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Silicon Labs' Bluetooth® Channel Sounding Provides Sub-MeterAccuracy to Drive Secure Fine Ranging
Breakthrough Hardware and Software Boosts Bluetooth Device Ranging Accuracy and Security
AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB), a leader in secure, intelligent
wireless technology for a more connected world, today announced its support for Bluetooth® Channel
Sounding technology on the xG24 platform.
Bluetooth® Channel Sounding is a new protocol stack designed to enable secure and precise distancemeasurement between two Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) connected devices. By offering true distance awareness,
Bluetooth® Channel Sounding enhances the accuracy and security of Bluetooth device-ranging capabilities.
"In a world where location awareness is critical, Bluetooth® Channel Sounding revolutionizes proximity andlocation capabilities, propelling Bluetooth technology into a new era," said Ross Sabolcik, Senior Vice Presidentof the Industrial and Commercial Business Unit at Silicon Labs. "With a legacy of empowering developers withthe full potential of Bluetooth technology, Silicon Labs' latest hardware and software create an accelerated pathto groundbreaking Bluetooth products equipped with Bluetooth® Channel Sounding."
Bluetooth Channel Sounding Enhances Accuracy and Security for Distance AwarenessBy helping to estimate the distance between two devices, Bluetooth Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI)
opened the door for a new wave of applications. From solutions to help locate devices like phones or tablets todigital security enhancements like geofencing, Bluetooth technology has enhanced the convenience andsimplicity of everyday tasks. The challenge, however, is that Bluetooth RSSI has relied on estimations todetermine location. RSSI is also susceptible to issues like multipath and obstruction which can significantly
reduce accuracy. Bluetooth® Channel Sounding addresses this by improving the accuracy to sub-meter andenhancing the security of Bluetooth device ranging capabilities.
Bluetooth® Channel Sounding uses Phased-Based Ranging (PBR) to deliver precise distance measurements
between two devices and a secondary ranging method called Round Trip Time (RTT). The independent distancemeasurements from RTT can then be used to verify and cross-check the PBR measurements. This crossverification process helps detect anomalies to ensure applications are secure, which is critical when developing
access control solutions for hospitals and industrial buildings that must grant or deny access based onproximity.
With PBR and RTT, Bluetooth® Channel Sounding can be used in home and life applications like smart locks,
locating consumer electronic devices, and pet trackers, as well as industrial and commercial applications likegeofencing, vehicle keyless entry, and access control – all while delivering accurate, secure, and dependable
Bluetooth ranging services. With advanced distance estimation techniques, Bluetooth® Channel Sounding canalso be used to triangulate the position of commercial infrastructure like wireless access points or luminaires toeither meet regulatory requirements or save human labor and costs.
Additionally, Bluetooth® Channel Sounding offers a more convenient and flexible ranging solution for
applications that already use Bluetooth LE. In such cases, it can be implemented without the need for extra
hardware and design space.
Silicon Labs New xG24 and Antenna Hardware Solutions Support Channel Sounding
Silicon Labs' new xG24 Radio Board and Pro Kit, available to order now, provides a fast and efficient way tocreate and prototype products using Bluetooth® Channel Sounding for precise distance estimation. The kit
includes a BRD4198A EFR32xG24 2.4 GHz +10dBm Radio Board, a Sleeve Dipole Antenna, and reference
designs.
Additionally, the xG24 Dev Kit, available in December 2024, features a dual antenna PCB design, and a Channel
Sounding visualizer tool that allows customers to effortlessly view distance measurements in real time,streamlining the implementation of Bluetooth® Channel Sounding in their products and applications.
Silicon Labs offer customers new and advanced hardware solutions for developing products of varying

complexities that support Bluetooth® Channel Sounding:Single Antenna hardware has fewer antenna paths and limited multipath information, making it moresuitable for basic Bluetooth® Channel Sounding applications, where lower power consumption andreliability in simpler environments are prioritized over precise distance measurement.
Dual Antenna hardware will be available for order and use in December 2024. The dual antenna
hardware offers higher accuracy, better spatial and enhanced multipath resolution, and is ideal foradvanced applications that demand precise distance estimation such as key fobs and tags. The small formfactor of this board makes it ideal for size-constrained applications. The antenna diversity also heightens
signal quality and robustness.
Silicon Labs' hardware solution is AEC-Q100 qualified, making it a suitable choice for automotive applications
like Passive Entry and Passive Start systems.
Qualification to version 6.0 of the Bluetooth® Core Specification for xG24 host stack and link layer are expectedby the end of the year. The qualified stack will support intra-event antenna switching for optimal Non-Line-ofSight performance and supports Channel Sounding when xG24 is operating in either NCP (Network CoProcessor) mode with an external application MCU (microcontroller unit) or SoC (System on Chip) mode with an
integrated application MCU.
Get Started with Bluetooth® Channel Sounding with Silicon Labs
Silicon Labs customers can leverage comprehensive software and hardware solutions, as well as a patentpending distance estimation algorithm, to develop products that use Bluetooth® Channel Sounding for various
day-to-day applications in settings like the home, industrial, commercial, or connected health. To learn moreabout Bluetooth® Channel Sounding, please visit:The Silicon Labs Bluetooth® Channel Sounding blog
The Silicon Labs Bluetooth® Channel Sounding page
Watch the Bluetooth® Channel Sounding Tech Talk
About Silicon Labs
Silicon Labs is a trailblazer in wireless connectivity for the Internet of Things. Its integrated hardware andsoftware platform, intuitive development tools, and unmatched ecosystem support make Silicon Labs the ideal
long-term partner in building advanced industrial, commercial, and home and life applications. Silicon Labs
leads the industry in high performance, low power, and security with support for the broadest set of multiprotocol solutions.
SOURCE Silicon Labs
For further information: Sam Ponedal, sam.ponedal@silabs.com
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