Bluetooth 5 Long Range drone tracker enables compliance with remote ID regulations

Braveridge

Braveridge’s Remote ID uses Nordic nRF52840 SoC to transmit drone ID and location to airspace authorities

Japanese IoT solutions company, Braveridge, has launched a low power drone tracking and regulatory compliance solution designed for drone manufacturers to integrate into their products. The ‘Remote ID’ device can transmit the drone’s published ID and precise position via Nordic nRF52840 SoC-enabled Bluetooth® 5 Long Range connectivity. In addition, Braveridge has developed a Remote ID receiver and associated iOS/Android smartphone app to display, monitor, and record the orbit of multiple drones on a map.

Bluetooth 5 Long Range

Reliable Bluetooth 5 Long Range capability is important for Remote ID because drones and radio controlled aircraft are required to transmit aircraft information—including basic ID, location, and authentication—every second. The nRF52840 SoC provides full Bluetooth 5 support including 4x range and features 95 dBm RX sensitivity (at 1 Mbps Bluetooth LE) and an on-chip power amplifier boosts maximum output power to +8 dBm for a total link budget of >103 dBm. 

The company’s ever-present and excellent user support, give us confidence and peace of mind in development
Yasunari Kohashi, Braveridge

The compact (40 by 40 mm) and lightweight (8.5 g) Remote ID is powered by the drone’s main unit.

Recently updated regulations in Japan stipulate all unmanned aerial vehicles over 100 g must incorporate remote identification functionality. Under Japanese law, aircraft identification is effective only from the server on the Cloud owned by the Civil Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Braveridge’s app supports connection with that Cloud server, enabling ID programming for the Remote ID board and Remote ID receiver via the Bluetooth LE or Bluetooth 5 Long Range connectivity provided by the Nordic SoC. 

Superior user support

“The combination of Nordic’s IC quality, the ease with which the company provides information around the development environment, and the company’s ever-present and excellent user support, give us confidence and peace of mind in development, allowing us to effectively focus on our tasks,” says Yasunari Kohashi, Braveridge, CEO. 

The Remote ID solution also targets any international market with similar remote ID regulations to Japan.