SoC development kits target IoT apps for BLE, 802.15.4 technologies

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced new Internet of Things (IoT) development kits based on the QCA4020 and QCA4024 system-on-chips (SoCs). The development kits are designed to help developers and device manufacturers create unique IoT products that work in concert with a wide variety of other devices and cloud ecosystems. The kits are designed for IoT applications such as smart cities, toys, home control and automation, appliances, networking and home entertainment. The kits provide interoperability among diverse IoT devices including popular wireless standards, protocols and communication frameworks, and ease connectivity to various cloud and application services.

The QCA4020 is a tri-mode intelligent connectivity solution with advanced smart coexistence, integrating numerous wireless communication technologies into a single SoC, a proven approach to address fragmentation in many technology areas. It combines the latest specifications of Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth® Low Energy 5 and 802.15.4 based technologies, including ZigBee® and Thread, while the QCA4024 integrates Bluetooth Low Energy 5 and 802.15.4 based technologies, including ZigBee® and Thread. The integration of these multiple radios is designed to allow the development of products capable of understanding and translating information in environments using disparate wireless technologies – such as a smart home where light bulbs and switches use ZigBee, speakers communicate via Bluetooth, and TVs and thermostats communicate via Wi-Fi.

QCA4020 and QCA4024 also feature dual-core processing, integrated sensor hub, and a high degree of software flexibility to support multiple protocols, connectivity frameworks and cloud services. Both SoCs come with pre-integrated support for HomeKit™ and the Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF™) specifications, as well as support for Amazon Web Services (AWS) IoT services software development kit (SDK) and Microsoft Azure Internet of Things (IoT) Devices SDK to connect with Azure IoT Hub and integrate with services like Azure Machine Learning, Azure Time Series Insights and more.

Additionally, both solutions have advanced hardware-based security features to help improve device protection in ways not possible with just software. Security capabilities include secure boot from hardware root of trust, trusted execution environment, hardware crypto engines, storage security, debug security with lifecycle control, key provisioning and wireless protocol security. This is all combined in a low power, cost-optimized single-chip solution.

To facilitate the design with these SoCs, each development kit comes with reference modules, development boards and documentation for a quick, flexible, out-of-the-box development solution for IoT products. Additional features include:

• Open source SDK and cloud connectivity applications
• Open schematics and layout files
• Eight sensors and actuators on-board
• Two Micro USB cables to connect to host PC and power supply
• Arduino-Compatible
• JTAG debugging through USB interface
• UART-AT commands to connect QCA4020 or QCA4024 to MCU/CPU

“By including the rich capabilities of the QCA4020 and QCA4024 in these development kits, we are helping streamline innovation for developers and manufacturers looking to build devices for smart homes, appliances, smart cities, home entertainment, toys, and many other exciting areas of the IoT,” said Joseph Bousaba, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Atheros, Inc. “These easy-to-use kits provide connectivity, interoperability and hardware security, allowing the creation of IoT devices that customers can quickly productize and integrate easily across multiple ecosystems.”

The development kits are expected to be available in the second quarter of 2018 through worldwide distributors. Module vendors including Silex Technology, Telitand Wistron are expected to have QCA4020 and QCA4024 based module options available in the second quarter of 2018. Support for HomeKit is expected to be available shortly thereafter. Learn more about the QCA4020 and QCA4024 development kits at Embedded World 2018 in Nuremberg, Germany, February 27 – March 1, Hall 4A / 4A-330.

More information: https://developer.qualcomm.com/qca402x.