Persistent Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Firmware

BLE seems simple. It is not. We debugged connections that worked fine at 2 meters and did not work at 3.

Fixed pairing issues which happened only on Samsung phones. We've now optimized the advertising intervals, and your battery lasts 18 months instead of 6.

What we provide:

• Full spec-compliant GATT server/client implementations
• Custom services/features, no disruption of standard profiles
• Properly configured secure pairing (Just Works, Passkey, OOB)
• Multi-connection support (yes, even when all of your devices are connecting at the same time)
• Connection parameter updates that are compatible with iOS and Android quirks.

Real-life example:

We had a medical wearable client that came to us after their previous developer was struggling with BLE disconnections for four months.

Their device would drop the link like clockwork every 47 seconds. It took us three days to find the problem. A mismatch of the connection supervision timeout that wasn't documented in example code from Silicon Labs. Fixed it. Device remains connected for hours.

Zigbee & Thread Mesh Firmware

Mesh networking separates the pros from the amateurs. Anyone can make two devices talk. You want fifty devices to create a self-healing network that can cope with node failures? That's the knowledge.

Our Zigbee skills are:

• Coordinator, router and end device implementations
• Custom ZCL clusters for proprietary functionality
• Successful Touchlink commissioning
• Green Power integration Energy Harvesting devices
• Mesh wide Firmware Over-the-Air (OTA) updates

Thread (OpenThread):

• Integration with border routers (we've used Silicon Labs' RCP designs)
• Matter bridging (because Matter doesn't replace everything yet)
• Optimization of low power sleepy end device

Multiprotocol Firmware (BLE + Zigbee/Thread Simultaneously)

This is the advanced stuff. Newer EFR32 parts (Series 2, specifically the MG24) can run BLE and 802.15.4 protocols concurrently. Dynamic multiprotocol. It's powerful. It's also a debugging nightmare if you don't know what you're doing.

We've built devices that:

• Advertise BLE for phone configuration while participating in a Zigbee network
• Use BLE for commissioning, then switch to Thread for normal operation
• Run Matter over Thread with BLE for initial device setup

The secret sauce: Dynamic multiprotocol works when you understand the radio scheduler. We do.

Low-Power Optimization (The Real Kind)

Silicon Labs datasheets claim microamps in sleep mode. Achieving those numbers in a real product? Different story.

We've taken devices from 800µA average draw down to 12µA. Without sacrificing functionality. Here's what that actually involves:

• EM2 vs EM3 sleep mode selection (EM2 is deeper but requires more wakeup planning)
• Peripheral Reflex System (PRS) configuration for autonomous operation
• Proper clock management (that low-frequency RC oscillator isn't always stable)
• ADC sampling optimized to run, collect data, and power down in milliseconds
• RAM retention sizing (keeping only what you actually need)

Real numbers from a recent project:

A door/window sensor that originally lasted 4 months on two AA batteries. After our firmware optimization? 22 months. Same hardware. Same battery. Just better firmware.

Bootloaders & OTA Updates

Field updates are a must-have for connected products. But they are also where devices get bricked.

We implement the Gecko Bootloader (standalone and application versions) from Silicon Labs with:

• Signed images with ECC or RSA (unsigned updates are asking for trouble)
• Two-image storage (so failed update rolls back automatically)
• Verified secure jump before booting.
• Recovery modes when things go wrong
• OTA updates in the background that don't block device operation

Important lesson learned the hard way: Always test update reliability at low battery voltage. Always. The number of bootloaders that run just fine at 3.0V, and fail at 2.4V, is staggering.

Sub-GHz Wireless Firmware Development

The wireless technologies in the Sub-GHz bands (169, 433, 868 and 915 MHz) have superior range and wall penetration characteristics compared to the use of 2.4 GHz. The EFR32FG family of IC's and the Silicon Labs proprietary Flex SDK will allow us to develop:

• Custom proprietary protocols using the Sub-GHz frequencies.
• To enable the development of long range sensor networks used for Agriculture, Utilities, and Industrial Monitoring.
• To provide star and mesh topologies using Sub-GHz frequencies.
• Firmware implementing the Wi-SUN FAN protocol for Smart Meter Infrastructure.
• To provide an abstraction of the radio for RAIL-based custom modulation.
• To provide duty cycle management to comply with ETSI EN 300 220 and FCC Part 15.