Easy deployment of smart logistics with Bluetooth beacons

17th September 2018

Alex Lynn

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The ultra-low-power semiconductor company of the Swatch Group and a technology provider for connected objects, EM Microelectronic, has announced the release of its next-gen family of Bluetooth beacons with longer battery life, longer range, over-the-air customisations and modular certification.

The first beacon of the family, the EMBC22, is an upgrade and replacement of EM’s highly successful EMBC02 BLE beacon. Featuring the latest low-power components, the new beacon is easier to install or deploy thanks to the over-the-air configuration capability. A modular certification enables its use with different housing options, battery sizes and sensors.

The second beacon, EMBP01, also includes an accelerometer and a ruggedised encapsulation including a CR2032 battery, matching the demands of the harshest use cases, such as outdoors, on construction sites, or on shipping containers.

Michel Willemin, CEO of EM Microelectronic , stated: “This new Bluetooth beacon generation addresses our customers’ need for easy-to-deploy connectivity solutions. Building on our highly successful EM9304 Bluetooth Low Energy IC, these modules dramatically lower the deployment barrier for asset tracking, indoor navigation and other location-based services, bringing Industry 4.0 implementations within the reach of any company, regardless of its size.”

These two Swiss quality beacons use EM’s Simple Beacon technology, allowing for full over-the-air configurability for common beacon standards, such as iBeacon and Eddystone, as well as compatibility with Quuppa’s Intelligent Location System and other proprietary beacon technologies. Additional configuration options include unique ID, transmit power, advertising interval and accelerometer sample rate, enabling accurate customisation of performance vs. battery lifetime.

“Doubling the communication range and battery life is a key milestone supporting our green, user-friendly Internet of Things (IoT) vision.” concluded Willemin.

EM will be showcasing this technology at Bluetooth World in Santa Clara, CA USA on 18th to 19th September, on stand 110 and Electronica in München, Germany on 13th to 16th November, Hall C4, booth number 336.