Upgrade solution designed to run on any microcontroller or low energy SoC allows product developers to improve customer relations with seamless product improvements and bug fixes
SAN DIEGO, April 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Bluetooth® software leader Wicentric Inc. today announced its over-the-air firmware upgrade solution for Bluetooth low energy (Bluetooth Smart). Wicentric's system is the world's first portable and platform-independent firmware upgrade solution for Bluetooth low energy accessories.
Over-the-air (OTA) firmware upgrade has become a must -have feature for Bluetooth product developers, allowing the firmware on an accessory like a smart watch or activity tracker to be upgraded wirelessly via an app on the phone. Product developers recognize that field-upgradable firmware is required to maintain compatibility with the latest mobile phone operating system releases. It also allows manufacturers to easily deliver product improvements and software bug fixes after their products are in the hands of users. This improves the user experience, reduces costs, and reduces time to market.
Other OTA firmware upgrade solutions provided today by chip makers are designed to work only with specific chips. In contrast, Wicentric's system is designed to run on any microcontroller or Bluetooth LE single-mode SoC with sufficient memory resources. It also is portable to different memory configurations, for example it can be ported to store the firmware image in an internal on-chip flash memory or an external EEPROM.
OTA firmware upgrade is just one feature of the Wicentric Data Exchange Service (WDXS), a Bluetooth low energy service designed by Wicentric to meet the needs of mobile phone accessories. Other features include:
- General purpose file transfers with support for reading, writing, and erasing files, plus support for multiple simultaneous transfers.
- Streaming data transfers, e.g. for sensor data such as accelerometer data.
- Data transport over the GATT layer or L2CAP layer to support current Bluetooth 4.0 phones while providing future support for new Bluetooth 4.1 phones.
- Connection control features designed to improve interoperability with iOS and Android.
The Bluetooth SIG has assigned Wicentric a unique 16-bit service UUID for WDXS. Using a 16-bit UUID instead of a 128-bit UUID can reduce power consumption and decrease discovery time.
This OTA firmware upgrade solution further expands Wicentric's comprehensive Bluetooth low energy software offering, which includes: exactLE™ Link, a portable and efficient Link Layer; exactLE Stack, a qualified single-mode protocol stack; and exactLE Profiles, a suite of standard profiles and services for products like physical activity monitors, healthcare devices, and smart watches.
Wicentric will be demonstrating its over-the-air firmware upgrade solution at Bluetooth World on April 8-9 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. Please contact Wicentric for details.
About Wicentric
Wicentric is a leader in Bluetooth low energy software solutions. In 2010, Wicentric became the world's first independent protocol stack provider to receive Bluetooth 4.0 qualification. Wicentric's exactLE™ product line provides Bluetooth Smart semiconductor makers with a comprehensive baseband-to-application software solution that is robust, efficient, and easy to use. Wicentric is located in San Diego, California. For more information, visit www.wicentric.com.
Contact:
Jason Hillyard
Wicentric, Inc.
+1 619-928-2853
Email