EM Microelectronic enables easy deployment of smart logistics and location services with a new generation of Bluetooth beacons

EM Microelectronic, the ultra-low-power semiconductor company of the Swatch Group and a leading technology provider for connected objects, today announced the release of its next generation family of Bluetooth beacons with longer battery life, longer range, over-the-air customizations and modular certification.

The first beacon of the family, the EMBC22, is an upgrade and replacement of EM’s highly successful EMBC02 BLE beacon. Featuring the latest low-power components, the new beacon is easier to install or deploy thanks to the over-the-air configuration capability. A modular certification enables its use with different housing options, battery sizes and sensors.

The second beacon, EMBP01, also includes an accelerometer and a ruggedized encapsulation including a CR2032 battery, matching the demands of the harshest use cases, such as outdoors, on construction sites, or on shipping containers.

“This new Bluetooth beacon generation addresses our customers’ need for easy-to-deploy connectivity solutions”, said Michel Willemin, CEO of EM Microelectronic. “Building on our highly successful EM9304 Bluetooth Low Energy IC, these modules dramatically lower the deployment barrier for asset tracking, indoor navigation and other location-based services, bringing Industry 4.0 implementations within the reach of any company, regardless of its size”

These two Swiss quality beacons use EM’s Simple Beacon™ technology, allowing for full over-the-air configurability for common beacon standards, such as iBeacon and Eddystone, as well as compatibility with Quuppa’s Intelligent Location System and other proprietary beacon technologies. Additional configuration options include unique ID, transmit power, advertising interval and accelerometer sample rate, enabling accurate customization of performance vs. battery lifetime.

“Doubling the communication range and battery life is a key milestone supporting our green, user-friendly Internet of Things (IoT) vision” concluded Michel Willemin.

EM will be showcasing this technology at Bluetooth World in Santa Clara, CA USA on 18-19 September on stand 110 and Electronica in München, Germany on November 13-16, Hall C4, booth number 336.