Indian IoT design house CWD (Connected Wireless Devices) has developed a dual combo module incorporating Semtech’s LoRa Connect platform and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to optimise high data rate, long range wireless communication for IoT device connectivity.

The CBTLRM02 dual combo module can be used in smart utility meters and wearables with Semtech’s LoRa Connect SX1262 system on chip (SoC) for communication in the 150 to 960MHz bands for LoRa combined with BLE for the 2.4GHz ISM band.

This provides extended range at low power to enable a multitude of applications such as asset tracking, agriculture and horticulture sensors, and industrial automation. Additionally, by hosting the software stack and business logic on the board, the need for an external microcontroller unit (MCU) and external antennas are eliminated, reducing product costs.

“With the dual wireless capabilities of LoRaWan and BLE, the CWD module makes any IoT device extremely power efficient while also providing an extensively rich feature set,” said Siddhartha Xavier, chief strategy officer at CWD. “Our recent deployments have underscored the capabilities of LoRa devices, known for long range, low power, and LoRaWan for cost-effective end-to-end communication.”

The module is integrated in Atex certified smart ID cards that are deployed in hazardous work environments such as oil rigs, mines and construction sites where it is imperative to ensure employee safety. The easy-to-deploy devices track and monitor the mobility of employees at heights and depths over 2km and send SOS alerts when detecting potential emergency situations. The smart ID cards are also being rolled out in hospitals to track staff and patients.

“Hybrid solutions for IoT devices bring what once were considered competing technologies into a holistic offering that leverages the strengths of different connectivity protocols,” said Marc Pégulu, vice president at California-based Semtech. “Semtech’s LoRa Connect portfolio combined with complementary connectivity options, like BLE, provide customers with broader geographic coverage for asset tracking devices while making network deployments much less complicated.”

Semtech’s LoRa chip-to-cloud platform is a globally adopted long range, low power option for IoT applications, enabling the rapid development and deployment of long range, low power and cost IoT networks, gateways, sensors, modules and IoT services worldwide. Semtech’s LoRa technology provides the communication layer for the LoRaWan standard, which is maintained by the LoRa Alliance.

Established in 2016, CWD is an ICT company that designs, develops and sells integrated products that combine software and electronics. All products that are designed and developed in the company are focused on wireless technologies either on short range radio technologies such as NFC, BLE, LoRa, wifi and Zigbee or long-range communication systems such as 4G LTE, NB-IoT and Cat M1.