WICED -- Wireless Internet Connectivity for Embedded Devices

Broadcom's Wireless Internet Connectivity for Embedded Devices (WICED™) platform (pronounced "wik-id") eases development effort and simplifies the implementation of Internet connectivity in an array of consumer devices, especially those without existing support for networking.

Developers use the WICED platform to create secure wireless networking applications on a wide array of platforms encompassing Broadcom wireless connectivity technologies. The WICED platform encompasses:

• WICED™ Wi-Fi - a development system for Wi-Fi Connectivity
• WICED SMART™ - a development system for Bluetooth Smart (Bluetooth Low Energy) applications

Use the WICED Development System to create secure embedded wireless networking applications on an existing product microcontroller, or on an additional WICED module that includes a microcontroller. Either way, the comprehensive and size-optimized WICED application library and embedded Wi-Fi driver work together with a Broadcom® embedded wireless LAN chip to provide seamless wireless connectivity.

If you need ultra low power wireless, use the included WICED SmartBridge™ API to provide seamless data aggregation and internet connectivity for WICED Smart devices too!

WICED™ Wi-Fi Development Kits

Broadcom provides a WICED Software Development Kit and is working with partners to deliver turnkey hardware solutions to enable Wi-Fi connectivity.

WICED™ Wi-Fi Software Development Kit

The WICED SDK includes

• An open source build system and toolchain based on GNU make (native IAR support coming soon!).
• A GUI Development Environment based on Eclipse CDT that seamlessly integrates with a JTAG programmer and single-step, thread-aware debugger based on OpenOCD and gdb.
• A comprehensive software stack with a choice of several RTOS/TCP stack options includingThreadX/NetX, ThreadX/NetX Duo and FreeRTOS/LwIP.
• Advanced security and networking features such as SSL/TLS, IPv4/IPv6 networking, and mDNS (Bonjour) device discovery.
• Bluetooth Low Energy SmartBridge™ to connect Bluetooth Smart devices to Wi-Fi
• WICED Application Framework including bootloader, flash storage API, over-the-air (OTA) upgrades, factory reset, and system monitor.
• Simple out-of-box device setup using Apple-licensed MFi technology or via a web browser and softAP/webserver.
• Production ready sample applications.
• Lots of application snippets demonstrating how to use the rich WICED API feature set.
• Various test applications to aid manufacturing and certification.
• All documentation included inside the WICED SDK.

The WICED™ Wi-Fi SDK and Documentation can be downloaded here after completing the registration process.

BCM943362WCD4_EVB --- WICED™ Wi-Fi Evaluation Kits

 What is WICED?

• WICED™ is a development system that vastly reduces the effort required to add wireless connectivity to embedded devices.
  The SDK enables developers to quickly create network connected applications targeted for low-resource microcontrollers.

 What is included in the WICED™ SDK?

The WICED SDK includes :

• An open source build system and toolchain based on GNU make.
• A GUI IDE based on Eclipse CDT that seamlessly integrates with a programmer and single-step, thread-aware, debugger based on OpenOCD and gdb.
• A complete software stack that includes advanced security and networking features such as SSL/TLS, IPv4/IPv6 networking, and mDNS/Bonjour.
• Production ready example applications.

 Which Operating Systems does the SDK run on?

• The WICED SDK runs on all major operating systems including Windows®, Mac OS X and Linux.

 How much does the SDK cost?

• The SDK is available free when developing applications on microcontrollers connected to Broadcom Wi-Fi products.

 Which RTOS & Network Stacks are available with the SDK?

• Two options are available: a commercial option which is provided as linkable object files, and an open source option. Both options are free when used with microprocessors connected to a Broadcom Wi-Fi chip. The commercial option, ThreadX/NetXDuo from Express Logic, provides full IPv4 and IPv6 networking functionality. The open source option, FreeRTOS/LwiP only provides IPv4 networking functionality.

 What if I want to use a different RTOS or Network Stack?

• The WICED™ API abstracts the RTOS & networking stack in an attempt to avoid the need for developers to interact directly with these software components. The abstraction layer is written to minimize the effort required to port to other RTOS & Network Stacks if desired.

 Does the SDK support Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS)?

• Yes. WPS 1.0 and 2.0 are supported. The WPS supplicant runs on the microcontroller.

 How much Flash and RAM does my application need?

• Application resource requirements vary depending on networking and security features required by the application. Most applications require at least 512kB Flash memory and 64-128kB RAM.

 Where do I buy WICED™ evaluation boards?

• WICED™ modules and evaluation boards are available from Broadcom, ODMs and third-party distributors here.

 Does WICED™ support SSL/TLS security?

• Yes. WICED™ supports TLS up to version 1.1. Coupled with the included http client and http server modules, WICED™ supports full HTTPS encryption. The SSL/TLS supplicant runs on the microcontroller.

 Which Microcontrollers are supported by the SDK?

• The SDK supports a range of STM32 microprocessors from ST Microelectronics, the SAM4 series from Atmel and Kinetis K60 from Freescale. Support for microprocessors from additional vendors is in progress.

 Does the WICED™ SDK support a SEP2.0 stack?

• Yes. A SEP2.0 stack for WICED™ is available from one of Broadcom's partners. Please contact Broadcom sales to obtain further details.

 Does the WICED™ SDK support Wi-Fi Direct?

• Yes. The core features of Wi-Fi Direct (softAP, DHCP server and WPS) are available as part of the WICED™ SDK.

 Does the Wi-Fi security supplicant run on the microcontroller?

• No. The Wi-Fi security supplicant runs on the Broadcom Wi-Fi chip.

 Where do I get support?

• General support for the WICED Development System is available on the WICED forum.