Protocol Overview

The Inertial Sense products support binary and NMEA protocol for communication.

Binary vs. NMEA

The following table compares the differences and advantages between the binary and NMEA protocols.

	NMEA Protocol	Binary Protocol
Data Efficient	No. Numbers must be converted to IEEE float and integers for application. Data occupies more memory.	Numbers are in floating point and integer binary format used in computers. Data occupies less memory.
Human Readable	Yes	No
Complexity	Packet are easier to parse.	Packet encoding, decoding, and parsing are MORE complicated. Using SDK is recommended.
SDK Support	Yes, less	Yes, more
Data Access	Limited to sensor and INS output.	Comprehensive access to all data and configuration settings.
Recommended Use	Rapid prototypes and simple projects. Devices supporting NMEA.	Moderate to advanced applications.
Apps and Examples	NMEA Communications Example	EvalTool, CLTool, Binary Communications Example, Fimrware Update Example, Data Logger Example