenience to our work and life. Therefore, what is the difference between UWB technology and the positioning technology we use now? The commonly used positioning technologies now mainly include satellite positioning and base station positioning. Satellite positioning is a technology that uses artificial earth satellites to perform point position measurement. And it is currently the most widely used and most popular positioning technology for users. The characteristics of high precision, fast speed and low cost of use are very prominent. The well-known satellite positioning systems include the United States’ Global Positioning System (GPS), China’s Beidou (BDS), Europe’s Galileo, Russia’s GLONASS. The principle of base station positioning is similar to radar. Radar positioning is to emit radar waves and perform spatial position measurement based on the reflection of the target. The base station works like a "radar". Usually, a mobile phone will be under the signal coverage of multiple base stations in a city. The mobile phone will "measure" the downlink pilot signals of different base stations to obtain the signal TOA (time of arrival) or TDOA (time difference of arrival) of each base station. According to the measurement result, the coordinates of the mobile phone can be calculated combined with the coordinates of the base station, Here is a picture to show it....

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, Canada, Jul. 31, 2023 / For Immediate Release/ -- RF-star, a leader in wireless modules and IoT Radio Frequency solutions in China, announced today the relocation of its corporate headquarters to Podium Building No. A-12 in Nanshan district, Shenzhen, Guangdong to advance the operations and growth of the company. Figure1 RF-star's New Workplace in Shenzhen The celebration of move-in was held on Jul. 26, 2023. Texas Instruments, SEKORM, and many other partners brought flowers and presents to congratulate RF-star on its housewarming. Figure2 Flowers and Presents from RF-star Partners The corporate new office is in Room 502-503, Podium Building No. A-12, Shenzhen Bay Science and Technology Ecological Park, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Expanding to 8,000 square feet at Shenzhen Bay Science and Technology Ecological Park in 2023, and 3,000 square feet at the Global Center in Chengdu in 2022, each location is a substantial upgrade from the Company's prior offices and will provide the necessary infrastructure for the corporate to continue to build on its current momentum and sales in Chinese and International markets. “We are greatly pleased for our partners to be here today to celebrate this housewarming with RF-star staff. Founded in 2010, in the past 13 years, RF-star has witnessed glorious moments and also encountered various uncontrollable factors during the epidemic. Although there are hardships in the progress, they don’t affect our sustainable development,” said Ben Qiu, GM of RF-star. “Thank you all for your support and our employees for their joint efforts, so that we can stand on this today and create a more brilliant moment together.” At last, he wished RF-star business to flourish like Bamboo to start its new journey and create a new future! Figure3 RF-star Leaders Snapshot King Kang, CEO of RF-star, says: “It is my regret that I could not witness the relocation of RF-star headquarters with you, but I can still enjoy the housewarming celebration online in Canada. Many thanks to all partners, customers and staff, the consistent development and growth of RF-star are absolutely inseparable from you.” Kang states: “In just a few years, our subsidiaries and branches in Canada, Chengdu, and Suzhou were established successively, and we will witness more new branches of RF-star in the future. As a pioneer in the wireless Internet of Things (IoT) area, RF-star with the vision of “Wireless Creates Infinite Possibilities”, has engaged itself in empowering different industries. We are willing to set up a better team to support our development and be cooperating with you to create a more intelligent society.” About RF-star Shenzhen RF-star Technology Co., Ltd. (RF-star) is a leading supplier of wireless RF solutions and low-power modules with an excellent industry reputation and credibility. As the official third-party IDH of Texas Instruments for more than a decade and a trusted partner for customers worldwide,...

Why are there more and more Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) embedding BLE technology? Make the automobile more intelligent Much safer with the real-time monitoring One of the aftermarket installed products, high integration and easy to deploy

At present, there are more and more options for wireless SoC chips, from the European and American manufacturers to the domestic semiconductors. How to choose a suitable wireless chip for product development? The following aspects need to be considered. Wireless Technology: The current popular low-power wireless technologies are including Wi-Fi, small wireless, LoRa, Bluetooth, Thread, ZigBee, NFC, Private 2.4G, NB-IoT, 2G, 3G, 4G, etc., The wireless technologies commonly used in factory automation and smart home including Wi-Fi, small wireless, BLE, Thread, ZigBee, NFC. The following figure compares the advantages and disadvantages of these different wireless protocols in data transmission bandwidth, distance and power consumption. An appropriate solution should be selected according to the usage scenario. Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi is suitable for high-speed video data transmission, but its power consumption is relatively high. At present, there are fewer mainstream low-power Wi-Fi chips on the market. The core uses ARM M3 or M4 core, which runs simple RTOS, and only supports 802.11b/g/n mode, low bandwidth, but can meet the application of dry battery power supply. ZigBee: The best choice of smart home, the status is being challenged by BLE MESH. But after the launch of ZigBee 3.0, various systems can be interconnected, and the compatibility of the platform is much better than before. Sub-1G: Because of its stability and long transmission distance, it can be used in various industrial control fields. The TX peak current is large, but the system is in sleep mode at other times. Thus, the overall power consumption is low. NFC: The function is which mobile phones must be carried with. Public transportation systems and access control systems are mostly adopted by RFID and NFC solutions. LoRa: Unique spread spectrum technology, +20 dBm transmit power, low power consumption, long-distance, the disadvantage is low bandwidth utilization and low data throughput. Power Consumption Always keep the end users’ experience in mind. If the battery fails, even the most ideal product will be abandoned. What kind of power supply method can be used? Coin cell, dry battery, lithium battery? Coin cells are popular due to their low cost, small size and lightweight. Considering that the battery life of these products is crucial, and the coin cell can only provide a peak current of about 5 mA without being damaged. If you drive a larger current peak, the battery capacity will be affected. RF transmit power: The transmit power of Bluetooth is restively low. Usually, only 5 dBm transmit power is supported, generally refer to 0 dBm transmit power according to specifications. ZigBee, small wireless transmission power can reach 20 dBm. (More than 20 dBm cannot pass the safety test). MCU operating power consumption: Because the same ARM core of the wireless SoC is used, the power consumption is similar to each other. But it is necessary to evaluate the MCU running time from wakes up statu...

The three kinds of bikesharing programs: Conventional bikesharing Dockless bikesharing Dockless bikesharing with electronic-docking stations To address the negative impacts associated with dockless bikesharing, local governments have started to require riders to return bikes to designated locations, or electronic-docking stations on the curb, while simultaneously limiting the number of dockless shared bikes throughout the city. They are referred to as geo-fenced areas, in that they use satellite positioning technology or Bluetooth technology to determine whether bikes are returned inside the designated areas and penalize riders when violations occur. Most of these electronic-docking stations are virtual docking stations which are based on Beidou navigation satellite technology(a satellite positioning technology similar to GPS) and Bluetooth technology. Dockless shared bikes can be parked in these electronic-docking stations. Promoting electronic-docking stations is also beneficial for operators to dispatch and maintain shared bikes. Top benefits of Bluetooth electronic fence Through installing several BLE signal launchers on the ground to draw a boundary fence region, the signal receiver (electronic BLE tag attached to the bike) receives the RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) signal which the launcher sends out, and then analyzes these RSSIs using SVM (support vector machine). Finally the SVM can judge these signals to know the bike belongs to in the fence or outside the fence. As the electronic fence system based on Bluetooth modules with higher accuracy and stability are implemented in major shared bicycles, such as Meituan, Harrow, cyan and Didi. As a well-known Bluetooth module manufacturer in China, Shenzhen RF-star Technology Co., Ltd., has provided empowerment for the smart parking solutions of many domestic and foreign manufacturers with its advanced Beacon positioning technology, helping to relieve the pressure of urban parking and assisting the construction of smart cities. Beacon products such as AR1, AR4, and Bluetooth modules with Beacon function RF-BM-4044B4, RF-BM-BG22A1, RF-BM-BG22A3 are all worthy of attention.