NXP Accelerates Secure Ranging for IIoT with Bluetooth® Channel Sounding on MCX W72
MCX W72 wireless MCU and dedicated development boards help developers build accurate, attack-resistant distance measurement for asset tracking, access control and automation
NXP Semiconductors is enabling a new class of secure and accurate ranging applications for industrial IoT with its MCX W72 wireless MCU platform, featuring integrated Bluetooth® Channel Sounding (Bluetooth 6.0) and purpose-built hardware for rapid evaluation and prototyping.
In many IIoT environments, from secure asset tracking and automated warehouse operations to building automation and access control, distance measurements must be both precise and resilient against spoofing. Traditional Bluetooth ranging methods such as RSSI and AoA/AoD can be impacted by multipath and environmental conditions and may be vulnerable to signal manipulation attacks.
Bluetooth Channel Sounding takes a different approach by combining Round Trip Time (RTT) and Phase-Based Ranging (PBR) to deliver improved robustness and accuracy. RTT uses encrypted, time-stamped exchanges to provide secure coarse ranging, while PBR refines precision by measuring phase shifts in exchanged tones, delivering typical accuracy of ±0.5 meters in open-air environments.
Cross-validating RTT and PBR helps defend against relay and amplification attacks, supporting use cases where ranging directly impacts security, including smart locks and secure entry systems.
MCX W72: Channel Sounding performance built for real-world IIoT
Designed for industrial deployments, the MCX W72 combines Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) with multiprotocol support including Matter over Thread and Zigbee.
A key differentiator for Channel Sounding applications is a dedicated Localization Compute Engine (LCE) that accelerates positioning algorithms, running up to 10× faster than the main Arm® Cortex®-M33 core and reducing algorithm execution time by nearly 45%. This lowers ranging latency and power consumption, helping battery-powered devices deliver responsive, reliable distance measurements.
Security is addressed through the integrated EdgeLock® Secure Enclave Core Profile, isolating sensitive cryptographic operations such as key storage and trusted boot. The advanced Bluetooth LE radio also supports up to 24 simultaneous connections, enabling robust connectivity in complex IIoT networks where multiple devices coordinate communications and ranging sessions.
Rapid prototyping with dedicated hardware platforms
To help developers bring Channel Sounding into deployed systems faster, NXP provides two hardware options:
FRDM-MCXW72 Development Platform – A cost-effective board designed for quick evaluation and prototyping, with expansion options (Arduino headers, mikroBUS, Pmod), integrated debug capability, and flexible connectivity and measurement features.
MCXW72-LOC Localization Board – A purpose-built evaluation kit for Channel Sounding and localization, including dual antenna diversity to improve ranging accuracy, pre-programmed Channel Sounding demos, and extensive connectivity options for IIoT experimentation.
Both boards integrate with NXP’s development ecosystem, including the MCUXpresso SDK, Application Code Hub (ACH) and Expansion Board Hub (EHB), and leverage NXP algorithms that convert raw Channel Sounding measurements into distance estimates, reducing complexity for application developers.
Availability
MCX W72 is in production, and development boards are available now, allowing teams to begin prototyping immediately and prepare for production deployments.
Start building secure, accurate ranging applications with NXP’s MCX W72 platform today. Explore the FRDM-MCXW72 and MCXW72-LOC development boards to evaluate Bluetooth® Channel Sounding, accelerate prototyping, and move confidently toward production.
Want to discuss your specific ranging or localization use case? Get in contact to review requirements, and identify the right hardware, software and reference designs to speed up your development.
This release is based on the NXP Smarter World Blog article “Develop Secure and Accurate Ranging Applications with NXP’s MCX W72 Platform” by Miguel Reyes (December 16, 2025).