WICED Smart SoC increases security for IoT applications

The steady rise in data sharing across smartphones, tablets, wearables, home appliances, healthcare products, sensory applications and more has raised privacy concerns. Broadcom's BCM20737 helps protect sensitive information with its new low-cost, low-power WICED Smart chip. The new SoC includes RSA 4000 bit encryption and decryption support, addressing the most critical security threats and ensuring user data is securely coded during transfer.

The BCM20737 chip and Broadcom's full portfolio of Bluetooth Smart solutions support iBeacon technology for better device detection and identity. iBeacon is a technology Apple introduced with iOS 7 that uses Bluetooth Low Energy and geofencing to provide apps a whole new level of micro-location awareness, such as trail markers in a park, exhibits in a museum, or product displays in stores. Users can, for example, instantly find their car keys by activating a smartphone application that detects a low-power transmitter on the keys.

The WICED Smart SoC also includes native support for A4WP Rezence wireless charging. According to ABI Research, the average U.S. household has more than 10 devices that need to be charged and recharged for normal operation. As the first chip vendor to offer a Bluetooth Smart chip with wireless charging support, Broadcom is paving the way for an expanding list of products that can be easily charged in the home or on-the-go.

"Broadcom continues to build on its WICED success by tackling privacy concerns and keeping data safe with our new Bluetooth Smart chip," said Brian Bedrosian, Broadcom Senior Director, Embedded Wireless, Wireless Connectivity. "In addition, support for iBeacon is critical to Broadcom as the technology has seen strong adoption and is quickly gaining momentum in retail stores, sports venues, airports and more. By delivering top-shelf security and support for iBeacon, we are accelerating product development for our customers so that they can focus on creating the next wave of innovative applications in the evolving Internet of Things ecosystem."

"Advanced security in Bluetooth chips is becoming increasingly important to protect products from being hacked and to encrypt data being sent between products," said Philip Solis, Research Director, ABI Research. "2.7 billion Bluetooth-enabled products will ship this year - 20 percent more than 2013 - as more people connect accessories to mobile devices and PCs.  Broadcom's Bluetooth Smart product can help reduce the risks these connections pose to consumers."

Key Features of the WICED Smart Chip:

• Encryption, decryption, certificate signing, verification and various algorithms for increased privacy,
• Support for iBeacon technology,
• Support for A4WP Rezence wireless charging,
• Integrated software to enable direct connect to NFC tag,
• Support for up to eight simultaneous master/slave connections,
• Support for audio over Bluetooth Smart enables voice capabilities for toys, remotes and more,
• Highly integrated ARM Cortex M3 applications processor for reduced solution size and cost,
• Superior receiver sensitivity for maximised range and coverage for Bluetooth peripherals,
• On-chip, multi-channel ADC for measuring sensor inputs, battery level and more,
• Onboard stack with many profiles embedded, eliminating the need for an external stack,
• Support for universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART), serial peripheral interface (SPI) and Broadcom serial control interfaces for communication to external nonvolatile memories, peripheral integrated circuits (ICs) and sensors.

The Broadcom BCM20737 is currently sampling with evaluation boards (EVBs) and software development kits (SDKs).