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Apple Submits Mystery 'Wireless Device' With Bluetooth and NFC to FCC

I've got 3 Nest thermostats, I doubt they will ever work with Apple's Home app. If this really is an Apple thermostat, I might sell my nests.
[doublepost=1474653522][/doublepost]Yeah seems more likely that it is a POS device for Apple Pay.
 
I have this amazing feature on my thermostat where I can program it to have the temp right when I get home and change when I go to work. Also allows me to set it for weekends. No wifi or phone needed and it costs about 40 bucks. On the shelf at Home Depot and made by Honeywell.
 
Based on the voltage, it's not a mobile/handheld device. Based on the apparent size, it's not a Mac (unless the Mac Mini is going through the shrinker in a major way). Based on the excessive labeling and serial connections, it does indeed seem like an internal device, perhaps for testing at EVT stages. Based on the shape, it does appear to be a product that would eventually see the light of day (not just stuck in a testing lab). Based on the lack of additional connections, it's not a thermostat. Based on the lack of a Wi-Fi report, it's not an Apple TV, AirPort, or Siri speaker. Based on the bluetooth LE + NFC reports, my guess is that it would have something to do with either bluetooth headphones/audio or Apple Pay (like a wireless payment terminal that connects to an iDevice).
 
It is a bluetooth/NFC payment receiver for point of sale systems. It is mainly for retailers. RS485 is common for POS accessories. It's also common for lighting control systems.
 
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CJA90 said:
I work in the Physical Access control space (Example: Card Access). D0 and D1 often is coupled with RS485 on our controllers for Data 0 and Data 1 wiegand (serial) connections.

Usually this isn't used in consumer spaces so maybe it is for internal uses. Here is some details on Wiegand interfaces (D1/D0) for card access systems.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiegand_interface

Apple uses access control all over the place including on the Apple Watch drawers in their stores to access the demo watches.
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I think that this is the best answer so far. The hardware as described (RS485, NFC, Bluetooth and nothing else) is an exact match for a access reader. The real question is whether this would be a product or just for internal use.
 
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I can understand the thermostat guesses except for the NFC. Anyone care to help me with that? This seems to lend itself more towards payments. No?
 
mike... said:
You'll be out and about, and realise it's a chilly day. You'll be able to say "Siri, turn my heating on so it's 20ºC when I get home" and it'll happen. This kind of Siri integration seems obvious when Apple are also planning an Echo-like device. Mark my words there'll be loads of networked Siri-controlled Apple IoT devices within a year.
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You can already do this. HomeKit does exactly this.
 
piecloud said:
wireless adapter for carplay?
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I was thinking something along the same lines...they are missing out on a boatload of opportunity with the aftermarket for CarPlay. Size seems a bit much though.

Actually scrap that. I don't think there would be a stand alone solution to cover the amount of software interfaces a device like that would need to bring on screen functionality to pre existing in dash equipment. Besides...it would have to plug in via-harness, which still means taking apart the dash...at which point you might as well replace the head unit.

Some folks posted well before me about it being an IoT Thermostat. Mostly makes sense....but no wifi? Just Bluetooth? That's the only thing that bugs me about that theory.
 
Bet its for access control. Modern replacement for those non-contact or swipe units that every office uses. Maybe they will deploy it at their new headquarters? Many of those use RS485 for networking. Was hoping there is a color code standard for those devices...appears not to be
 
Rocketman said:
I hope it is a POS device to rapidly expand NFC usage to millions of small retailers.

The RS-485 reference makes sense for existing legacy register systems.

Rocketman
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That's not a bad guess. An ApplePay payment terminal. Eliminating the clunky pin pads and making ApplePay more visible with a physical presence. Could pair with an iPad and an Apple made retail app.
 
ChasSC-Mac-Guy said:
My guess is that it is something for the Home, possibly a hub of sorts for Home automation. The part that I can't figure out is - why the NFC chip? As others have suggested, that would imply that it activates with proximity. But I don't think this is iBeacon at all, this is something for the general public. Curiouser and curiouser.... ;)
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Apple likes to protect the consumers privacy....maybe it's something that acts like geo-fencing but doesn't require the gps to be on?

Edit: I understand a great many things don't work / don't work very well as it is now if you turn off the gps. Just thinking that Apple is building that kind of option maybe. People are mostly accepting of being tracked for necessary purposes like navigation....but wouldn't be real comfy about individual actions being tracked with in the home...if they were trying to mimic something like geo-fencing. Completely just theorizing here.
 
To all the people saying that it's a thermostat: you do realize that the wiring is shown and none of it complies with the wiring anybody has in their homes for their thermostats? It's not a thermostat.
 
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picciano said:
It is a bluetooth/NFC payment receiver for point of sale systems. It is mainly for retailers. RS485 is common for POS accessories. It's also common for lighting control systems.
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I don't see how retailers could integrate a device like this any easier than they could just enable NFC on their existing devices.

And even if their currently device doesn't support on-board NFC, it seems like it would be less cost (and hassle, from a "who goes out and fixes it if it craps out" point-of-view) to buy the official NFC add-on for their terminals directly from whomever is already selling/supporting their terminals, ... like what Petco (and other companies) are doing with their Verifone MX860s (below).


Unknown.jpeg
 
MacRumors said:



Earlier this week, we spotted an Apple filing for a nondescript "wireless device" pass through the FCC ID database. Apple characteristically requested permanent confidentiality for most of the documents in the filing, including photos, user manuals, and schematics, so the entry largely remains a mystery.

What we do know is the device has a model number of A1844, which does not line up with any existing Apple products. A regulatory label shows the device has two Torx screws on the back plate of the device, which appears to have at least two slightly curved edges. The device has an electrical rating of 5.5V to 13.2V.

apple-a1844-fcc-filing.jpg

Test reports completed by UL Verification Services also reveal the wireless device has Bluetooth and NFC, although Wi-Fi is not mentioned.

Some websites have speculated the filing could represent a new Apple TV, but the device appears to be smaller based on the artwork -- although there are no exact measurements for scale. The device also has oddly specific regulatory text etched directly on the back of the device, including a wiring guide, which would be uncharacteristic of Apple to include on the exterior of a consumer-facing product.

Perhaps, then, the wireless device is for internal use. Back in 2014, an FCC filing revealed Apple's first-party iBeacon hardware, for example, which the company uses in its retail stores. Originally introduced at WWDC 2013, iBeacon technology enables iOS devices to communicate with transmitters via Bluetooth LE in order to deliver relevant information to apps and services when a user is nearby.

Without any supplemental information, the FCC filing will likely remain a mystery. At this point, virtually any wild speculation is fair game, ranging from a new AirPort Extreme to Apple's widely rumored Siri-enabled speaker for smart homes, although the latter product is reportedly still being prototyped.

Article Link: Apple Submits Mystery 'Wireless Device' With Bluetooth and NFC to FCC
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Its obviously an NFC tag Reader for Apple Pay ENABLED POINT OF SALE.

RS485 its a very common serial protocol used on POS devices.

A POS tipically requires some ADD-ON to read NFC payment devices, inclusion of Bluetooth technology could represent an iBeacon advertising the POS NFC so the iPhone starts the Apple Pay system.
 
Reality is more likely less interesting than the speculations. With NFC and Bluetooth this most likely could be an Apple Store terminal or display stand. Realize that the current is 100mA, to 700mA max, a very low power device, so I doubt it would be anything to do with home automation or speaker. Also Apple typically doesn't plaster their devices with regulatory stickers and wiring guides, so the real usage is most likely very utilitarian and inelegant.
 
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aristobrat said:
I don't see how retailers could integrate a device like this any easier than they could just enable NFC on their existing devices.

And even if their currently device doesn't support on-board NFC, it seems like it would be less cost (and hassle, from a "who goes out and fixes it if it craps out" point-of-view) to buy the official NFC add-on for their terminals directly from whomever is already selling/supporting their terminals, ... like what Petco (and other companies) are doing with their Verifone MX860s (below).


View attachment 657965
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unknown-jpeg.657965


Jobs.buttonphones.2007.jpg
 
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