In the highly competitive world of wireless product development, staying ahead of your rivals requires more than a good idea and an effective product strategy. Wireless IoT developers face numerous additional challenges including tight development schedules, budget constraints, and the need to get products to market in a timely fashion.
As well as juggling these challenges, developers also need to keep on top of the latest hardware and software solutions, including newly introduced and rapidly evolving wireless protocols. Keeping up with the technology is essential, as it directly impacts product performance and interoperability. In addition to understanding wireless protocols, developers must be proficient with toolchains, the relevant software development kit (SDK), its workflow, and its application programming interfaces (APIs) to efficiently implement wireless protocols into their applications. For large and small businesses alike, this can be a significant obstacle to a successful and timely product launch.
For businesses of any size, the ability to leverage existing resources and expertise is essential to overcome these obstacles, which is why chipmakers must be more than just innovators in low-power wireless technology, but also education leaders for the community of wireless IoT developers. High-quality educational resources not only show engineers how wireless solutions can power innovative applications, they also show them how to build those applications as part of a fast and efficient product development schedule.
Interactive online learning
For its part, Nordic Semiconductor provides developers working with its wireless solutions a range of educational resources to support its hardware and software offering. Nordic Developer Academy (DevAcademy) - an interactive online learning platform - helps developers by providing both essential technical theory and in-depth, hands-on practical training in one place. The self-paced DevAcademy courses ensure developers stay up-to-date with the latest advances while gaining the necessary skills to accelerate their development process and bring high-quality products to market faster.
DevAcademy currently has over 17,000 users enrolled across five different courses, and has issued more than 7,000 certificates. For developers new to Nordic SoCs and SiPs, among the lowest power wireless chips on the market, especially those transitioning from ‘bare-metal’ firmware development, DevAcademy is an invaluable resource.
The platform is designed to equip developers with the knowledge and skills needed to build tomorrow’s cutting-edge wireless products using Nordic’s solutions.
DevAcademy offers step-by-step guidance through the fundamentals of firmware development using the nRF Connect SDK (a comprehensive, modular and scalable SDK for building IoT applications) and Zephyr RTOS (a highly configurable real-time operating system for connected, resource-constrained and embedded devices) –in the nRF Connect SDK Fundamentals course.
Additionally, it provides tailored learning paths for key technologies like Bluetooth LE, cellular, and Wi-Fi, ensuring developers gain practical, hands-on experience. These resources help developers accelerate their learning and significantly reduce ‘onboarding’ time.
DevAcademy remains valuable even for those already familiar with Zephyr RTOS and the SDK. For example, if a developer wants to implement device firmware upgrade (DFU)/firmware over the air (FOTA) updates in their project, they can access the module that focuses on this specific topic.
For new engineers, learning through DevAcademy means reduced onboarding time as structured learning paths ease the transition into professional development, while real-world problem-solving exercises help them become job-ready faster. For the industry itself, the benefits include faster development cycles as hands-on guidance accelerates learning, leading to more rapid innovation. A well-trained developer community also strengthens industry standards and ecosystem compatibility.
Getting answers to technical questions
Needless to say, during the development process for a wireless product, problems will arise. For the developer this is not only frustrating but also threatens to jeopardise time-to-market deadlines. These problems need quick answers, which is why Nordic’s support for developers extends beyond the DevAcademy to on-hand technical support through the Nordic DevZone platform, where a team of dedicated engineers and developers assist customers with specific software and hardware-related issues.
With over 113,000 open discussions and counting, the DevZone forum provides a powerful resource for developers encountering any technical challenges at any stage of the development process.
DevZone also serves as a community and blog platform, making it the go-to place for technical questions about Nordic products. Here developers can expect quick answers to specific design questions regardless of the size of their company or project.
Enabling advanced Bluetooth LE projects
For developers, both DevZone and DevAcademy are powerful resources for working with Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity. And, as Nordic continues to innovate, for example the recent launch of its nRF54L Series, providing greater compute power and increased memory so the company in tandem ensures developers have the necessary learning tools to make the most of its technology to build their advanced Bluetooth LE projects. The nRF Connect SDK Fundamentals and Bluetooth Low Energy Fundamentals courses in the DevAcademy, for example, mean developers can immediately prepare to work with the nRF54L15 SoC. These courses have enrolled more than 15,000 developers and provide more than 20 hours of in-depth training.
Through the nRF Connect SDK Fundamentals course, users learn how to develop rich portable RTOS-based applications to power their next future-proof IoT product. The course focuses on learning the essentials of firmware development using the highly extensible and feature-rich nRF Connect SDK.
Meanwhile, the Bluetooth Low Energy Fundamentals course focuses on teaching the basics of Bluetooth LE using Nordic Semiconductor devices across the nRF54, nRF53, and nRF52 Series. Through hands-on learning, participants learn how to create a Bluetooth LE prototype and establish a wireless, unidirectional, and bidirectional data channel between two Bluetooth LE devices in short order.
Overall, the key benefits of using Nordic’s resources are accelerated learning curves, practical know-how, and the ability to quickly solve project-related challenges with tailored guidance. Nordic is deeply committed to being developer-oriented, providing the tools, support, and resources necessary for success. Prospective developers are well advised to leverage these resources to enhance their knowledge and gain hands-on experience, allowing them to maximize the potential of wireless connectivity such as Bluetooth LE in their projects.
360-degree learning
What may be right for one, may not be right for another, so Nordic’s aim is to provide a holistic, 360-degree approach to education, if Nordic DevAcademy and DevZone don’t provide the answer then webinars might, covering various topics, including technology introductions, training, and new SDK features. Customers can ask questions in real time during live webinars, as well as enjoy access to past webinars on demand.
Alternatively Nordic also offers learning resources through YouTube tutorials, such as the ‘nRF Connect SDK Hands-on’ video series, which caters to audiences who prefer video content. Throughout the series, participants build a Bluetooth LE application step-by-step, starting with adding both simulated and real sensors and retrieving their data wirelessly through Bluetooth LE. Nordic even organizes Nordic Tech Tours, where its experts visit various cities to showcase Nordic solutions, network with both existing and potential customers, and address IoT development questions.
The message is this. Product developers and wireless innovators, you are not on your own. If you need help and support from your chosen chipmaker, ask for it and expect it.
Author details: Ali Aljaani is a Course developer – Nordic Developer Academy, Nordic Semiconductor
