What is the Motorola Solutions Application Developer Program?

The Motorola Solutions Application Developer Program allows software and hardware developers to build and integrate solutions for use by themselves or to sell to customers. These solutions extend the capabilities of any radio system beyond just voice and data by enabling tailor-made solutions that help people in the moments that matter.

APIs are available for MOTOTRBO; TETRA (Dimetra); P25 (Astro) and Android devices as well as Intelligent Middleware. Access to the API and other resources is available to Authorised Application Developers through the dashboard.

Examples of applications include dispatch; voice logging; alarm management; data transfer; telemetry; user management and system interconnectivity. Information about available solutions that works with any of the above technologies are listed in Motorola Solutions' Application Catalogue. 

Anyone wishing to sign up to become an Authorised Application Developer can sign up here. If you have any questions about the program, have a look here.

For MOTOTRBO, the following interfaces are available on radios and infrastructure:

Device Discovery and Mobility Service

An application is able to get presence and capability information about radios. This allows an application to, for example, send data to a radio as soon as it turns on. See my post on DDMS.

Location Service

An application is able to request and get location information from the radio. The location of radios with GNSS and/or Bluetooth 4.x capabilities can be tracked by means of GPS and/or BTLE beacons. The letter would be useful if the radios are used indoors.

The location can be displayed on a map or used for geofencing. 

It's also possible to have the location sent whenever a Telemetry I/O changes state.

Applications can send location requests and get responses either via a Control Station or MNIS. 

Text Messaging Service

MOTOTRBO radios with a display and keypad are able to send and receive text messages. Radios with a limited keypad cannot send freeform text messages but rather can be provisioned with up to 100 pre-programmed text messages that the use can select from the menu.

Radios without a keypad and display can receive text messages and read them out using the built-in text-to-speech synthesizer. These radios can also send up to 8 pre-programmed text messages by pressing one of the programmable buttons.

Applications can send and receive text messages either via a Control Station or MNIS. 

Job Ticket Service

The user of an application can create and assign job tickets. These could be tasks that need to be assigned to personnel such as reported faults or requests for service. The job ticket would be sent to keypad-display MOTOTRBO radios as a data message and the radio user can accept; reject or mark the task as complete.

Telemetry Service

Changing the logic state of a Telemetry I/O pin on on one MOTOTRBO radio can be used to toggle or pulse the logic state of of a Telemetry I/O pin on on another MOTOTRBO radio. Similarly, a software application can be used to generate this command or receive a telemetry message from a radio.

Practical applications for this could be remote control; level sensing; alarm messaging or public announcements.

Raw Data Service

Most MOTOTRBO radios can be used to transfer small amounts of (bursty) data at low bandwidth between external devices. For example, a RFID tag could be read using a handheld computer and the tag information sent over the air to a database server which could send a response to the radio and tablet.

Extended Control and Management Service

XCMP (Extended Control and Management Protocol) provides a set of commands and opcodes that allow an application to interact with; and control, a MOTOTRBO radio's features and ergonomics. This can be done either via the radio's accessory connector; Bluetooth or an option board.

For example, the Connect Plus and MPT1327 option boards use XCMP to control the radio and provide an additional menu interface. The MCD5000 RGU uses XCMP to read the donor radio's screen data and pass this onto the console.

Gateway and Repeater Application Services

MOTOTRBO fixed network infrastructure supports UDP/IP. Applications are able to access data; location; voice traffic; call information and control signaling.

There are two ways to interface into a MOTOTRBO fixed network: either via the Gateway Application Service/Interface or Repeater Application Service/Interface. 

Capacity Max, for example, uses a Gateway Application Interface so 3rd party applications need to connect via the MNIS Data Gateway on the CMSS. IP Site Connect and Capacity Plus use the Repeater Application Interface which means a direct connection to each repeater in the MOTOTRBO system is permitted for the application.

Option Board Interface

Most MOTOTRBO radios support the installation of an option board. Some models have a Generic Option Board (GOB) preinstalled. The GOB is available from Motorola and uses a Atmel AVR32UC3B0512 microprocessor with a 64Mb serial flash and a 3-axis accelerometer.

Developers are also able to design an option board of their own. Information about the board footprint and radio interface are available together with the API.

Audio Operation

An option board is also able to source and inject audio from the radio - either as an analogue input and output or as a digital bitstream from the RFIC.

External Host Interface

An External Host is typically an embedded host platform that integrates externally, only using USB as a data transport, to the MOTOTRBO radio accessory connector. The External Host serves as an USB Host and the radio will operates as a USB Device. The IP stack is not used in this topology. The MOTOTRBO subscriber radios are USB 1.1/2.0 hardware and software compliant. 

The External Host application may support XCMP and/or Data Services. Audio Operation is also supported through separate signal connections for analogue audio.

IP Peripheral Interface

In this topology, a PC connects to the radio via IP over USB using the RNDIS specification. For the USB link, the PC is expected to operate as a USB Host while the radio operates as a USB Device. However, for the IP link, the radio acts as a DHCP server and is responsible for leasing an IP address to the PC.

The MOTOTRBO radio supports TCP and UDP sockets over the IP connection. TCP/IP is used for XCMP whereas the UDP/IP connection is used for any data. Separate connections for analog audio are used for the Audio Service.

For Windows OS-based Wireless Applications, a MOTOTRBO USB (RNDIS) Driver for establishing an IP socket connection to MOTOTRBO is available for reference, re-use, and re-distribution.

Bluetooth Interface

Some MOTOTRBO radios support Bluetooth 2.1/4.x and the SPP and PAN profiles. For PAN, the radio operate as a PAN Access Point. This allows the connected periperal to use XCMP to control the radio for example.

More information about the above services and which radios support them, can be found in this document.

If you are looking for an Application or a developer to creare something bespoke, have a look here.

If you are an Authorised Application Developer and would like me to write a post on your solution, please contact me.