Sierra Wireless is shipping a Linux software development kit (SDK) for its
3G wireless modules. The Linux SDK supports its HSPA- and EV-DO Rev-compatible modems, says the company, which also announced it was acquiring
embedded wireless vendor Wavecom.
The
Sierra Wireless Linux SDK is available to both OEMs and independent software vendors that are developing connection managers for network operators, says the company. The SDK is said to support application development on a wide range of
Sierra Wireless adapter products that work with CDMA and UMTS
wireless networks, including most recent "AirCard" PC card modems (pictured above), ExpressCard modems (pictured below), "Compass" USB modems, and MCx-class
embedded PCI-Express Mini Card modems, such as the MC8792V model shown below. Target applications are said to include portable devices, machine-to-machine (M2M) systems,
fixed wireless terminals, vending machines, and fleet management systems, says
Sierra Wireless.
The
Linux SDK includes a general Application Programming Interface (API), as well as "access to" the
Sierra Wireless Command and Status (CnS) API, says
Sierra Wireless. The latter includes commands for voice, SMS, and data connections, enabling lower power consumption by comparison with using AT commands, claims the company.
According to a company spokesperson, the
Linux SDK has been built, tested, and verified based on Ubuntu- and Debian Sarge-based reference designs. X86 platforms are supported with Ubuntu 8.04, and require 256MB RAM and 3GB of available storage. ARM9 "and other
embedded processors" are supported with the Technologic Systems TS-7800 platform, running a
Debian Sarge Linux 2.6 distribution, said the
Sierra Wireless representative.
The SDK is offered under a "fairly standard"
Sierra Wireless license that restricts use to
Sierra Wireless products only, and allows for "redistribution with another product that includes the
Sierra Wireless product," said the spokesperson. A
Linux driver, meanwhile, has already been available as an open source download on kernel.org. Previous
Sierra Wireless SDKs have been developed for Windows platforms, including Windows CE and Windows Mobile.
Last week, Vancouver, Canada-based
Sierra Wireless announced it had signed an agreement to acquire Paris, France-based Wavecom for 218 million Euros (about $277 million US). Wavecom manufactures
embedded wireless technology for M2M applications, strengthening
Sierra Wireless's hand in
embedded devices while also improving its customer reach in Europe and Asia, says the company.
The
Sierra Wireless Linux SDK is available now, free of charge to qualified customers, says the company.
Sierra Wireless on Wednesday released a pair of HSPA mobile broadband network ExpressCard modems, the AirCard 501 and 502. Either has the potential to download data at up to 7.2Mbps and upload at 5.76Mbps and sport internal antennas with no moving parts, which extend just over an inch from a notebook. The AirCard 502 is designed for use in the European market, as it operates on the 900MHz, 1,900MHz and 2,100MHz UMTS bands, while the AirCard 501 supports North America with 850MHz, 1,900MHz and 2,100MHz bands.
