STM32WB Bluetooth and ZigBee Mesh Webinar Part2

[Paolo SCANNIFFIO]

Thanks for your participation to the STM32WB Bluetooth and ZigBee Mesh Webinar .

Recording of the session is here.

Following is a collection of questions received during the Q&A session we were unable to answer in real time due to time constrains.

For deep technical questions not addressed here we encourage to describe your problem in our support request form and we will reply to you as quickly as possible.

In addition, ST promote MOOCs Massive Open Online Courses where you can learn through video series

Q&A PART2.  (Q&A PART 1 ; Q&A PART3)

[Q] What about Nucleo and Discovery evaluation boards?

[A] Currently multiple development boards are available for STM32WB - P-NUCLEO-WB55

(containing NUCLEO-WB55RG and dongle), a Nucleo based on STM32WB15 NUCLEO-WB15CC

and discovery board based on STM32WB5MMG - module with integrated antenna and crystals and some passive components STM32WB5MM-DK

[Q] Is FUS ( Firmware Upgrade Services) already preloaded in WB55?

[A] Yes, delivered samples already have FUS. But most probably not up to date version and we recommend update FUS to update its version as soon as you get new samples.

Instruction how to upgrade FUS are available into the Release Note on the STM32CubeWB SDK

[Q] Are there any Zigbee products on the market already?

[A] Yes, Zigbee is used in plenty systems already by many famous brands, Google can give you lot of results

[Q] What are the typical applications Zigbee can work in?

[A] Building automation (light control / security / HVAC systems), sensor networks, asset tracking, consumer electronics (remote controls / gaming consoles), healthcare (fitness / disease monitoring) and many more.

[Q] What are the main differences between Bluetooth LE and Zigbee Mesh?

[A]

1- Bluetooth LE Mesh is a managed flooding Mesh while Zigbee is a routed Mesh meaning each packet travel the network from point of origin to point of destination following an established / optimized and self-healing path

2-throughput: Bluetooth LE uses Advertising to transfer messages which are using a 1Mbps PHY while Zigbee uses 802.15.4 PHY at 250Kbps

3-range: BLE can typically reach distances in the range of 10m while ZigBee can reach higher distances in the range of 70 - 100m Line of sight . This is due to the bandwidth and modulation scheme adopted.

4-interference avoidance: Bluetooth LE Mesh uses 3 Advertisement channels crowded by any other BLE peripheral in the range while ZigBee uses a dynamic channel selection

just to mention few …

[Q] Does STM32WB1x support ZigBee Mesh?

[A] STM32WB5x and 3x support 802.11.4 MAC & PHY hence only on that Product Line you can execute ZigBee Mesh.

[Q] What are the main differences between STM32WBx5 and STM32WBx0?

[A] STM32WBx0 is the value line with feature set tailored to address a cost saving, while STM32WBx5 is the full featured version of that product line.

For a deep dive visit the STM32WB Series web page

[Q] What is Matter? it will be supported on STM32WB Series?

[A] Matter a new Working Group within the CSA (Connectivity Standards Alliance ) formerly called CHIP ( Project Connected Home over IP )- which is a proprietary, royalty-free home automation connectivity standard

Matter is based on Internet Protocol (IP) and aims to reduce the fragmentation across different vendors and achieve interoperability among smart home devices and Internet of things (IoT) platforms from different providers.

Matter first official spec is released in Q222.

ST are fully engaged with this new opportunity and we will show our first Matter release at EW22

[Q] Does STM32WB Series have USB host support?

[A] STM32WB series is supporting USB 2.0 FS Device configuration. This is available on STM32WB55x and STM32WB35x

[Q] Is It possible through the STM32WB USB dongle connect to the STM32WB Nucleo to retrieve data transmitted, as for example a temperature sensor or an accelerometer?

[A] Yes, you can find examples for such configuration in STM32WB project repository or on ST GitHub

[Q] Can you give us an idea of the power consumption for a standard LP node, relay node and proxy node?

[A] Consumption will be dependent on the target behavior

[Q] Was Bluetooth LE Mesh already tested? what effective throughput was reached?

[A] Yes, we tested BLE mesh with the aim to test coverage rather than Throughput. Throughput on a managed flooding network is affected by so many factors depending on the real environment that make any statement is hard to be managed.

[Q] Is ST planning to apply to this STM32WB Series also Zigbee 868mhz radio?

[A] STM32WBx focuses on 2.4Ghz

[Q] Can we use both Bluetooth LE and Zigbee at the "same time" in an application?

[A] This is possible when running BLE+Zigbee static/dynamic concurrent mode. On STM32CubeWB SDK you can already find examples.

[Q] Is the STM32WB USB dongle available separately?

[A] No, only together with Nucleo board on the box P-NUCLEO-WB55. As Nucleo board was more appreciated by developers, you can get only STM32WB55 Nucleo separately without dongle.

[Q] Does ST have a plan to develop a module with higher Tx power and Rx sensitivity?

[A] STM32WBx modules have a max outpower of +6dBm, Next gen will have higher output power

[Q] What is maximum distance between Bluetooth LE mesh nodes?

[A] The maximum achievable distance is the same as for Bluetooth LE itself, so dependent on the output power, sensitivity, occupation of the band and other environmental conditions, it can range from few meters up to few tens of meters.

[Q] Does ST have plan to perform a presentation on how to build a whole new project starting from scratch?

[A] Yes, we are working on a new platform to provide a better and quicker access to all the collaterals about STM32WB. On this new video / hands on / tutorial series we have also added a Getting Started Guide and a "from unboxing to my first project" tutorial. When the link to the new page is ready it will be added here.  

[Remi QUINTIN]

Hi Paolo

Thanks for this MOOC and FAQs!