Nordic Semiconductor Enhances Bluetooth Capabilities with nRF Toolbox App
The nRF Toolbox app marks a significant advancement in Nordic Semiconductor’s comprehensive Bluetooth Channel Sounding offering, designed to empower customers in developing smartphone-connected products utilizing the next-generation nRF54L Series System on Chips (SoCs) and Bluetooth Channel Sounding technology.
This innovative support for Bluetooth Channel Sounding is currently being highlighted through a public demonstration featuring the nRF54L Series paired with a Google Pixel 10 smartphone. In this setup, Nordic’s nRF54L15 Development Kit serves as a Channel Sounding reflector, showcasing seamless interoperability between Android’s integrated Bluetooth Channel Sounding API and algorithm alongside Nordic’s hardware and Bluetooth stack.
The outcome of this collaboration is impressive: a reliable and precise distance estimation capability of ±1 meter over a range of up to 20 meters. This accuracy opens doors to a variety of applications in distance ranging, indoor positioning, and presence detection across diverse industries.
Developers now have the opportunity to leverage Nordic’s Bluetooth Channel Sounding solution for specialized Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) tags. These tags can facilitate accurate item tracking, monitor medical equipment in healthcare settings, and enhance the experience for visitors in museums or retail environments. The Channel Sounding reflector features are supported across all nRF54L Series ultra-low power wireless SoCs, with development made simple through readily available samples from the nRF Connect SDK.
“Bluetooth Channel Sounding represents one of the most significant enhancements to Bluetooth LE, and Nordic is proud to spearhead its adoption,” remarked Petter Myhre, Product Marketing Director at Nordic Semiconductor. “By integrating the nRF54L Series with our new open-source Android app, we equip developers with the essential tools to explore, evaluate, and create groundbreaking smartphone-connected products.”
