u-blox NINA-B4 Bluetooth 5.1 modules

u-blox has introduced its NINA-B4 standalone Bluetooth 5.1 modules, powered by Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF52833 Bluetooth Low Energy system-on-chip (SoC). The small (10 x 15 x 2.2 mm) Bluetooth LE/Bluetooth 5.1 MCU modules with open CPU architecture are optimised for, and can be supplied preinstalled with, Wirepas Massive (previously Wirepas Mesh), a decentralised large-scale mesh networking solution. Wirepas Massive has been developed by global software connectivity company Wirepas and is designed for a wide array of massive Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

The series includes the NINA-B406, which comes with an internal PCB antenna — providing a robust, low-profile solution with high performance and extensive range — and NINA-B400, which integrates a U.FL connector for use with an external antenna of the developer’s choice. This should reduce time, cost and effort for u-blox customers integrating Bluetooth LE in their designs. The series also comes with u-connect software, supporting dozens of use cases and providing an easy-to-use interface to configure the connectivity required from an external application host.

The module is suitable for running Wirepas Massive, an updated version of Wirepas’s mesh connectivity software; the module is also able to run third-party device applications alongside the Wirepas protocol. The software combines sensing, monitoring, control, positioning and large-scale inventory in a single technology. The module also supports Bluetooth 5.1 (including direction finding) and can operate at an extended temperature range up to 105°C — which, together with its long range capability, makes it suitable for deployment in harsh environments.

Designed to act as both a transmitter and receiver — using angle-of-arrival (AoA) and angle-of-departure (AoD) direction finding — the modules bring the benefits of high-precision positioning to indoor applications. The integrated SoC’s multiprotocol radio is capable of all direction-finding features for AoA and AoD applications. The SoC’s generous memory allocation enables integration of advanced embedded customer applications.