The FiRa Consortium (FiRa) is a non-profit organization that promotes the use of
Ultra-wideband
Ultra-wideband (UWB, ultra wideband, ultra-wide band and ultraband) is a radio technology that can use a very low energy level for short-range, high-bandwidth communications over a large portion of the radio spectrum. UWB has traditional applicati ...
technology for use cases such as access control, location-based services, and device-to-device services. UWB offers fine ranging and secure capabilities and operates in the available 6–9 GHz spectrum. Founded on August 1st 2019 by ASSA ABLOY, Bosch, HID Global, NXP Semiconductors, and Samsung, the consortium aims to certify UWB products for conformity to defined standards of
interoperability
Interoperability is a characteristic of a product or system to work with other products or systems. While the term was initially defined for information technology or systems engineering services to allow for information exchange, a broader defi ...
. In June 2020, the FiRa Consortium and the UWB Alliance announced their formal liaison to "accelerate the development and adoption of UWB technology".
Association with IEEE 802.15.4
The FiRa Consortium builds on to the
IEEE 802.15.4
IEEE 802.15.4 is a technical standard which defines the operation of a low-rate wireless personal area network (LR-WPAN). It specifies the physical layer and media access control for LR-WPANs, and is maintained by the IEEE 802.15 working group, ...
/4z and future iterations and enhancements High Rate PHY (HRP) with an interoperable HRP standard that includes performance requirements, test methods and procedures, and a certification program based on the IEEE’s profiled features. An additional application layer is designed to discover UWB devices and services and configure them in an interoperable manner . Furthermore, FiRa plans to develop service-specific protocols for multiple verticals that leverage access control, location-based services, and device-to-device services.
Members
FiRa’s key stakeholders include chip manufacturers, device manufacturers, system integrators, service providers, technology provider, test tool developers, and test labs. Following the initial sponsor members, the ASSA ABLOY Group (
HID Global
HID Global is an American manufacturer of secure identity products. The company is an independent brand of Assa Abloy, a Swedish door and access control conglomerate. Björn Lidefelt was appointed CEO on 27 January 2020. He succeeded Stefan Wid ...
),
NXP Semiconductors,
Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (, sometimes shortened to SEC and stylized as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean multinational electronics corporation headquartered in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, South Korea. It is the pinnacle of the Samsung chaebol, a ...
, and Bosch, the FiRa Consortium counts more than 100 members in seven different membership categories.
FiRa Certification
In May 2020, the FiRa Consortium has released their first technical requirement specifications for the UWB PHY and MAC layers. Both specifications are based on the High Rate Pulse (HRP) portion of the IEEE 802.15.4-2015 technical specification and 802.15.4z/D8 draft amendment for fine-ranging UWB technology. The UWB MAC Technical Requirements defines elements such as how ranging protocol works, types of ranging that are supported, the parameters and format of the messages that are exchanged, and how ranging messages are encrypted. Similarly, the PHY Technical Requirements Specification document leverages select portions of the IEEE specification to facilitate interoperability between FiRa Consortium Certified UWB-enabled products. In October 2021, the FiRa Consortium launched the initial phase of its certification program which is centered around MAC/PHY conformance testing.
The FiRa Certified™ mark helps to identify interoperable UWB devices. It can only be used once a device has successfully completed the FiRa Device Certification Process performed by an independent Authorized Test Laboratory (ATLs).
See also
*
Ultra-wideband
Ultra-wideband (UWB, ultra wideband, ultra-wide band and ultraband) is a radio technology that can use a very low energy level for short-range, high-bandwidth communications over a large portion of the radio spectrum. UWB has traditional applicati ...
*
802.15.4
References
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Organizations based in Oregon
Interoperable communications
Standards organizations in the United States