u-connectXpress Mesh for ANNA-B112 and NINA-B1 Series

Author: Stefan.Berggren@u-blox.com

Date: 15 February 2021

Document ID: UBX-21004569 C1-Public

General Information

Scope

This release note describes the u-connectXpress Mesh software for ANNA-B112 and NINA-B1 series modules.

Supported Hardware

Modules and Evaluation Kits Upgradeable to u-connectXpress Mesh

Product Name	Ordering Code	Type Number	Note
ANNA-B112	All	All	External low frequency clock (LFRC) is required
EVK-ANNA-B112C	All	All
EVK-ANNA-B112E	All	All
EVK-ANNA-B112U	All	All
NINA-B111	All	All
NINA-B112	All	All
EVK-NINA-B111	All	All
EVK-NINA-B112	All	All

Refer to the ANNA-B112 system integration manual [1] and the NINA-B1 system integration manual [2] for information about the software update procedure. Links: u-blox website.

Released Software Package

File	Description
ANNA-B112-2.1.0-MESH.zip	u-connectXpress Mesh software package for ANNA-B112
NINA-B11X-5.1.0-MESH.zip	u-connectXpress Mesh software package for NINA-B1 series

The software package is available for download from the ANNA-B112 u-connect software and NINA-B1 u-connect software web pages.

New Documentation

Bluetooth Mesh with u-connect software application note [3].

Support Tools

The PC support application s-center is available for download from the s-center evaluation software web page.

Features

The u-connectXpress Mesh software offers configuration and data interface using AT commands, implementing Bluetooth Mesh v1.0 in accordance with the Bluetooth SIG specification. The Bluetooth Mesh v1.0 specification enables many-to-many communication and operates on a flood network principle, as defined in the Mesh Profile and Mesh Model specifications by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG).

AT commands and events are available for the following functionalities:

Model creation, including Pre-defined Bluetooth SIG Models
Configuration and provisioning of Bluetooth Mesh nodes
Publishing of model data
Reception of status and model data

Supported types of Bluetooth Mesh node roles (can be combined):

Regular
Relay
GATT proxy node

For more information on using Bluetooth Mesh, consult the Bluetooth Mesh with u-connect software application note [3].

The software is also available for the NINA-B3 series modules, with different characteristics and capabilities:

Characteristics and Capabilities Comparison

	ANNA-B1 / NINA-B1	NINA-B3 (for reference)
Bluetooth Mesh
Maximum number of models created (using AT+UBTMMOD)	15	30
Maximum number of elements created (using AT+UBTMELM)	20	59
Maximum number of non-virtual addresses handled by mesh Device Manager (stored publish or subscribe addresses)	40	184
Other Functionality
Extended data mode (EDM)	Not available	Yes
Maximum number of Bluetooth Low Energy connections	3	8
Low frequency clock (LFCLK) selection for ANNA-B1	External only	N/A
I2C stream	Not available	Yes (as for standard u-connectXpress)
GPS decorator (I2C feature)	Not available	Yes (as for standard u-connectXpress)
Echo stream	Not available	Yes (as for standard u-connectXpress)
Fixed MTU size	69 in mesh mode (not possible to adjust)	69 in mesh mode (not possible to adjust)

Notes and Limitations

Known Limitations

Description: An external low frequency clock is required for ANNA-B112.

Note: The ANNA-B112 evaluation kit includes the low frequency clock.

References

[1] ANNA-B112 system integration manual, UBX-18009821
[2] NINA-B1 system integration manual, UBX-15026175
[3] Bluetooth Mesh with u-connect software application note, UBX-19025268

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