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Bluetooth® Low Energy Technology
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Since the release and growing popularity of Bluetooth Low Energy (LE), Renesas has been a participant in the Bluetooth SIG to contribute to the continuing evolution of the Bluetooth LE specification. As a result, Bluetooth LE is supported in a wide range of Renesas MCUs such as RA, RX, and RL78 and integrated into module products like RYZ012. Renesas is committed to supporting the future of Bluetooth LE with next-generation MCU development supporting Bluetooth 5.3.
Bluetooth LE Product Portfolio
Renesas' whole aspect of commitment to Bluetooth Low Energy is summarized in our portfolio. The portfolio contains information related to Bluetooth LE, MCUs, and solutions for each Bluetooth LE MCU, so please download and use it.
Download: Renesas Bluetooth LE Product Portfolio (PDF | English, 日本語)
Device Solutions
RX 32-Bit Bluetooth LE MCU
The RX23W 32-bit Bluetooth LE MCU offers the full functions of Bluetooth 5.0 LE and the built-in security functions essential to IoT devices, as well as rich peripheral features such as touch keys, USB and CAN. As a result, system control for devices and wireless communication can be realized on a single chip. The RX23W also provide a dedicated library that complies with the Bluetooth Mesh Networking specification for multipoint-to-multipoint communication. Renesas also has a lineup of the world's smallest module products with built-in antennas and oscillators.
RX23W Bluetooth LE Solutions Page
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RA 32-Bit Bluetooth LE MCU
The RA4W1 32-bit Bluetooth LE MCU incorporate Bluetooth 5.0 LE, a secure crypto engine and low power functionality essential for any IoT application. The RA4W1 also features a rich set of peripheral features such as a capacitive touch sensing unit (CTSU) and a segment LCD controller (SLCDC), making it ideal for wireless applications that use a human machine interface (HMI).
RA4W1 Bluetooth LE Solutions Page
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RL78 16-Bit Bluetooth LE MCU
The RL78/G1D low-power 16-bit MCU support Bluetooth LE and enable reliable connections with current consumption levels among the lowest in the industry. We also have a "beacon stack" that pursues low current consumption. We also provide a module that can use the abundant function pins of the RL78/G1D as it is, with a built-in antenna and RF circuit.
RL78/G1D Bluetooth LE Solutions Page
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RYZ012x1 Bluetooth LE Module
The RYZ012x1 is a highly integrated wireless communication module that provides a pre-certified solution for Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy. The network stack is executed inside the module, so there is no need for external stack operation.
RYZ012x1 Solutions & Product Page
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Bluetooth LE Wireless Technology
Bluetooth LE wireless technology is designed for very low power operation and is optimized to short burst data transmission. In order to achieve reliable communication in the 2.4GHz frequency band, it employs a robust frequency hopping spread spectrum method that transmits data over 40 channels.
The Bluetooth LE wireless technology provides great flexibility to developers with data rates from 125Kb/s to 2Mb/s, multiple PHY options that support power levels from 1mW to 100mW, and multiple high-level security options required by government agencies.
LE supports multiple network topologies such as "Point-to-Point" used for data transfer, "Broadcast" used for location services, and "Mesh" used for building large-scale device networks.
| Bluetooth LE Features | |
|---|---|
| Frequency Band | 2.4GHz ISM band (2.402GHz – 2.480GHz utilized) |
| Channels | 40 channels with 2MHz spacing (3 advertising channels/37 data channels) |
| Channel Usage | Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) |
| Modulation | GFSK |
| Power Consumption | ~0.01x to 0.5x of reference (depending on use case) |
| Data Rate | LE 2M PHY: 2Mb/s LE 1M PHY: 1Mb/s LE Coded PHY (S=2): 500Kb/s LE Coded PHY (S=8): 125Kb/s |
| Max Tx Power | Class 1: 100mW (+20dBm) Class 1.5: 10mW (+10dbm) Class 2: 2.5mW (+4dBm) Class 3: 1mW (0dBm) |
| Network Topologies | Point-to-Point (including piconet) Broadcast Mesh |
The benefit of Bluetooth LE is that it can communicate with applications for smartphones or tablets. Bluetooth LE is already used in many applications such as for healthcare and fitness, home electric appliances, home automation, gadgets, accessories, and location systems. With the growth of the IoT market in the future, it is expected that the number of products that support Bluetooth LE wireless technology will increase at an accelerating rate.
The Bluetooth wireless technology includes the LE standard and the BR/EDR standard that supports the Basic Rate and Enhanced Data Rate that are the classic standards.
Devices are classified into types that support LE only, BR/EDR only, and both LE and BR/EDR.
Renesas devices (RX23W, RA4W1, RL78/G1D) are the types that support only LE.
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Applications using Bluetooth LE wireless technology have spread from healthcare devices and continue to expand into a wide variety of fields such as sports and fitness, smart homes, industrial equipment, and beacon applications.
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Bluetooth Qualification
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) oversees the development of Bluetooth standards and the licensing of the Bluetooth wireless technologies and trademarks to manufacturers.
Refer to the "Bluetooth LE microcomputer / module Bluetooth qualification acquisition application note" for how to register a product using the Qualified Design Identification number (QDID) of our qualified design when selling a device equipped with a Renesas Bluetooth LE microcomputer or module as a Bluetooth product.
Download: Bluetooth LE microcomputer / module Bluetooth qualification acquisition Application Notes Rev.1.50 (PDF | English, 日本語)
Common Tools & Applications
The following common tools and applications can be used by Bluetooth LE MCUs.
QE for BLE － Development Assistance Tool
The QE for BLE is a dedicated tool for developing embedded software in systems which support the Bluetooth LE protocol stack. This solution toolkit runs in the e² studio integrated development environment (IDE). The combination of the e² studio and QE for BLE makes it easy to test the communications features of Renesas Bluetooth LE MCUs, thus reducing development periods for products being placed on the market. The standard profiles for RX23W and RA4W1 are generated from this tool. It can also design and generate the custom profile.
Please refer to the QE for BLE: Development Assistance Tool for Bluetooth Low Energy page for more information.
QE for BLE: Development Assistance Tool for Bluetooth Low Energy
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GATTBrowser － Generic Data Communication Application
The GATTBrowser is a generic data communication application for checking the operation of Bluetooth LE. You can experience data communication with Bluetooth LE by scanning Bluetooth LE devices operating in the vicinity and connecting to those devices. It can be used not only for checking the operation of sample applications provided by Renesas Electronics, but also for debugging development products that implement Bluetooth LE MCU and module.
The GATTBrowser supports various operating systems (iOS, Android, Windows).
The GATTBrowser for iOS and Android can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play respectively.
Download GATTBrowser for iOS and Android:
- GATTBrowser for iOS Smartphone Application Instruction manual Rev.1.16 (PDF | English, 日本語)
- GATTBrowser for Android Smartphone Application Instruction manual Rev.1.02 (PDF | English, 日本語)
- GATTBrowser (for iOS) (App Store)
- GATTBrowser (for Android) (Google Play)
Download GATTBrowser for Windows:
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TryBT － Smartphone Application Example
TryBT is a smartphone application example that supports both Android and IOS, equipped with the functions required to communicate with Bluetooth LE products, and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play. You can check communication with the firmware preinstalled in the Evaluation Board.
In addition, icon images as well as a project file (can be imported into Android Studio or launched with Xcode) and source code are provided, so you can use this application example as a base for developing Bluetooth LE communication application in a Proof of Concept (PoC) phase.
Download TryBT:
- Bluetooth Low Energy Smartphone Application Example TryBT for Android - Sample Code (ZIP | English, 日本語) (PDF document + A set of projects for Android Studio)
- Bluetooth Low Energy Smartphone Application Example TryBT for iOS - Sample Code (ZIP) (PDF + A set of projects for Xcode)
- TryBT for iOS (App Store)
- TryBT for Android (Google Play)
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Windows 10 Bluetooth LE Application － Windows Application Example
The Windows 10 Bluetooth LE application is an application example for Windows 10 that communicates with an evaluation board equipped with a Renesas Bluetooth LE MCU or module.
- RX23W, RA4W1
- Communicates with the firmware pre-installed on the evaluation board for each Bluetooth LE MCU, controls the LED blinking interval on the evaluation board and counts the number of times the switch is pressed.
- RL78/G1D
- Communicates with the "Virtual UART application" that operates on the RL78/G1D evaluation board, and sends and receives character data.
In addition, a set of projects that can be launched and used in Visual Studio 2017 are provided, so you can use this application example as a base for developing Bluetooth LE communication apps that run on Windows in a Proof of Concept (PoC) phase.
Download Windows 10 Bluetooth LE Application: Bluetooth LE microcomputer / module Windows 10 Bluetooth LE Application Rev.1.00 - Sample Code (ZIP) (PDF + set of projects for Visual Studio 2017)
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BTTS － Windows Application
In the survey/evaluation phase of the development process, new Bluetooth LE functions, API execution procedures and parameters of API can be learned by evaluating the functions and performance of Bluetooth LE supported by the Bluetooth LE MCU using the Bluetooth Test Tool Suite (BTTS).
In the certification phase of the device, it can be used as a GUI tool to operate the device under test (DUT) in the Radio Law certification test.
Download BTTS: Bluetooth LE MCU Bluetooth Test Tool Suite operating instructions Rev.1.07 (ZIP | English, 日本語) (PDF + Windows application)
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Related Links
| Page Title | Description |
|---|---|
| RX23W | |
| RX23W | 32-bit performance/efficiency RX23W MCU and RX23W module product information |
| Bluetooth Low Energy for RX Family | RX23W Bluetooth LE wireless solutions |
| RTK5RX23W0C00000BJ | Target Board for RX23W product information |
| RTK5RX23W0C01000BJ | Target Board for RX23W module product information |
| RX23W-Starter-Kit | Renesas Solution Starter Kit for RX23W product information |
| Bluetooth Low Energy Low Energy Protocol Stack for RX family | Protocol stack, profile, and sample program information |
| SX-23BT | Silex SX-23BT / SX-23BT-EVK (SX-23BT evaluation board) partner module product information |
| RA4W1 | |
| RA4W1 | Arm Cortex-M4 RA4W1 MCU product information |
| Bluetooth Low Energy for RA Family | RA4W1 Bluetooth LE wireless solutions (including sample programs) |
| EK-RA4W1 | Evaluation Kit for RA4W1 MCU Group product information |
| Flexible Software Package (FSP) | Flexible Software Package (FSP) for Bluetooth Low Energy protocol stack-enabled RA4W1 Group |
| RL78/G1D | |
| RL78/G1D | Low power 16-bit RL78/G1D MCU and RL78/G1D module (RY7011) product information |
| Bluetooth Low Energy for RL78 Family | RL78/G1D Bluetooth LE wireless solutions |
| RTK0EN0001D01001BZ | RTK0EN0001D01001BZ RL78/G1D evaluation board product information |
| RTKYRLG1D0B00000BJ | RL78/G1D BLE Module Expansion Board with Pmod interface that incorporates the RL78/G1D module (RY7011) |
| Bluetooth Low Energy Protocol Stack for RL78 Family | Protocol stack, profile, and sample program information |
| RL78 Quick Solutions | RL78 Quick Solutions demonstrate how RL78 low power MCUs combined with Renesas' analog and power products can create high-performance solutions for a wide variety of applications |
| Software & Tools | |
| QE for BLE: Development Assistance Tool for Bluetooth Low Energy | Dedicated tool for developing embedded software in systems which support the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol stack |
| e² studio | Eclipse-based integrated development environment (IDE) for Renesas MCUs |
| Renesas Flash Programmer (Programming GUI) | Renesas Flash Programmer provides usable and functional support for programming the on-chip flash memory of Renesas MCUs |
| Other | |
| Knowledge Base > Bluetooth Low Energy | FAQ for Bluetooth specifications, MCUs, modules, protocol stacks, development environment, qualification, and more |
| Bluetooth SIG | Official website for Bluetooth wireless technology |
The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Renesas Electronics Corporation is under license. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.