Bluetooth Xpress Firmware Release Notes
Silicon Labs Bluetooth Xpress devices BGX13S and BGX13P contain firmware that can be updated. These signed and encrypted firmware updates can be pulled from Silicon Labs' server using the BGX Commander mobile app. More information about BGX Commander can be found at the following link:
https://docs.silabs.com/gecko-os/1/bgxhost/framework/latest/bgx-commander-overview
Your own mobile apps can also pull updates using the BGXpress framework, which is described at:
https://docs.silabs.com/gecko-os/1/bgxhost/framework/latest/index.
Factory Firmware Versions
The following tables shows the production firmware version per part number:
BGX13P22GA-V21/R
| Date Code | Version | Boot loader | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| before 1841 | 1.0.880.1 | 880 | Initial production |
| 1841 and later | 1.0.927.2 | 927 | Production update (PCN link) |
| 1909 and later | 1.0.927.2 | 1261 | Security update (PCN link) |
| 2006 and later | 1.2.2376.1 | 1261 | Maintenance Release |
BGX13P22GA-V31/R
| Date Code | Version | Boot loader | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| any | 1.2.2045.0 | 1261 | Initial production |
| 2006 and later | 1.2.2376.1 | 1261 | Maintenance Release |
BGX220P22HNA21
| Date Code | Version | Boot loader | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| any | 1.3.2482.0 | 2452 | Initial production |
BGX13S22GA-V21/R
| Date Code | Version | Boot loader | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| before 1909 | 1.0.927.1 | 927 | Initial production |
| 1909 and later | 1.0.927.2 | 1261 | Security update (PCN link) |
| 2006 and later | 1.2.2376.1 | 1261 | Maintenance Release |
BGX13S22GA-V31/R
| Date Code | Version | Boot loader | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| any | 1.2.2045.0 | 1261 | Initial production |
| 2006 and later | 1.2.2376.1 | 1261 | Maintenance Release |
BGX220S22HNA21
| Date Code | Version | Boot loader | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| any | 1.3.2653.2 | 2452 | Initial production |
Note: Firmware versions prior to 1.2.2045.0 are not supported on
BGX13S22GA-V31/R and BGX13P22GA-V31/R.
BGX Firmware Version vs. Silicon Labs BLE Stack version
Each version of Bluetooth Xpress firmware uses a specific version of the Silicon Labs BLE SDK.
| BGX Firmware | BLE SDK |
|---|---|
| 1.0.880.2 | 2.8.1 |
| 1.0.927.2 | 2.8.1 |
| 1.1.1524.0 | 2.10.1 |
| 1.2.2045.0 | 2.12.3 |
| 1.2.2376.0 | 2.12.3 |
| 1.3.2482.0 | 2.13.6 |
| 1.3.2653.2 | 2.13.7 |
End product qualification with the Bluetooth SIG requires presentation of the QDIDs associated with the Bluetooth components in the product being submitted. BLE SDK versions map to QDID values that can be found in QSG139 here. Please refer to that document for more information regarding SIG qualification.
The list below provides a summary of changes between firmware versions.
1.2.2738.2 (2021-04-01)
Bug fixes and improvements
| ID | Description |
|---|---|
| 777 | Set maximum bonding limit to 12. |
| 778 | Fixed issue where UART RTS pin did not assert after exiting sleep mode. |
1.3.2653.0 (2020-09-28)
Initial production release of BGX220S.
1.3.2482.0 (2020-06-07)
Initial production release of BGX220P.
1.2.2376.1 (2020-06-09)
New Features
| ID | Description |
|---|---|
| 408 | Add new values to "packet_type" parameter of "dtm" command: "ff", "00", "0f", "55". |
Bug fixes and improvements
| ID | Description |
|---|---|
| 395 | Modified how "save" command writes to flash storage. |
| 399 | Fixed issue where connection could hang when transmitting data at very high speeds. |
| 402 | Fixed issue where "Success\r\n" response to "uartu" command could be corrupted when baud rate is 4800 bps. |
| 405 | Fixed issue where full-duplex BLE data could cause connection to hang and timeout. |
| 406 | Fixed issue where a BLE disconnect could cause the UART to stop receiving data if the baud rate was at 9600 bps or lower. |
| 414 | Modest throughput improvement when "ce w m" = "noack". |
| 417 | Fixes issue where "con" command immediately failed with a "Timeout" response. |
| 709 | Fixes issue where in very rare cases an asynchronous event may cause a device reset when transitioning from sleep to active mode operation or during serial communication at 9600 baud or lower. |
1.2.2045.0 (2019-09-20)
New Features
| ID | Description |
|---|---|
| 1975 | Add Xpress connect feature: Adds new parameter "xpr" to "adv", "con", and "scan" commands. Adds "bl v x i" and "bl v x d" variables. |
| 1977 | Large improvement of "ack" write mode throughput. "ack" write mode now achieves throughput rates that are 90% - 95% the speed of "noack" write mode. |
| 2069 | Add new command "send". Sends data to the STREAM bus mode. |
| 2256 | Add new option "params" to "con" command to display connection parameters of an active connection. |
| 2262 | Add new variable "sy r p". Enables password protection for Remote Command Mode. |
| 2427 | Add I2C Master interface: Adds new commands "i2crd" and "i2cwr", new variable "i2 b s", and new GPIO functions "i2cm_scl" and "i2cm_sda". |
| 2429 | Add new user events: "hi_long", "hi_short", "lo_long", "lo_short", "any", "boot", "con", and "dct". |
| 2462 | Add optional RSSI threshold to "scan" command. |
| 2470 | Adds support for crystal-less operation on BGX13S-V3 hardware. |
| 2487 | Add new variable "sy o p". Enables password protection for Remote Command mode. |
| 2488 | Add new option "2" to "sy r e". Places Remote Command Mode in Restricted Mode. |
| 2515 | Add Service Changed Indication and GATT Caching features to the GATT database. |
Bug fixes and improvements
| ID | Description |
|---|---|
| 1972 | Multiple "ufu_level" user functions can be assigned to the same pin and event with "uevt". |
| 2234 | Improved reliability when establishing a connection between two BGX devices. |
| 2340 | Fixed issue where the response header to certain "get" commands could report an incorrect response data length. |
| 2446 | Adds a new field "sy i s" for advertising/connecting state. |
| 2448 | Increase number of user events to 8. |
| 2450 | Fixed issue where user function strings that contained quotation marks did not execute correctly. |
| 2473 | Remove "GATT Procedure Failed" Response Error Code. |
| 2522 | Fixed some radio reliability issues with low RSSI and transmit power settings. |
| 2558 | Fixed issue where device occasionally dropped a connection two seconds after connecting and bonding to a new device. |
1.1.1524.1 (2019-04-03)
Bug fixes and improvements
| ID | Description |
|---|---|
| 2217 | Previously received UART data is now flushed when switching modes. |
| 2221 | Fixed issue where device briefly (~30 ms) advertised after closing an active BLE connection due to a request to enter deep sleep mode. |
| 2229 | Console no longer accepts invalid characters as variable values and command parameters. |
| 2243 | Fixed issue where "scan" command response header could report an incorrect response data length. |
| 2244 | Fixed issue where UART could transmit an invalid character after reception of the "reboot" command. |
| 2304 | Fixed issue where acknowledged writes in the Central-to-Peripheral direction took twice as long to complete as acknowledged writes in the Peripheral-to-Central direction. |
| 2320 | Connect, advertise, and scan commands can be issued while device is in deep sleep mode. |
| 2327 | Fixed issue where con_status_led pin did not blink when device was in deep sleep mode. |
| 2343 | Fixed issue where under certain very high throughput data scenarios (2Mbps UART baud rate, 2M or 1M BLE PHY), the BLE connection could hang. |
| 2357 | Fixed issue where device would advertise while connected if the connection was established while it was in sleep mode. |
1.1.1229.0 (2019-01-14)
New Features
| ID | Description |
|---|---|
| 1967 | Add support for LE Coded PHY. |
| 2012 | Add new variable "bl p m" BLE Phy Multiplex. Enables advertising on both 1m and Coded PHY's. |
| 2117 | Add new variable "bl v p" BLE adVertising Preference. Selects default mode when automatically starting advertising. |
| 2137 | Add options to "clrb" command to allow deletion of selected bonds. |
| 2139 | Add new option "off" to "bl e p" BLE Encryption Pairing. Disables all pairing. |
| 2160 | "gdis" command automatically reconfigures pins configured as "none" to "stdio". |
| 2214 | Add new command "rssi". Returns RSSI value during an active connection. |
Bug fixes and improvements
| ID | Description |
|---|---|
| 1995 | Fixed issue where advertising did not start automatically when scanning stopped. |
| 1996 | Fixed issue where "str_select" input did not switch out of "remote bus mode". |
| 2007 | Updated "con" command to close the connection and return "security mismatch" error for all pairing failures. |
| 2036 | "gdis" command verifies that the specified configuration is valid for all pins before re-configuring any pins. |
| 2040 | Updated "scan" command to display all device names including shortened names. |
| 2096 | Fixed issue where notification of bus mode was not sent if "str_select" was assigned to a pin. |
| 2113 | Request for preferred PHY is now made from the central device. |
| 2124 | Changed default system product info string (sy i p) from "Blue Gecko Xpress" to "Bluetooth Xpress" |
| 2138 | Changed peripheral to accept all pairing requests, even when a bond already exists. |
| 2152 | Changed default BLE Encryption Pairing (bl e p) from "secure" to "any". |
| 2162 | Updated "con" command to not retry after "Timeout" error. |
| 2174 | Fixed issue where central BGX did not return to sleep mode after disconnecting if it was sleeping before connecting. |
| 2182 | Updated "con" command to always set scan timing for 100% duty cycle. Updated "scan" command to scale scan timing 3X for the Coded PHY. |
| 2185 | Fixed issue where scan low and high durations were swapped. |
| 2189 | Fixed issue where "con" command could hang after several failed attempts. |
| 2196 | Fixed issue where "str_active" and "str_active_n" pin functions did not work correctly when "str_select" was also assigned. |
| 2202 | Fixed issue where device would stay in "remote bus mode" on disconnect if "str_select" was assigned. |
| 2203 | Fixed issue where certain GATT procedure errors would cause an active connection to drop. |
| 2204 | Fixed issue where data could be dropped when using UART flow control and acknowledged (Indication/Write With Response) BLE writes. |
| 2207 | Fixed issue where RTS would come out of reset de-asserted for baud rates less than or equal to 9600 bps. |
| 2212 | Fixed issue with UART driver that could result in data corruption at high speeds. |
| 2215 | Fixed issue where CTS never asserts if a connection drops while CTS is de-asserted. This had the effect of hanging the UART interface. |
| 2218 | Fixed issue where UART flow control stopped working when switching from a baud rate above 9600 bps to a baud rate less than or equal to 9600 bps. |
| 2219 | Fixed issue where BGX could stop receiving UART data once its receive buffer filled up at low (<= 9600 bps) baud rates. |
| N/A | "rbmode" command now returns error if changing the mode on the remote device failed. |
| N/A | "adv" and "scan" commands now fail if run while a connection is active. |
| N/A | Fixed issue where "dtm tx start" with packet type "pn9" would always fail. |
1.0.927.2 (2018-08-03)
Bug fixes and improvements
| ID | Description |
|---|---|
| 1933 | Updated "save" command to correctly store the "uf u" variable. |
| 1943 | Removed NULL character from output of "gges" command. |
| 1957 | Fixed issue where "set" command crashed if parameters were longer than 16 characters. |
1.0.880.1 (2018-06-21)
Initial production release.