Enhance Security and Privacy for Bluetooth 5 Connections

December 4, 2019

Renesas Electronics Corporation, a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, introduced the RX23W – a 32-bit microcontroller (MCU) featuring Bluetooth 5.0 for IoT endpoint devices such as home appliances and healthcare equipment. By combining Bluetooth 5.0 with Renesas’ Trusted Secure IP on its popular high-performance RX MCU family, Renesas offers customers an optimized single-chip solution for system control and wireless communication, while also providing a more secure way to answer the Bluetooth security risks such as eavesdropping, tampering, and viruses.

“While devices with Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy is not new in the market, Renesas adds value for this ubiquitous wireless technology with a twist: strong emphasis on security and privacy,” said Daryl Khoo, Vice President, Product Marketing, IoT Platform Business Unit at Renesas Electronics Corporation. “The recent security concerns clearly shows that the Bluetooth implementations are getting more complex as more core use cases are defined, and there is a strong need to address better, more secure connections. Renesas believes applications deploying Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy capabilities will be complemented with our strength in hardware security, all within one MCU that can handle application, communication and security. I am very pleased that Renesas is well positioned to offer this with our flagship RX family which has a proven track record for reliability and safety.”

The new RX23W is based on Renesas’ RXv2 core, which provides outstanding computational performance with improved FPU and DSP functions and operates at a maximum clock frequency of 54 MHz. The RX23W provides full Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy support including long-range and mesh networking functions and achieves the industry’s lowest level reception mode peak power consumption at 3.0 mA. Furthermore, it integrates a rich set of peripheral functions that are indispensable for IoT equipment, including security, touch key, USB, and CAN functions. These functions allow the RX23W to implement both system control and Bluetooth wireless functions for IoT endpoint equipment such as home appliances, health care equipment, and sports and fitness equipment on a single chip. In addition, the RX23W’s Bluetooth mesh functions make it optimal for industrial IoT equipment collecting sensor data within a factory or a building.