Blecon – a technology firm founded by experts formerly from ARM, AWS, and Microsoft – has announced the launch of a new IoT connectivity solution based on Bluetooth Low Energy (LE). The solution aims to address the challenges companies face when applying Bluetooth LE to IoT connectivity.

“Bluetooth LE is now being used ever more widely in IoT connectivity use cases, building upon its remarkable technical and commercial success in personal connectivity and tracking beacons. Despite the challenges companies face in adapting BLE for these applications, the benefits are driving adoption,” said Simon Ford, CEO of Blecon.

“At Blecon, we leverage our deep expertise in the IoT industry and our specialised experience with Bluetooth LE to provide a solution that simplifies and democratises the use of Bluetooth Low Energy for IoT connectivity.”

Bluetooth LE is one of the most successful and widely-adopted wireless standards in history. It is known for being a trusted, low-cost, and low-power radio technology, achieving unparalleled market penetration in consumer peripheral devices and industrial beacon tracking markets. This widespread adoption has led to exceptional economies of scale, with billions of edge devices shipped worldwide and the host technology present in virtually every smartphone and laptop on the market today.

Despite its advantages, companies often encounter difficulties in adapting Bluetooth LE for IoT applications. Recognising this, Blecon was established to create a solution that makes Bluetooth LE a practical and widely adopted approach for IoT connectivity.

“Bluetooth LE has achieved remarkable success as a trusted, low power wireless technology. As the market leader in Bluetooth LE SoCs, Nordic Semiconductor continues to contribute to this success,” stated Claire Steed, Regional Sales Director at Nordic Semiconductor.

“The potential for growth and new opportunities in the Bluetooth LE IoT space is immense. By democratising Bluetooth LE for IoT connectivity, Blecon is paving the way for more businesses to harness the power of Bluetooth. This approach aligns perfectly with our commitment at Nordic to advancing wireless technologies that enhance device connectivity and support industry innovation.”

Blecon’s solution builds on the Bluetooth standard with a robust architecture, advanced security measures, and essential components to enable seamless communication between devices and cloud applications via nearby hotspots.

The key components of Blecon’s offering include:

• Blecon modems: Firmware and libraries that enable standard Bluetooth LE microcontrollers to have trusted identity, robust security, and reliable network communication capabilities.

• Blecon hotspots: Dedicated hardware and mobile apps providing a simple and efficient way to deploy coverage wherever needed, without configuration or pairing.

• Blecon networks: A cloud-based network that facilitates secure identity, bi-directional cloud communication, geolocation, and time services for devices, routing requests to their cloud applications.

This comprehensive product and network service empowers businesses to leverage the full potential of Bluetooth LE, unlocking new possibilities for IoT connectivity applications.

“Memfault is excited to be collaborating with Blecon to help further unlock advanced device observability tools and Device Vitals on low-power devices,” stated François Baldassari, CEO of Memfault.

“By leveraging Blecon’s low-cost BLE IoT Connectivity solution, more engineering teams can now be empowered to optimise product performance, reliability, security, and user experience of their devices in the field.”

Blecon’s solution addresses critical industry pain points that help reduce the cost of IoT connectivity:

• Production cost: Bluetooth LE’s widespread adoption and high level of silicon integration enable lower production costs for IoT devices. By utilising Bluetooth LE, companies can benefit from the optimised hardware ecosystem and reduce per-unit costs.

• Deployment cost: Blecon allows customers to self-deploy hardware hotspots and enable existing phones and laptops as hotspots using apps, without the need for skilled professionals to install and configure devices on-site, resulting in significantly lower deployment costs.

• Operational cost: Maintaining an IoT infrastructure can be costly, especially when using custom, in-house technology. By adopting Blecon’s productised solution, companies can leverage this technology to handle a significant portion of the operational responsibilities, thereby reducing ongoing costs.

• Development cost: Blecon eliminates the need for effort and skills to develop custom gateways, apps, and extensive system and security development, making product development and team collaboration more efficient and cost-effective.

“Springboard specialises in efficiently developing devices for regulated markets, from concept to manufacture. We help our customers bring their devices to market quickly and cost-effectively, and have seen a growing demand for Bluetooth IoT connectivity,” stated Sam Johnstone, Principal Engineer at Springboard.

“Partnering with Blecon allows us to offer our customers an off-the-shelf Bluetooth LE IoT connectivity solution, which saves them time and money so that we can focus on our customers’ unique challenges and deliver best-in-class products without heavy investments in overcoming connectivity challenges.”

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Tags: blecon, bluetooth, bluetooth le, bluetooth low energy, connectivity, internet of things, IoT