nRF Connect Device Manager vs SensorStream, powered by ROS 2
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
nRF Connect Device Manager
This tool allows for the updating and management of devices running specific SDKs via Bluetooth LE. It supports features like firmware updates, file system access, and device reset.
- Firmware Update Over-The-Air (FOTA)
- File System Management
- Device Reset
- Logs & Stats
- Bluetooth LE Support
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nRF Connect Device Manager is a generic tool for updating and managing devices running nRF Connect SDK supporting Device Manager module over Bluetooth LE (aka Management Subsystem, Mcu Manager, Bare Metal, SMP Server, SUIT). Features: * Basic: Echo, Reset * Firmware Update Over-The-Air (FOTA, DFU) * File System * Logs & stats Links: Source code: https://github.com/NordicSemiconductor/IOS-nRF-Connect-Device-Manager * nRF Connect SDK: https://www.nordicsemi.com/Software-and-tools/Software/nRF-Connect-SDK * SMP Server Sample Doc: https://developer.nordicsemi.com/nRF_Connect_SDK/doc/latest/zephyr/samples/subsys/mgmt/mcumgr/smp_svr/README.html#smp-svr-sample * McuManager: https://github.com/apache/mynewt-mcumgr * SMP over Bluetooth: https://github.com/apache/mynewt-mcumgr/blob/master/transport/smp-bluetooth.md
SensorStream, powered by ROS 2
This app transforms your iPhone into a powerful sensor platform, streaming LiDAR depth, RGB camera, IMU, and GPS data to your computer. It's designed for robotics development and research, offering both Wi-Fi and USB connection options for seamless integration with ROS 2.
- LiDAR depth streaming
- RGB camera feed
- IMU data (accelerometer, gyroscope)
- GPS location data
- Wi-Fi and USB transport options
- ROS 2 integration
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SensorStream turns your iPhone into a sensor platform, streaming LiDAR depth, RGB camera, IMU, and GPS data to your host computer over Wi-Fi or USB. Built for robotics prototypers, researchers, or anyone who wants to use the iPhone's powerful built-in sensor suite. SENSOR STREAMS • LiDAR Depth — 256×192 depth frames at up to 30 FPS from front and back (Wide) cameras (requires a LiDAR-equipped iPhone) • RGB Camera — JPEG-compressed colour frames at up to 30 FPS from the wide-angle camera, or front-facing camera • IMU — accelerometer, gyroscope, and quaternion orientation data at a configurable frequency • GPS — GNSS position TRANSPORT OPTIONS • Wi-Fi (TCP) — connect wirelessly over your local network; scan the server's QR code from the app for instant pairing • USB — low-latency wired connection via PeerTalk / iproxy for demanding real-time applications INTEGRATION • Driver for integration with ROS 2 — a companion driver publishes sensor data directly to ROS 2 topics (/depth_image, /color_image/compressed, /imu/data, /gps/fix) using sensor_msgs message types ON-DEVICE PREVIEW • Real-time depth overlay with adjustable min/max range and colour thresholds • Live camera preview • IMU visualiser for orientation feedback • Per-sensor toggles and settings — configure each sensor independently before streaming HOW IT WORKS 1. Start the companion driver on your computer 2. Open SensorStream, go to Settings → Network, and connect via Wi-Fi (scan the QR code or enter IP/port manually) or USB. 3. Enable the sensors you need on the Dashboard. 4. Tap Start Streaming, that's it. REQUIREMENTS • iPhone with iOS 15.6 or later • LiDAR sensor required for depth streaming (iPhone 12 Pro and later) • Host computer running Python 3.9+ and ROS 2 Humble for the companion server
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: nRF Connect Device Manager at 100% against SensorStream, powered by ROS 2's 0%. nRF Connect Device Manager also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0) and chart position (#168 vs unranked). SensorStream, powered by ROS 2's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
nRF Connect Device Manager holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of nRF Connect Device Manager's written reviews are positive against 0% of SensorStream, powered by ROS 2's.
nRF Connect Device Manager ships an update every 3 weeks, SensorStream, powered by ROS 2 every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | nRF Connect Device Manager | SensorStream, powered by ROS 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 3.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #168 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nordic Semiconductor ASA | Martijn Habers |
Customer experience
nRF Connect Device Manager
SensorStream, powered by ROS 2
In-app purchases
nRF Connect Device Manager
No in-app purchases
SensorStream, powered by ROS 2
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is nRF Connect Device Manager free?
Is SensorStream, powered by ROS 2 free?
Which has better reviews, nRF Connect Device Manager or SensorStream, powered by ROS 2?
Do nRF Connect Device Manager or SensorStream, powered by ROS 2 have ads?
Which is updated more often, nRF Connect Device Manager or SensorStream, powered by ROS 2?
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