This Week in Bluetooth & UWB

May 1, 2026

In This Issue

→ An nRF52840 dev board with LoRa + GNSS
→ Aliro lands on Dreame's new smart lock
→ TfL plans Auracast trial on buses
→ Wiliot lands $75M from Avery
→ Aqara U400 brings UWB unlock

What I'm Working On

Bluetooth LE Unplugged is the hands-on course that teaches the protocol through AT commands with two USB dongles shipped to your door. 96 lessons across 15 modules. No SDK, no toolchain, no barriers — you start sending GAP and GATT operations from the terminal on day one.

Want a peek first? Preview the curriculum and sample lessons →

Heltec Mesh Node T096 adopts nRF52840 platform with integrated LoRa and GNSS

LinuxGizmos

Heltec has introduced the Mesh Node T096, a compact development board that integrates Bluetooth, LoRa, and GNSS connectivity. The design is based on the nRF52840 SoC, which incorporates a 64 MHz Arm Cortex-M4 processor with floating point support. The device supports multiple wireless protocols, including Bluetooth LE, Bluetooth Mesh, Thread, Zigbee, and 2.4 GHz proprietary stacks, allowing concurrent protocol operation. Long-range communication is handled by the SX1262 LoRa transceiver with an integrated power amplifier, offering up to 28±1 dBm transmit power.

Dreame's Next Smart Lock Packs a 3K Doorbell Camera and Aliro Support

Gizmodo

Smart lock features have crossed an important threshold, thanks to the Aliro digital key standard from the industry group behind the universal smart home standard Matter. At its NEXT event in San Francisco, Dreame announced the Riponex X10 Ultra Smart Lock, an Aliro-compatible smart lock and video doorbell combo. That Aliro support means that the Riponex X10 Ultra will let any smartphone that uses the standard unlock it via NFC with a simple tap. The smart lock also offers hands-free unlocking, although it's GPS-based rather than using UWB.

Transport for London 'planning' Auracast trial on buses

Liam O'Dell

Transport for London (TfL) is looking to trial Bluetooth's Auracast technology on its buses, Liam O'Dell can reveal. Unlike standard Bluetooth pairing, Auracast allows for an unlimited amount of receiver devices – such as compatible hearing aids, earbuds and headphones – to connect to a single audio stream. The technology has already been used in venues such as Frankfurt Airport, the Sydney Opera House and London's National Theatre, with Auri transmitters installed and piloted at Bristol Temple Meads last year.

Govia Thameslink Railway confirms Auracast installation at Brighton station

Liam O'Dell

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) – which runs trains under the Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Thameslink and Southern brands – has confirmed it has installed Bluetooth's Auracast technology at its Brighton station, ahead of a public pilot. Within the UK rail industry, Auri transmitters were installed at Bristol Temple Meads station in July, in what was believed to be the first time that Auracast was used in a UK train station. More than a million venues will offer "inclusive listening experiences" using Auracast by 2029, according to a report published by Bluetooth in May last year.

Avery Dennison takes $75 million stake in Wiliot

DC Velocity

Avery Dennison Corp., the digital identification solutions vendor, today said it had made a $75 million minority investment in Wiliot, a provider of passive Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) sensors for supply chain inventory visibility. The deal comes six months after Walmart named Avery Dennison to expand the use of RFID in fresh food applications, and nine months after Walmart picked Wiliot to deploy "ambient internet of things (IOT)" sensors across its supply chain. As part of this deepened relationship, Avery Dennison will serve as the preferred inlay design, manufacturing, and commercial partner for Wiliot.

First smart lock with Apple Home Key and Ultra Wideband ships

9to5Mac

Apple Home also benefited from the recent arrival of the first smart lock that supports Apple Home Key and Ultra Wideband (UWB). That product is the Aqara Smart Lock U400 — clearly, Aqara is going all-in on Apple integrations. Apple Home Key is set up in the Home app for your smart lock, allowing you to easily lock and unlock your door and share access with guests. The especially great thing about Aqara's U400 is that Ultra Wideband feature, though. UWB means your door can automatically lock and unlock based on your presence alone. And it's far more precise, secure, and reliable than alternatives.