Category: Bluetooth LE

Nordic Beacons and the Bluetooth SIG Mesh

The same day we posted about the research paper on Bluetooth Mesh networks, the Bluetooth SIG happened to announce the public availability of their Bluetooth Mesh.

There are lots of marketing articles saying what will be possible and at the other end of the scale, mesh networking specifications that explain how it works. However, to implement these things, we need something in between marketing and specs that works with real hardware.

Today, there’s a new article on the Nordic InfoCenter blog that explains, in simpler terms, how the Bluetooth mesh works and introduces the Nordic SDK.

As we mentioned in our previous article, Bluetooth LE mesh networks tend to leave the application layer to the developer. This is so that mesh network can be used in many scenarios in many vertical industries. However, what’s particularly interesting with the Nordic SDK is that they have implemented some of the application level:

For beacons:

“We have therefore created a Beacon API as part of the Mesh SDK to do concurrent Beaconing and mesh networking”

Taking a look at the part of the SDK for beacons, there’s an API to define the device as a beacon with an advertising payload and advertising interval. The payload is up to the developer. While this falls short of defining APIs for the iBeacon and Eddystone beacon types, it provides a baseline for manufacturers and 3rd party solution providers such as ourselves to create new beacon products and solutions.

The Use of Beacons in Smart Cities

There’s a recent paper by Gonzalo Cerruela García, Irene Luque Ruiz, and Miguel Ángel Gómez-Nieto of the University of Córdoba, Spain on State of the Art, Trends and Future of Bluetooth Low Energy, Near Field Communication and Visible Light Communication in the Development of Smart Cities (pdf)

The paper explains how technologies (NFC, BLE, VLC) will be important for the Internet of Things in smart cities and how they will need to be connected via LoRaWAN, Sigfox, Weightless, LTE, and 5G. With regard to Bluetooth LE they say:

Another challenge for the attention of BLE technology is the limited range problem; the range is directly dependent on Broadcasting Signal Power. An increase in signal power makes BLE devices less energy-efficient. Moreover it is necessary to improve accuracy in determining proximity to a BLE device.

The range problem will become less of an issue once Bluetooth 5 devices become available.

Can Beacons Be Used on Aircraft?

We have had enquiries whether beacons can be used on aircraft. While there’s no specific guidance on beacons from aviation authorities, beacons transmit the same radio signals to other Bluetooth devices such as the FitBit, Android Wear, Apple Watch and Bluetooth headphones. These devices are classed as Personal Electronic Devices (PED).

The use of PEDs depends on the airline. Both the FAA and EASA have guidelines for the use of PEDs. Smart Luggage is No Longer Allowed.

More Silicon Manufacturers Eyeing Bluetooth LE

Following Toshiba, silicon manufacturers are becoming more active in the Bluetooth LE space. STMicroelectronics have announced their Latest SoC, the BlueNRG-1 and Fujitsu have announced the FWM7BLZ20 module.

The BlueNRG-1 has a SPI interface to communicate with an application processor suggesting use within other larger hardware systems while the Fujitsu FWM7BLZ20 is a pre-certified module with integrated antenna, based on the Nordic nRF52832, allowing you to get to market quicker.

While these new products are suitable for beacon related products, their use is more likely to be targeted at Bluetooth LE IoT applications.