First energy-harvesting wireless modules for 2.4GHz BLE systems

EnOcean has introduced its first energy-harvesting wireless modules for 2.4GHz BLE systems. The new modules complement the company's existing wireless technology on the sub-1GHz band and ZigBee wireless products on the 2.4GHz frequency band. The first product in the EnOcean 2.4GHz BLE portfolio is the batteryless PTM 215B switch module, now comes with NFC functionality, thereby making it easier to train and configure the switch. The PTM 215B is based on the established form factor of the PTM 21x module, invented by EnOcean, and can be integrated into a large number of existing switch designs. The switch is also available as a white label end product. EnOcean thus enables product manufacturers to develop reliable and self-powered solutions on the 2.4GHz frequency band for use in smart homes and modern light control all over the world, says the company. With the new 2.4GHz BLE module, the company's technology can now also be integrated into 2.4GHz Bluetooth systems. Like the existing ZigBee portfolio, the BLE-based products are also designed for the 2.4GHz frequency band. The company is thus responding to the latest market trends in lighting applications, since BLE-enabled solutions are gaining in importance, and now provides the right switches for BLE-based lighting systems. Manufacturers of BLE-based systems for the 2.4GHz band can now incorporate this energy-harvesting technology into their portfolios and develop batteryless, room-based wireless controllers. Due to the standardized PTM 21x form factor, switch manufacturers can easily integrate the new 2.4GHz module into their existing product ranges and use maintenance-free BLE systems that produce energy from motion. The first application has already been implemented by Inspired LED, says the company. "By adding a BLE-based wireless module to our portfolio, we have taken another important step toward fully networking devices in the Internet of Things (IoT)," said Wald Siskens, CEO, EnOcean. "As the worldwide leading supplier of energy harvesting wireless technology, EnOcean enables self-powered IoT applications to be developed for use in building automation, smart homes, LED light control and industrial applications." The first member of the 2.4 GHz BLE product family from EnOcean is a radio-based switch module with NFC functionality The radio-based PTM 215B switch module operates on the 2.4GHz band and is mechanically compatible with the form factor of the sub 1 GHz PTM 21x standard module. Switch manufacturers can therefore easily migrate to a wide range of switch designs. Now that NFC functionality has been integrated for the first time, the switch can be trained through direct contact with NFC-capable devices without any manual actuation. A large number of parameters can also be configured easily and automatically, permitting for example protocol data to be modified or additional information to be transmitted, such as group assignments. New devices can thus be quickly and easily integrated into existing systems, substantially reducing their susceptibility to faults. In addition to the radio-based switch module, the 2.4GHz BLE portfolio from EnOcean also includes white label end products: energy-harvesting wireless single-rocker (ESRP) and dual rocker (EDRP) switches for the American market. Solar-based sensor modules will be added to the switch module in 2017, including a door and window sensor, a temperature / moisture sensor and a light sensor, says the company.