Analysis Tools Overview#

Simplicity Studio 6 has a variety of tools to assist with development activities. A description of each tool and its key features are described below. To access these tools in Simplicity Studio, click the TOOLS button on the left navigation bar.

Simplicity Device Manager and Simplicity Commander are currently available in this Beta release. The remaining tools are under development.

Simplicity Device Manager#

The Simplicity Device Manager is a hardware management tool that centralizes the device handling in the Simplicity Studio Tool Suite. The tool is used to manage connected boards and devices.

Key Features#

  • Enables device access for Simplicity tools (for example, Simplicity Studio and Visual Studio Code)

  • Administrative Device Actions

  • Hardware Kit Adapter firmware upgrade

  • Device Terminal Console

  • Target MCU Flashing

  • Serves PTI data streams

Simplicity Commander#

Simplicity Commander is a utility that provides GUI and command line access to the debug features of EFM32 and SiWx91x devices. It allows users to flash firmware, update kit firmware, and manage debug access.

Key Features#

  • Program, erase, and read flash content

  • Scripting commands via CLI

  • Read, write, and parse tokens or NVM3 content

  • Configure and upgrade hardware kit firmware

  • Security features such as signing and encrypting firmware images and locking debug access

AoA Analyzer#

AoA Analyzer is a 3D graphical tool integrated into Simplicity Studio for evaluating Angle of Arrival (AoA) calculations with one locator and multiple tags. You can configure a single locator, visualize asset tag directions in 3D, analyze real-time data streams, and record IQ samples for post-processing to simplify direction-finding development with Silicon Labs' RTL library.

Key Features#

  • 3D visualization of asset tag directions relative to the locator

  • Real-time data analysis with customizable charts (e.g., phase distribution, antenna SNR over time)

  • Support for multiple asset tags and multiple estimators per tag

  • Recording and playback of incoming data for future analysis

  • Calculation of pseudo spectrum (probability density function of Angle of Arrival) for recorded data

AoA Viewer#

AoA Viewer is a 3D graphical tool integrated into Simplicity Studio for evaluating Angle of Arrival (AoA) calculations with one locator and multiple tags. You can configure a single locator, visualize asset tag directions in 3D, analyze recorded data streams, and record IQ samples for post-processing to simplify direction-finding development with Silicon Labs' RTL library.

Key Features#

  • 3D visualization of asset tag directions relative to the locator

  • Data analysis with customizable charts (e.g., phase distribution, antenna SNR over time)

  • Support for multiple asset tags and multiple estimators per tag

  • Playback of data for analysis

  • Calculation of pseudo spectrum (probability density function of Angle of Arrival) for recorded data

Bluetooth NCP Commander#

The Simplicity Bluetooth NCP Commander is a tool for sending BGAPI commands to NCP target applications. It offers an intuitive GUI for controlling BLE or Bluetooth Mesh NCP targets, which lets you learn the Bluetooth API, launch commands via a smart console, perform common BLE functions, manipulate GATT databases, and provision Bluetooth Mesh devices.

Key Features#

  • Control the NCP target intuitively through a graphical user interface and learn the inner workings of the Bluetooth API

  • Launch commands effortlessly through the smart console with built-in documentation and intellisense

  • Perform the most common BLE functions (advertising, scanning, connections)

  • Manipulate the GATT database on the NCP target leveraging Dynamic GATT feature on the embedded stack

  • Provision and configure Bluetooth Mesh devices

Channel Sounding Analyzer#

The Simplicity Channel Sounding Analyzer tool lets you distance estimation, performs data analysis, and aids in troubleshooting for Bluetooth devices. This tool connects to Initiator and Reflector devices, offering enhanced chart layouts and real-time tracking capabilities.

Key Features#

  • Easily connect to the Initiator device and start scanning for Reflector devices.

  • Advanced and adaptable chart layouts for representing measurements.

  • Supports both real-time and static channel settings for accurate distance estimation.

  • Enables tracking of moving objects with high accuracy.

  • Supports custom channel mapping with specific constraints for detailed analysis.

Energy Profiler#

The Simplicity Energy Profiler is a tool that visualizes energy consumption of devices and systems. It provides real-time current consumption data correlated with the program counter, enabling advanced energy software monitoring. The tool helps developers optimize power performance in embedded systems, especially crucial for battery-operated devices. It supports analysis of individual devices, multiple devices on one target system, or networks of interacting wireless devices.

Key Features#

  • Visualize the current consumption of your target system in real-time

  • Ability to capture data simultaneously from multiple targets

  • Save the energy trace for later analysis

  • Correlate energy with the code running on your device

  • Correlate with the radio TX/RX activity through PTI (Packet Trace Interface)

Network Analyzer#

The Simplicity Network Analyzer enables debugging of complex wireless systems. It captures wireless network activity for detailed live or later examination. More than a packet sniffer, the tool works with the data sniffer interface of Silicon Labs' wireless chips, providing direct baseband radio feedback. The tool reports detailed packet transmission and reception data without software overhead. Any PTI-enabled Silicon Labs platform can record radio activity regardless of application firmware, eliminating the need for a dedicated sniffer device.

Key Features#

  • Analyze the data being sent or received by an EFR32 device’s radio

  • Decode the raw data according to the implemented protocol (e.g. BLE, Zigbee, Z-Wave)

  • Visualize radio activity as individual packets or transactions (groups of packets)

  • Capture data from multiple sources into the same log file

Positioning Tool#

The Simplicity Positioning Tool is part of Silicon Labs' Bluetooth Direction Finding Tool Suite in Simplicity Studio. It simplifies configuration and testing of multi-locator setups for Real Time Locating Systems (RTLS). You can create topologies, configure locators, and visualize asset tag positions in 3D.

Key Features#

  • Enables precise direction finding and location tracking. Angle of Arrival (AoA) and Angle of Departure (AoD) Support

  • Provides real-time data visualization for accurate positioning analysis.

  • Supports multiple Bluetooth devices for comprehensive tracking.

  • Allows users to adjust settings for specific use cases and environments.

  • Offers in-depth analysis tools for evaluating positioning accuracy and performance.

Wi-Fi Commander#

The Simplicity Wi-Fi Commander is a tool for managing Wi-Fi networks. You can scan, monitor, and analyze Wi-Fi networks in real-time to receive detailed information about access points and network activity. This tool has an intuitive GUI for controlling Wi-Fi targets, so you can learn the WiSeConnect SDK API, launch commands via a smart console, and perform common Wi-Fi functions.

Key Features#

  • Real-time Network Scanning

  • Network Monitoring

  • 3D Channel Distribution Analysis

  • Packet Monitoring

  • Access Control

Wi-Fi Memory Calculator#

The Simplicity Wi-Fi Memory calculator is a tool designed to estimate memory usage for Wi-Fi applications. It helps developers optimize memory allocation and improve performance by providing detailed insights into memory consumption.

Key Features#

  • Accurately estimates memory usage for Wi-Fi applications, helping developers optimize memory allocation

  • Detailed insights into memory consumption, for better performance tuning

  • User-friendly interface that simplifies the process of memory analysis

  • Supports wide range of Wi-Fi applications