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ST streamlines smart-home device integration with industry-first Matter NFC chip

Tue, Nov 25, 2025

ST has unveiled a secure NFC chip designed to make home networks faster and easier to install and scale, leveraging the latest Matter smart-home standard. ST’s ST25DA-C chip lets users add lighting, access control, security cameras, or any IoT device to their home network in one step by tapping their phone. The chip is the first commercial solution fulfilling newly published enhancements in Matter—the latest open-source standard now making smart home devices secure, reliable, and seamless to use.

“The integration of NFC-based onboarding in Matter 1.5 is a timely enhancement to the smart home experience. Our market-first ST25DA-C chip leverages this capability to simplify device commissioning through tap-to-pair functionality. This reduces setup complexity, especially for installations that are difficult to access, thanks to NFC-enabled battery-less connectivity. This aligns well with the broader momentum in the smart home market to serve consumers who increasingly prioritize ease of use, interoperability, and security. NFC-enabled Matter devices are positioned to play a key role in driving even greater adoption,” said David Richetto, Group VP, Division General Manager, Connected Security at STMicroelectronics.

“Matter is an important standard for the smart-home industry, enabling seamless communication across devices, mobile apps, and cloud services. Its primary benefit is simplifying technology for non-expert consumers, which could help accelerate adoption of connected devices. The new STMicroelectronics’ ST25DA-C secure NFC chip is one example of next generation chipset that supports this standard, providing device makers with tools to develop the next generation of smart-home products,” said Shobhit Srivastava, Senior Principal Analyst at Omdia.

The ST25DA-C secure NFC tag can operate cryptographic operations required for Matter device commissioning using energy harvesting from the RF field. This mechanism allows users to jump-start adding unpowered devices to the smart home network. It also simplifies the installation of multiple accessories in parallel.

st.com

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LightRanger 14 Click from MIKROE delivers high-precision distance and depth measurement

Mon, Nov 24, 2025

LightRanger 14 Click is a new optical sensor Click board from MIKROE. The compact Click add-on boards enable developers to rapidly provide proof-of-concept, then prototype and code new embedded projects. LightRanger 14 Click provides high-precision distance and depth measurement capabilities using direct time-of-flight (dToF) technology.

Comments Nebojsa Matic, CEO of MIKROE: “This new Click board is ideal for applications such as laser autofocus (LDAF), robotics, SLAM, gesture recognition, and people counting systems. It is part of our 100-strong family of optical sensor Click boards and over 800 projects – with working code – featuring the LightRanger 14 Click can be found on MIKROE’s embedded projects platform EmbeddedWiki.”

LightRanger 14 Click is based on the TMF8829, a high-performance multi-zone dToF sensor from ams OSRAM featuring integrated SPAD detection, time-to-digital conversion, and histogram processing. It supports configurable depth map resolutions of 8×8, 16×16, 32×32, and 48×32 zones, offering detection ranges from 10mm to 11.000mm with fine 0.25mm resolution and an 80° field of view. Equipped with an integrated VCSEL and multi-lens-array (MLA), it ensures uniform illumination and robust performance even under challenging optical conditions. The board features both I2C (I3C-compatible) and SPI interfaces and includes pins for control and interrupt signaling.

LightRanger 14 Click is a recent addition to MIKROE’s 1800-strong mikroBUS-enabled Click board family. The board also features the ClickID function which enables automatic identification by the host system, simplifying use. Devices can be used on any host system supporting the mikroBUS standard, and come with the mikroSDK open-source libraries, offering flexibility for evaluation and customisation.

www.mikroe.com

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Taoglas Expands Antenna Integrator Capabilities as AI-Assisted Design Gains Momentum

Fri, Nov 21, 2025

Taoglas has introduced new enhancements to its Antenna Integrator tool – part of the company’s AntennaXpert suite – adding greater design flexibility and collaboration features for engineers developing next-generation connected and IoT devices. The updates come as the artificial intelligence in the models learns, adapts and improves from ongoing real-life use cases.

The latest Antenna Integrator update adds nine new PCB shape templates – including circle, arc, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, L-shape, U-shape, stepped, and custom user-defined geometries – allowing engineers to model antenna placement on realistic board layouts. Users can also add rectangular and cylindrical metallic blocks to represent large components such as batteries or displays that affect antenna performance.

Additional features in this release include new export options (3D STEP, PDF, DXF, and JPG) to simplify collaboration between electrical and mechanical design teams, and three new antennas – NLA.01, DLA.01, and PCS.62 – expanding the tool’s library and design capabilities.

This update builds on enhancements introduced earlier this year, including added Ultra-Wideband (UWB) support and expanded performance data, as Taoglas continues to evolve the tool following its launch in late 2024.

Antenna Integrator enables engineers to visualise and optimise antenna performance early in the design process. Its intuitive interface and rapid reporting, typically within 24 hours, help reduce iterations and accelerate time to market.

www.taoglas.com

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Security platform from Kontron protects edge infrastructures and data paths

Thu, Nov 20, 2025

Kontron has introduced KontronAIShield, a highly integrated AI-powered security platform that covers both existing brownfield and new greenfield environments. The security platform combines classic approaches such as firewall appliances and virus scanners with modern AI support and intrusion detection mechanisms. It addresses scenarios in edge, embedded, and industrial environments.

The KontronAIShield Appliance (BoxPC with software) protects existing legacy systems as an upstream system by shielding them with a classic firewall solution. This function is enhanced by AI capabilities, allowing even encrypted traffic to be analysed. If anything malicious is detected, the connection is immediately blocked and the backend is notified, all without the installation and management of certificates. Ideal for systems with outdated operating systems that cannot be replaced quickly but need to be connected.

The KontronAIShield App acts as an AI-driven virus scanner and is available for all KontronOS systems. Unlike a virus scanner, which requires constant updates, the app is designed to monitor the behaviour of the system and detect any anomalies. Here, too, malicious behaviour is immediately blocked and the backend is notified.

“Traditional virus scanners and firewalls are no longer adequate protection in this age of automated, AI-supported cyberattacks,” explains Stefan Eberhardt, Business Development Manager at Kontron. “With KontronAIShield, we are establishing the next generation of security software on existing systems to equip them for current and future attacks.

Thanks to its modular architecture, KontronAIShield can be integrated into all systems supported by KontronOS. It is also available for third-party systems on a project basis.

The KontronAIShield appliance is available on selected Kontron hardware platforms for which it has been specially optimised. This eliminates the need for an additional AI accelerator.

kontron.com

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