Nordic-powered compact Bluetooth Low Energy module supports highly secure personal identification and access applications

Legic, module

LEGIC technology uses Nordic’s nRF52832 WL-CSP for a compact footprint module targeting contactless ID and access to smart cards, door locks, and other security applications

Nordic Semiconductor today announces that LEGIC, a Wetzikon, Switzerland-based contactless identification solutions provider, has employed Nordic’s award-winning Bluetooth® Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) nRF52832 Wafer Level Chip Scale Package (WL-CSP) in its SM-6300 module. The module is designed to support a wide array of highly secure, flexible personal identification and access applications using Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity.

The SM-6300 module offers a development platform for engineers designing applications requiring a secure wireless identification process, for example storage or payment solutions, access to shared-economy assets like bikes and cars, physical access control in corporate and hospitality environments, and wireless connection to the Internet of Things (IoT).

Taking advantage of the nRF52832 WL-CSP’s reduced footprint of 3.0 by 3.2 mm (one quarter the footprint of the conventionally packaged nRF52832 System-on-Chip (SoC)), the SM-6300 measures just 8.0 by 8.0 by 1.1 mm.

The SM-6300 provides Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity with Android and iOS mobile apps, third-party Bluetooth LE devices, and the LEGIC Mobile Software Development Kit (SDK). The module integrates LEGIC’s Secure Element, a tamper-proof, security-certified microcontroller “shelter” where all cryptographic keys are stored, and security-relevant firmware is executed. In addition, the module works with LEGIC’s technology platform, a product for secure reader and smartcard ICs and the LEGIC Connect trusted service with integrated key and authorization management.
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the SoftDevice separates the Bluetooth LE protocol from the application code, development is made much simpler
Alex Wyss, LEGIC

The nRF52832 WL-CSP offers all the features of the conventionally-packaged SoC, including a powerful 64MHz, 32-bit Arm® Cortex® M4F processor, 2.4GHz multiprotocol radio (supporting Bluetooth 5, ANT™, and proprietary 2.4GHz RF software) featuring -96dB RX sensitivity, with 512kB Flash memory and 64kB RAM. When launched, the standard nRF52832 SoC was the world’s highest performance single-chip Bluetooth LE solution.

The Arm processor has ample performance to run Nordic’s S132 SoftDevice (a Bluetooth 5-certifed RF software protocol stack) as well as the module’s security, ID and access firmware. In addition, the processor and 512 kB Flash memory support Over-the-Air Device Firmware Updates (OTA-DFU).

The WL-CSP is supplied with Nordic’s S132 SoftDevice which offers Central, Peripheral, Broadcaster and Observer Bluetooth LE roles, supports up to twenty connections, and enables concurrent role operation.

“Low power consumption and small package size were two of the main attributes that helped us decide in favor of the Nordic nRF52832 WL-CSP,” says Alex Wyss, Head of Hardware Development at LEGIC. “Further, because the SoftDevice separates the Bluetooth LE protocol from the application code, development is made much simpler. And the OTA-DFU support allows both Bluetooth protocol and LEGIC application firmware upgrades to be promptly offered to our customers.”