Oslo, Norway and Irvine, Calif., US: In a joint effort, Nordic Semiconductor and Broadcom achieved wireless communication between a prototype of a small, low-cost Bluetooth proximity fob and Broadcom’s BCM4330, a Bluetooth 4.0-certified combo chip.
The fob is designed to prevent access to a device, such as a laptop, in the owner’s absence. After “pairing” with the chip in the mobile device, the user simply carries the fob. If the distance between the user and the mobile device exceeds a pre-set threshold (e.g., if the mobile device is left behind or stolen), the pairing is broken and the mobile device locks automatically.
The fob is based on a Nordic µBlue nRF8001 single-chip Bluetooth low-energy solution, which maximises the battery life of the CR2032 coin-cell powered fob. The nRF8001 is a fully tested and fully compliant Bluetooth v4.0 peripheral solution.
The proximity fob will find homes in systems that require proximity-based security solutions for mobile devices, such as smartphones and laptop computers, and Bluetooth low-energy proximity fobs that use coin-cell batteries. More prototypes are expected as Bluetooth low-energy use cases proliferate.
Nordic Semiconductor
http://www.nordicsemi.com/
Broadcom
http://www.broadcom.com/
About the Author
Sally Ward-Foxton
Sally Ward-Foxton is Associate Editor of Electronic Design Europe. Her beat covers all areas of the European electronics industry, but she has a particular interest in wireless communications and displays technology. She was previously Features Editor of Components in Electronics magazine and has also worked as a PR Account Director. Based in London, Sally holds a Masters' Degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Cambridge, UK.