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NIOT-E-TPI51-EN-RE/NFLD/PNS BLE 4.1 or 4.2? - Printable Version

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NIOT-E-TPI51-EN-RE/NFLD/PNS BLE 4.1 or 4.2? - IngFu - January-25th-2021

Hi,

the technical data of the NIOT-E-TPI51-EN-RE/NFLD state Bluetooth 4.2 support.
However, the RPi 3B with the same RF-Module BCM43438 only has 4.1 support.

Does the NIOT-E-TPI51-EN-RE/NFLD indeed has 4.2 support?

Cheers


RE: NIOT-E-TPI51-EN-RE/NFLD/PNS BLE 4.1 or 4.2? - Armin@netPI - January-25th-2021

Yes this is correct and is a typo ... data sheet is about to be corrected and technical data on the web site will be updates soon to 4.1.
Thx for the hint anyway.

Armin


RE: NIOT-E-TPI51-EN-RE/NFLD/PNS BLE 4.1 or 4.2? - IngFu - January-25th-2021

Just to be clear, it does NOT have 4.2 support?
We definitely need 4.2 support and have just placed an order - which we have to cancel without 4.2 support.


RE: NIOT-E-TPI51-EN-RE/NFLD/PNS BLE 4.1 or 4.2? - Armin@netPI - January-25th-2021

No you have to cancel the order. It has bluetoohth 4.1 support only.

It very latest datasheets like this one here https://www.cypress.com/file/298076/download you find that very latest version of BCM43438 chips are also support BT up to specification 5.1. But this is NOT the version of chip that is populated on NIOT-E-TPI51-EN-RE/NFLD.

The NIOT-E-TPI51-EN-RE/NFLD can support BT 4.1 only.

I am sorry for this confusion and for the circumstances

Thx
Armin


RE: NIOT-E-TPI51-EN-RE/NFLD/PNS BLE 4.1 or 4.2? - IngFu - January-25th-2021

Ok, thanks for Your response, I will have the order cancelled.

I think it is unusual for new revisions of a chip to support newer BT specifications, such a thing is not usually added under the same chip label.
Are You sure, that it is not just a new firmware?


RE: NIOT-E-TPI51-EN-RE/NFLD/PNS BLE 4.1 or 4.2? - Armin@netPI - January-25th-2021

Well I never tried using a different firmware other than this one here https://github.com/OpenELEC/misc-firmware/raw/master/firmware/brcm/BCM43430A1.hcd for initializing chip. Maybe there is indeed a newer one available somewher else. I am pretty sure you will not find any further information in this local Hilscher forum but more in the official Raspberry Pi forums.

I agree to you that it sounds weird that a chip with the same name just with a new datasheet instantly supports a BT spec of a higher version. I could indeed just a matter of software.

Since the BT chip is empty at boot times, it needs indeed an initialization with a software package using the Linux command "hciattach". Since Hilsher uses the very same schematics as the original Raspberry PI 3B, the Hilscher device will support all BT functions that are supported just by upgrading to a higher firmware version.


RE: NIOT-E-TPI51-EN-RE/NFLD/PNS BLE 4.1 or 4.2? - Armin@netPI - January-27th-2021

We updated the web site under www.hilscher to have the typo 4.2 turned into 4.1 right now.


RE: NIOT-E-TPI51-EN-RE/NFLD/PNS BLE 4.1 or 4.2? - MGharat - February-8th-2021

Dear Armin,

will this support BLE mesh? i.e multiple client connections?

BR
Madhumati


RE: NIOT-E-TPI51-EN-RE/NFLD/PNS BLE 4.1 or 4.2? - Armin@netPI - February-8th-2021

There is no experience with BT at Hilscher at all. There were no demands for it, so noone can tell. The only thing we can tell is that there are two containers available that enables the onboard BT chip controller with BT 4.1 support:
But these containers are just enabling the BT chip for sending and receiving raw data ... but the applications need to be programmed on top of BT chipĀ for both of the containers to establish a bi-directional communication.

All I can say is that netFIELD Connect gateway uses the same schematics as the Raspberry Pi 3B, so all informations you find on the Internet about meshing for example are also alid for netFIELD connect. For example I found a post of standard Raspberry Pi 3B user https://makersportal.com/blog/2017/12/31/using-raspberry-pi-hm-10-and-bluepy-to-develop-an-ibeacon-mesh-network-part-1 who wrote that he was doing meshing. But to be honest I do not know if this is valid information and if it works reallly ... I have no experiences at all with BT. Maybe there are other posts on the internet taking care of BT and meshing and multiple connectios.

I am sorry I cannot help more than that.


RE: NIOT-E-TPI51-EN-RE/NFLD/PNS BLE 4.1 or 4.2? - MGharat - February-8th-2021

Ok thanks Armin for information.
we will talk with our customer accordingly.

BR
Madhumati