Bluetooth Mesh solution helps IoT developers cut time to market

Helping developers simplify the design of mesh-networked devices for the IoT and get to market faster, Silicon Labs has introduced a comprehensive suite of software and hardware that supports the new Bluetooth mesh specification. The new solution benefits from the company’s proven mesh networking expertise and includes development tools, a software stack, and mobile apps supporting the company’s wireless SoC devices and certified modules. The combination of their patented network analysis tools and Bluetooth mesh stack for smartphones enables IoT developers to cut time to market by up to six months when compared to existing wireless development tools and techniques. Bluetooth mesh devices are ideal for smart home, lighting, beaconing and asset tracking applications. A mesh network enables devices, such as connected lights, to be deployed at greater distances from a hub or gateway. As each light is deployed, the communication range increases, allowing a single gateway to cover an area larger than one that is simply covered by a star network topology. In retail marketing and asset tracking applications, Bluetooth mesh technology simplifies the deployment and management of beacons. By combining Bluetooth LE with mesh networking, new capabilities and value can be introduced into devices such as connected lights which can also serve as beacons or beacon scanners. “Bluetooth is the next frontier in mesh networking, and Silicon Labs’ new Bluetooth mesh software and tools keep us at the forefront of this rapidly emerging ‘many-to-many’ network topology,” said Richard Baxter, president and CEO of Mesh Systems, an IoT software, services and solution provider. “From easy-to-use development kits to mobile applications that help us connect devices seamlessly, we rely on Silicon Labs’ deep expertise in mesh technology to give us the hardware and software resources we need to increase productivity and speed development time so our customers can better compete in today’s IoT race.”