The global agricultural and farming industry is facing a perfect storm. Earlier this month, the world population hit eight billion for the first time, in the two weeks since it has grown another 1.5 million. That is a lot of extra mouths to feed when there are already 690 million people going hungry, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).At the same time, agricultural production is literally and figuratively getting battered due to climate change. Increasing temperatures, weather variability, reductions in water availability and extreme weather events are causing mayhem for a sector trying to keep up with demand.A recent study published in Nature Climate Change claims climate change is costing the global farming sector 21 percent of its productivity each year.For the UN&rsquo;s Sustainability Development Goal (SDG) of &lsquo;Zero Hunger&rsquo; by 2030 to have any hope of success, the agriculture sector is being asked to ramp up farm production in the face of climate change.At the same time the industry is being warned that a &ldquo;farming-as-usual&rdquo; approach won&rsquo;t work because of the environmental toll agriculture itself puts on our natural resources. For example, the World Bank claims the sector is already responsible for up to a third of total greenhouse gas emissions.Evidently, a new approach is required, and the industry is betting big on smart farming practices and connected technologies offering a solution.<h2>Today&#39;s cellular IoT smart farm</h2>Smart farming&mdash;or precision agriculture, as it is also known&mdash;is focused on providing the sector with the infrastructure to leverage advanced wireless cloud-connected IoT technologies for tracking, monitoring, automating and analyzing operations.More succinctly, a smart farm is one that can generate maximum yield with minimum resources, with little or no human interaction. Or at least that is the goal.How achievable that goal is relies heavily if not entirely on the technology supporting it. Using a combination of connectivity solutions, sensors, autonomous machines, drones and data analytics, farmers can receive a real-time picture of their crops and livestock and can respond instantly to that data to maximize yield.For example, <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/News/2022/11/The-leova-SMART-employs-the-nRF9160-SiP?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">field-mounted devices</a> packed with microclimate measurement sensors can use cellular IoT connectivity to instantly report data to a cloud platform to alert of an impending frost or a potential fungal disease. This enables farmers to take remedial action immediately or harvest early.On a beef or dairy farm, animal ear tags can also host a range of sensors to record an animal&#39;s behavior and location, wirelessly relaying that information over long distances to a rancher.That data can be used in a host of different ways, for example, to trigger health alerts if an animal isn&rsquo;t moving or even for estrus detection, identifying when a female animal is ready to breed.<h2>Farms the size of countries rely on cellular IoT or Bluetooth LE</h2>The ability to relay this data over long distances using low-power cellular IoT or Bluetooth LE in combination with a cellular gateway is fundamental. Australia, for example, has no fewer than eight beef farms over 12,000 km2, each the size of a small country where physically inspecting cattle daily is impractical.Arable holdings, while not entirely on the same scale, still defy in-person inspection, with the largest single-fenced field sown with wheat measuring 141 km2.IoT infrastructure is still lacking in some regions, but according to McKinsey, by 2030, advanced IoT connectivity of some type will cover 80 percent of the world&rsquo;s rural areas. This should enable the smart farm to really hit its stride. It&rsquo;s already a sleeping IoT giant.In 2000, there were exactly zero connected devices on any of the world&rsquo;s farms; by 2020 that number was two billion. According to analyst reports, by 2035 the world&rsquo;s 525 million farms will employ more than 20 billion wirelessly connected smart devices to help them maximize yields and productivity.<h2>Everything automated with cellular IoT and Bluetooth LE agriculture</h2>Tomorrow&rsquo;s farm will also increasingly rely on autonomous vehicles. Machine learning algorithms and GNSS positioning are being used to develop self-driving harvesting machinery.The combination of precise positioning and onboard machine learning would allow farmers to focus on the technical side of processing and harvesting. At the same time, it could significantly boost yields, reduce harvesting losses and avoid unnecessary passes and fuel consumption by plotting the most effective way to reap a field.Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)&mdash;otherwise known as drones&mdash;are becoming increasingly common for real time data gathering for surveying and mapping, keeping pests away, monitoring water levels, and checking the health of the crops using optical crop sensors. Meanwhile, on the ground, autonomous robots resembling miniature monster trucks can maneuver around fields, scanning crops for signs of pests and disease, stripping away weeds, or even harvesting crops. These solutions may not eliminate human interaction in farming, but they enable farmers to allocate their time to more profitable, less manual tasks.<h2>Cellular IoT and Bluetooth LE agriculture has a sensor for everything</h2>This is only the beginning. Bluetooth LE and cellular IoT wireless devices can monitor crops and automatically switch irrigation on and off based on soil moisture. <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/News/2020/06/CoreKinect-farm-storage-tank-level-monitor-employs-nRF9160?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Connected level sensors</a> can ensure farms never run out of fuel or fertilizer. Wireless vibration and temperature sensors can successfully predict the need for maintenance or the impending breakdown of any one of a number of machines, from bailers and threshers to sorters and planters. And water quality sensors can be used to protect freshwater ecosystems from spills or agrochemical discharge, enabling proactive risk management and pollution control before the water even leaves the farm.The introduction of this technology cannot come too soon. Agriculture is no stranger to innovation, and connected technologies based on the IoT will help farmers feed an expanding global population while increasing environmental sustainability, aims that frequently come into conflict with each other. It will also ensure the livelihood of the 40 percent of the world&rsquo;s population who work in agriculture, and one hopes, lift millions out of poverty.<hr>This article was first published on Nordic&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" id="isPasted"></a><a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Get Connected Blog</a>. &nbsp;

The global agricultural and farming industry is facing a perfect storm. Earlier this month, the world population hit eight billion for the first time, in the two weeks since it has grown another 1.5 million. That is a lot of extra mouths to feed when there are already 690 million people going hungry, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Agriculture gets smart with cellular IoT and Bluetooth LE

While we live in an increasingly tech-focused world, we still face many of the same dangers and threats to our personal safety that we did centuries ago. How can we turn our technology to help mitigate those dangers?<h2>Updating wearables</h2>Many regions of the world are experiencing rising rates of crime, particularly against women and children. A greater number of crimes is seeing an associated rise in the demand for electronic personal safety devices based on wearable tech. According to analyst Market Research Future, the sector is predicted to reach $5.5 billion by 2025 and will include products influenced by other segments and of increasing sophistication. For example, the recent shift towards using wireless technology for workplace safety has seen many of the same ideas turned to address personal safety challenges. Thus, we are now seeing consumer wearables, previously designed primarily for exercise monitoring, sporting safety features.Many smartwatches now include &lsquo;panic buttons&rsquo; &ndash; inbuilt personal alarms that can notify the police or nominated contacts of the wearer&rsquo;s location in an emergency. And several new wearables can now alert designated contacts if the user experiences trauma such as a fall.The <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/News/2022/09/SalusWear-employs-nRF9160-SiP?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SalusWear</a> device, for example, is a wearable designed to track and monitor individuals suffering from Alzheimer&rsquo;s, dementia or autism. The solution employs Nordic-powered LTE-M connectivity and GNSS to report the wearer&#39;s location to family, friends, or caregivers in the event they go missing or have potentially been subject to a fall.<h2>Adding tech to personal safety devices</h2>The traditional personal safety market has also evolved thanks to technology. For example, there are now personal alarms and pepper sprays that not only act as panic buttons, but can take images or record sound when activated.However, such products come with some potential issues, as they are often carried in a bag, making them difficult to find in an emergency. And a device can&rsquo;t be activated if the person is already injured or is being prevented from accessing it. They also tend to look like obvious personal safety devices.<h2>Devices in disguise</h2>Wireless technology can help by enabling discreet solutions designed to deescalate a situation or simply provide an increased sense of security (with the means of backing this up, of course). One of the main trends in the personal safety marketplace is a hidden panic button disguised as an everyday item, such as a necklace or bracelet.For instance, <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/News/2017/12/Kwema-employes-nRF52832-System-on-Chip?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&lsquo;Eve&rsquo; and &lsquo;Pacific Ocean&rsquo;</a> are jewelry collections by Kwema, designed to send the wearer&rsquo;s GNSS location to preselected safety contacts when activated. And the <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/News/2017/04/Nordic-Bluetooth-low-energy-powered-designer-jewelry" rel="noopener" target="_blank">&lsquo;IVY&rsquo;</a> by Smartfuture can be worn either as a necklace or a bracelet and activated by tapping the stone twice to emit a loud alarm or three times to send an SOS audio message and the user&rsquo;s location to preselected contacts. Tapping the stone four times triggers a phone call to the nominated contact. Other solutions can activate a call to the wearer&rsquo;s phone to deter would-be attackers by making them think a friend or colleague is making contact.<h2>Untethering safety</h2>Bluetooth LE remains the most popular technology for connecting wearables to user smartphones because it uses little power, enabling compact wearables, and is interoperable with most handsets. The smartphone can then be used to forward alerts to the cloud via Wi-Fi or the cellular network.However, some versions operate in other ways, in case the user finds themselves without a smartphone. For example, the <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/News/2019/07/Montr-employs-nRF9160-LTE-M-NB-IoT-SiP?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Montr Emergency Button</a> uses NB-IoT connectivity to transmit the user&rsquo;s location directly via the cellular network in the event of an incident.<h2>Danger everywhere</h2>It&rsquo;s not just the criminals that can bring harm. Everyday activities can be dangerous. Even something as unremarkable as cycling can result in anguish if an accident occurs. But if the worst happens, the <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/News/2019/02/ANGi-sensor-based-device-transforms-cycling-helmet-using-nRF52832?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ANGi</a> (Angular and G-Force Indicator) helmet will send an alert through Bluetooth LE connectivity with the user&rsquo;s smartphone if it detects a significant impact.Elsewhere, to reduce the danger children can face in automobiles, Swedish company Halmstad has launched a &lsquo;smart&rsquo; children&rsquo;s car seat. The <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/News/2022/06/Holmbergs-DigitalSafety-uses-Nordic-nRF52832-SoC?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Holmbergs DigitalSafety</a> system will notify parents via the accompanying app if the child unbuckles themselves. If the child is left buckled but unattended in a parked car, then an anti-abandon alert is sent, and if the child is still left alone for a period of time, a text message with their location will be sent to an emergency contact.While we might be some way from the perfect tech solution to prevent every possible danger or accident, wireless personal protection devices have made the world a much safer place than it was just a few years ago.<hr>This article was first published on Nordic&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" id="isPasted"></a><a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Get Connected Blog</a>. &nbsp;

While we live in an increasingly tech-focused world, we still face many of the same dangers and threats to our personal safety that we did centuries ago. How can we turn our technology to help mitigate those dangers?

What does the future of personal safety devices look like?

Increasing the range of a wireless product is an advantage for virtually every application. Consider, say, a large warehouse with a <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Bluetooth-mesh?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bluetooth mesh</a> network to track the location of valuable items. If each device in the network can communicate over longer distances, fewer devices are needed to cover the warehouse volume.That decreases complexity and saves equipment and maintenance costs.But what exactly do we mean by the &ldquo;range&rdquo; of a wireless connection? Well, for a packet-based wireless protocol such as Bluetooth LE, range is determined by the maximum distance that two transceivers can send and receive uncorrupted packets.It is hard to put an exact number on the range of a specific application. This is impacted by dozens of factors, from the obvious, like attenuation by walls, ceilings, and furniture, to the more technical, such as propagation loss and multipath fading.To make things a little more complex, variable factors such as intermittent interference from other radios using the same 2.4 GHz frequency as Bluetooth LE, like Wi-Fi, also take their toll on the range. The only way to check out the actual performance is often to experiment with the application in a real-world setting.<h2>The extended range trade-off with Bluetooth LE</h2>Assuming that changing the environment is impossible, one proven way to increase range is for the radio transmitter to &ldquo;shout&rdquo; louder and the receiver to &ldquo;listen&rdquo; more carefully. Technically this means increasing the power output of the transmitter and increasing the sensitivity of the receiver. We call the combination of transmit power output and receive sensitivity the &quot;link budget.&quot; The link budget is measured in decibels (dB). An increased link budget typically leads to an increased range.There are some trade-offs; for example, more energy is required to boost the link budget, impacting the lifetime of battery-powered systems. However, the trade-off will still be worth it in the warehouse example noted above because the cost of larger batteries or more frequent battery replacement will be more than outweighed by the saving resulting from needing fewer devices to cover the warehouse&rsquo;s space.Regular Bluetooth mesh nodes are mains powered, so power consumption is less important, but there is still an advantage in fewer nodes and lower complexity. The trade-off is also worth making in cases where the point-to-point range requirement of an application is close to or beyond the capability of the standard wireless SoC.<h2>The advantages of more robust Bluetooth LE and wireless connections</h2>Boosting the link budgets brings advantages beyond just range. For example, for two otherwise identical products wirelessly connecting over a given distance, the device with the greater link budget will be less prone to interference and corrupted or lost packets.In particularly demanding RF environments, or where the standard device is operating close to its range limit, it can be more energy efficient to boost transmit power and sensitivity than to resend corrupted packets continuously. This is because Bluetooth LE power consumption peaks when the transceivers are on-air, so leaving them on to resend packets is a big drain on the battery.Moreover, an increased link budget can help to compensate for situations where space constrains the design of the wireless device&rsquo;s antenna leading to a decrease in its gain. An example is a wireless module designed for highly-compact applications.<h2>What is a PA/LNA? &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>As noted above, we can increase the link budget of a wireless connection by shouting louder and listening more carefully. The shouting is boosted by a power amplifier (PA), while the listening is enhanced by a low noise amplifier (LNA). The PA amplifies the output signal while the LNA boosts a weak incoming signal without adding significant additional noise.(Note that there is a <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Range-extenders" rel="noopener" target="_blank">regulatory limit</a> on how strong a Bluetooth LE output signal can be. The maximum output power is typically between +10 and +20 dBm depending on the geographical region of operation.)Nordic has recently introduced a PA/LNA <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Range-extenders?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">range extender</a> chip which perfectly complements the company&rsquo;s nRF52 and nRF53 Series SoCs. The <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/nRF21540?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nRF21540 RF</a> front-end module (FEM) provides an adjustable PA boost of up to +21 dB so the designer can match the maximum power to meet regulatory requirements. The LNA&rsquo;s key attributes are &ldquo;gain&rdquo; (a measure of how much the weak signal is amplified) of +13 dB and &ldquo;noise figure&rdquo; (NF, a measure of how much noise is added during amplification) of 2.7 dB.To accompany the RF FEM, Nordic has released the nRF21540 <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Development-hardware/nRF21540-DB?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Development Bundle</a> (DB). The DB allows designers to test out applications taking advantage of the RF FEM&rsquo;s capabilities and comprises the nRF21540 Development Kit (DK) and the nRF21540 Evaluation Kit (EK).<h2>How well does the nRF21540 perform?</h2>In theory, Nordic&rsquo;s RF FEM can increase range between 6.3 and 10x across a symmetric link (i.e. with both ends of the link employing the RF FEM and using the same Nordic SoC) compared with similar applications without the RF FEM. The ultimate range increase depends on the Nordic SoC in use in the application.But theory is one thing, and practical applications are another. Nordic engineers have run outdoor <a href="https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/nordic/nordic-blog/b/blog/posts/testing-max-range-with-ble-with-nrf21540dks-and-nrf52840-dks" rel="noopener" target="_blank">comparison tests</a> between a symmetric link using an nRF52840 SoC with its built-in PA set to +8 dBm and a symmetric link with the same SoC complemented by the company&rsquo;s RF FEM set to +20 dBm. The original setup <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC0WYfxLQuQ" rel="noopener" target="_blank">demonstrated</a> an outdoor line-of-site range of 1.6 km.With the RF FEM that was boosted to 4.3 km. Indoor range is affected by many more obstructions and variable factors which makes direct comparisons difficult. However, at Nordic we know that in like-for-like applications, the RF FEM will significantly boost the link budget resulting in a more robust and reliable wireless connection.There are many ways to increase low-power wireless range, but some are more practical than others. For example, a warehouse manager is unlikely to knock down walls, reconfigure kilometers of shelving, and turn off the Wi-Fi just to increase the range of asset tracking devices. But a designer can dramatically increase those same asset trackers by simply complementing the wireless SoC with the tiny (4 x 4 mm) nRF21540 RF FEM.<hr>This article was first published on Nordic&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" id="isPasted"></a><a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Get Connected Blog</a>. &nbsp;

Increasing the range of a wireless product is an advantage for virtually every application. Consider, say, a large warehouse with a Bluetooth mesh network to track the location of valuable items.

Shouting and listening: Extending Bluetooth LE range

Join Avnet Field Application Engineers for a Renesas hands-on Quick-Connect BLE Lab featuring the EK-RA2E1 evaluation board to discover how simple it can be to add Bluetooth to your next design. In this lab, participants will build a basic system utilizing Renesas Quick-Connect IoT Pmod boards and the RA2E1 MCU to monitor temperature and humidity via a smartphone or other Bluetooth device.<div data-cvent-id="widget-NucleusText-widget:5892a71a-9fc1-4b36-b1bc-2b7d41283e45" id="isPasted">This lab will lead users through:<ul><li>Setup of HS3001 drivers on RA MCU</li><li>Setup of UART drivers RA MCU</li><li>Configuring interrupts of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module</li><li>Use Developer Assistance and the Smart Configurator to automatically setup driver code for peripherals</li><li>Visualize humidity and temperature data readings from the HS3001 sensor on a wireless connected smartphone app over BLE</li></ul></div>Why take the workshop?<ul><li>Receive a discounted hardware bundle for BLE exercise<ul><li><a href="https://www.renesas.com/us/en/products/microcontrollers-microprocessors/ra-cortex-m-mcus/ek-ra2e1-evaluation-kit-ra2e1-mcu-group" rel="noreferrer" target="_self">EK-RA2E1 evaluation kit</a></li><li><a href="https://www.renesas.com/us/en/products/sensor-products/humidity-sensors/us082-hs3001evz-relative-humidity-sensor-pmod-board-renesas-quick-connect-iot" rel="noreferrer" target="_self">HS3001 Pmod Quick-Connect board</a></li><li><a href="https://www.renesas.com/us/en/products/microcontrollers-microprocessors/us082-interpevz-interposer-board-pmod-type-2a3a-6a-renesas-quick-connect-iot" rel="noreferrer" target="_self">Pmod Interposer board</a></li><li><a href="https://www.dialog-semiconductor.com/products/bluetooth-low-energy/bluetooth-module-da14531-smartbond-tiny" rel="noreferrer" target="_self">DA14531 Pmod Quick-Connect board</a></li><li>Renesas Flexible Software Package 3.6.0</li></ul></li><li>Learn how to setup the project for the correct hardware target and several Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) drivers to enable sensor readouts wirelessly with a smartphone application.</li></ul>Overview<ul><li id="isPasted">Date/Time: OnDemand</li><li>Duration: 2 hours</li><li>Workshop Fee: $49.00 (includes EK-RA2E1, HS3001, US082 and DA14531, $130 value*) *Development boards can be shipped to U.S. and Canada addresses only </li></ul><a class="button-main-action" href="https://web.cvent.com/event/221f6bb0-0063-4ae6-ae95-80ae0a015380/regProcessStep1:a3d44ed7-4056-4b76-b48f-50a17cd58ad4?RefId=Renesas%20Quick-Connect%20BLE%20Lab" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Register here</a>

Adding Bluetooth to your next design should be a simple process.

Bluetooth Low Energy Workshop

In recent years, the Internet of Things (IoT) computing paradigm has opened opportunities for innovative applications in different sectors such as smart buildings, agriculture, manufacturing, transport, and industry. IoT applications in these areas are powered by IoT devices, which facilitate interaction with the &ldquo;real world&rdquo; as part of physical processes. To this end, IoT devices connect to the internet and interact with other computers and devices.&nbsp;This connectivity is enabled by different networking technologies such Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and ZigBee. Each of these IoT networking technologies comes with pros and cons for different types of IoT applications. This is because they vary in terms of their range, security, and energy efficiency characteristics. For instance, ZigBee and Wi-Fi cover larger distances than Bluetooth, which makes them suitable for connecting devices with larger-scale networks.&nbsp;On the other hand, Bluetooth consumes much less energy than Wi-Fi and offers higher data transfer rates than ZigBee. These characteristics make it suitable for connecting low-power IoT devices in energy-efficient applications.<h2>Bluetooth Benefits for IoT Applications</h2>Once upon a time, WiFi was very widely used to support IoT connectivity, while Bluetooth was primarily a popular short-range connectivity solution for hands-free calling and wireless transmission in audio applications. In recent years, this has drastically changed due to Bluetooth&rsquo;s compelling features for many IoT applications.&nbsp;These features include:<ul><li>Ubiquity: Nowadays, Bluetooth devices are deployed almost everywhere. They can be found in everything from athletic shoes to residential devices.&nbsp;</li><li>Security: Contrary to other wireless protocols, Bluetooth requires physical proximity for broadcasting signals. Hence, there is no possibility for remote security attacks, which reinforces the security of Bluetooth-based IoT applications.&nbsp;</li><li>Energy Efficiency: Bluetooth enables power efficient IoT applications as it does not require any power source. In this direction, the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol is optimized to ensure continuous connectivity for IoT devices based on the least possible energy consumption.&nbsp;</li><li>Pairing Speed: BLE applications pair and (re)connect to devices within a few milliseconds. Furthermore, Bluetooth pairing does not require a password, which also boosts the efficiency of the connectivity process.</li><li>Mesh Networking Capabilities: Over the years Bluetooth technology has evolved to support mesh networking functionalities. Specifically, Bluetooth mesh networking leverages BLE to support many-to-many interactions between connected devices. This broadens the spectrum of Bluetooth connectivity options and enables IoT applications that span entire homes, buildings, and industrial plants.&nbsp;</li></ul>Overall, one of the main value propositions of Bluetooth-enabled IoT deployment is their ability to combine the scale of internet-connected device networks at the network level with short-range, energy-efficient operations at the device level.&nbsp;<h2>Bluetooth IoT Anatomy: Adding Bluetooth to your IoT device</h2>Basic Bluetooth IoT devices include a microcontroller unit (MCU) that supports Bluetooth functionalities and enables pairing and interactions with other Bluetooth devices. The MCU must support either the Bluetooth Classic or the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) version of the protocol. As already outlined, the BLE version consumes much lower energy than the classic version.More advanced Bluetooth IoT applications comprise several MCUs. For instance, they include dedicated processors for managing the IoT application, processors that interface and collect data from various sensors, and BLE MCUs that offer wireless connectivity functionalities. In this context, the design of a non-trivial Bluetooth IoT application can be a challenging task, as it should consider many and sometimes conflicting requirements.These requirements include:&nbsp;<ul><li>The provision of enough processing power for complex applications.</li><li>Energy-efficient operations, including power efficiency in wireless communications.&nbsp;</li><li>Small size in-line with application deployment constraints.</li><li>Increased security and data protection.</li></ul>In several cases, trade-offs must be also considered and resolved.&nbsp;Making Bluetooth simpleNevertheless, the addition of Bluetooth in an IoT design should not be a complex process. In this direction, semiconductor manufacturer, Renesas, helps embedded developers and engineers to enhance their IoT applications with Bluetooth functionalities and IoT engineers can take advantage of Renesas tools to integrate Bluetooth microsystems within their products. In this way, they can build IoT applications that interact with other popular Bluetooth-enabled devices such as smartphones.&nbsp;Most importantly, Renesas offers a collection of tools that speed up development and reduce time to market for Bluetooth IoT applications. Specifically, the <a href="https://www.avnet.com/wps/portal/us/products/product-highlights/renesas-ra-family/" target="_blank">32-bit Renesas RA Family of Microcontroller Units (MCU)</a> comes with a suite of development tools and capabilities that help accelerate your designs. These tools are part of a Flexible Software Package (FSP) that features extensive support for open architecture, legacy code, and third-party ecosystems.&nbsp;<h2>Workshop: Learn how to integrate Bluetooth IoT in two hours!</h2>To demonstrate the ease of integrating Bluetooth with IoT devices and to unveil relevant innovation opportunities, Renesas is <a href="https://wevlv.co/3ysGCTL" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">organizing a hands-on workshop</a>. The workshop will involve practical hands-on exercises in a laboratory environment.&nbsp;The exercises will be led by Avnet&rsquo;s Field Application Engineers, who will use Renesas hands-on Quick-Connect BLE to demonstrate how to add Bluetooth in an IoT system design. Specifically, participants will build a basic system utilizing <a href="https://www.renesas.com/us/en/application/industrial/building-home-automation/quick-connect-iot" target="_blank">Renesas Quick-Connect IoT Pmod boards</a> and the RA2E1 MCU to monitor temperature and humidity via a smartphone or other Bluetooth device.&nbsp;All registrants to the workshop are shipped a discounted hardware bundle for the BLE &nbsp;workshop that includes:<ul class="decimal_type"><li><a href="https://www.renesas.com/us/en/products/microcontrollers-microprocessors/ra-cortex-m-mcus/ek-ra2e1-evaluation-kit-ra2e1-mcu-group" target="_self">EK-RA2E1 evaluation kit</a></li><li><a href="https://www.renesas.com/us/en/products/sensor-products/humidity-sensors/us082-hs3001evz-relative-humidity-sensor-pmod-board-renesas-quick-connect-iot" target="_self">HS3001 Pmod Quick-Connect board</a></li><li><a href="https://www.renesas.com/us/en/products/microcontrollers-microprocessors/us082-interpevz-interposer-board-pmod-type-2a3a-6a-renesas-quick-connect-iot" target="_self">Pmod Interposer board</a></li><li><a href="https://www.dialog-semiconductor.com/products/bluetooth-low-energy/bluetooth-module-da14531-smartbond-tiny" target="_self">DA14531 Pmod Quick-Connect board</a></li><li>Renesas Flexible Software Package 3.6.0</li></ul>Within just two hours, <a href="https://web.cvent.com/event/221f6bb0-0063-4ae6-ae95-80ae0a015380/summary?RefId=Renesas%20Quick-Connect%20BLE%20Lab?partnerref=pt-wevolver-nativead-ren-443" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the workshop</a> will guide users through the following development and deployment steps:<ul><li>Setting up HS3001 drivers on RA MCU.</li><li>Setting up UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter) drivers for RA MCU.</li><li>Configuring interrupts of a BLE module.</li><li>Automating the setup of drivers for peripheral devices, using tools like the <a href="https://www.renesas.com/us/en/design-support/development-tools" target="_blank">Developer Assistance and the Smart Configurator</a>.</li><li>Visualizing humidity and temperature data readings from the HS3001 sensor on a wireless connected smartphone app over BLE.</li></ul>Upon completion of the workshop, participants will have a very good understanding of how to design, configure, develop, and deploy IoT BLE applications. Moreover, they will be able to use Quick-Connect BLE to develop innovative applications in a wide range of sectors including smart homes, smart buildings, facilities management, smart cities, and industrial IoT systems.&nbsp;The workshop can directly benefit IoT professionals in various engineering roles including circuit engineers, design engineers, project engineers, hardware engineers, as well as digital designers.&nbsp;For these professionals the workshop represents a great time investment at an excellent value for money: Thanks to the Renesas RA MCU and the FS, it will enable them to start innovating with Bluetooth IoT within just two hours.<h2>Workshop overview:</h2>Date/Time:&nbsp;OnDemandDuration: 2 hoursWorkshop Fee: $49.00 (includes EK-RA2E1, HS3001, US082 and DA14531, $130 value*)&nbsp;*Development boards can be shipped to U.S. and Canada addresses only<a class="button-main-action" href="https://wevlv.co/3ysGCTL" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;Register for the workshop here.</a><a href="#_msocom_1" id="_anchor_1" language="JavaScript" name="_msoanchor_1" target="_blank"></a><h3>About the sponsor: Avnet</h3>Avnet is a global electronic components distributor with extensive design, product, marketing, and supply chain expertise for customers and suppliers at every stage of the product lifecycle. For the past 100 years, Avnet has helped its customers and suppliers around the world realize the transformative possibilities of technology. &nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1656606762627-avnet+bottom+banner.jpg" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">

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