https://www.bluetooth.com/what-is-bluetooth-technology/how-it-works/le-mesh
Bluetooth® Low Energy (LE) enables short-burst wireless connections and supports multiple network topologies, including a mesh topology for establishing many-to-many (m:m) device communications.
New control and automation systems, from lighting to heating/cooling to security, are about to make homes and offices a lot smarter. Bluetooth mesh networking supports these smart buildings, enabling tens, hundreds or even thousands of wireless devices to reliably and securely communicate with each other.
71 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth Mesh networks: Is a standards body right for IoT innovation?
The Bluetooth Mesh specification is impressive, but a specification with an open-source project could accelerate IoT adoption faster
http://www.networkworld.com/article/3209667/internet-of-things/bluetooth-mesh-networks-is-a-standards-body-right-for-iot-innovation.html#jump
Earlier this week, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) standards have been extended to include mesh network features. It is clear that the Internet of Things (IoT) is the intended market. The SIG says:
Bluetooth Mesh is “ideally suited for building automation, sensor networks and other IoT solutions where tens, hundreds, or thousands of devices need to reliably and securely communicate with one another.”
Mesh networks are not new. It is a network topology in which each node relays data for the network. All mesh nodes cooperate in the distribution of data in the network. The IoT-purpose-built Zigbee—a low-power, low-bandwidth ad hoc network—is a mesh network. Dating to 2002, Aruba Networks was founded to build Wi-Fi mesh networks.
Bluetooth Mesh has some very desirable features:
Mesh networks are self-healing. If a node fails, packets are routed around the failure, provided there are a least two nodes within range of one and other.
Standards bring interoperability.
The combination of BLE mesh networks and BLE beacons have very interesting applications in asset tracking and providing location-based context to augmented reality (AR) applications.
Multiple silicon sources from established semiconductor makers such as Texas Instruments, Nordic and Cypress foster competition and lower prices.
Is this the right time for an innovative IoT industry to commit to one standard above the data link layer?
The implementation of the BLE mesh standard at the physical and data link layers in silicon modules and radio ICs could result in competitive prices that would drive the adoption of IoT. But it does not have to be implemented above layer 2. Implementing further up the stack is questionable when there is so much innovation ahead in the IoT and continued research into protocol independent mesh networks that could accelerate innovation.
The Bluetooth SIG’s BLE mesh specification is very comprehensive, carefully considered and well engineered. The use cases—smart buildings, sensor networks and industrial networks—are also carefully considered. It is unclear, though, at this point in time when most IoT applications are prototypes if all the requirements of the use cases under development now and in the next few years are incorporated in the specification, and if a standards body can keep pace with rapidly changing requirements of an emerging new market.
Feasycom_Bluetooth says:
PRODUCTS:
Bluetooth Module
WiFi Module
Bluetooth Beacon
Bluetooth Adapter
Pcb Assembly says:
ok, it is very good PCBA
https://www.kingfordpcb.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT could benefit from mesh-networking capabilities in Bluetooth
The Bluetooth SIG has published its specification for mesh networking using Bluetooth Low Energy
http://www.networkworld.com/article/3208752/internet-of-things/iot-could-benefit-from-mesh-networking-capabilities-in-bluetooth.html#tk.drr_mlt
In theory, Tuesday’s publication of Version 1.0 of the Bluetooth mesh networking standard is the starting gun for the race to launch compatible devices, but in practice, that race is well under way.
The industry is already familiar with the specification’s requirements, with around 120 companies participating in the working group to develop it, compared to 10 or 20 in a typical Bluetooth SIG working group, Woolley said.
Those requirements have already been tested, too. “We don’t finish the spec then do some testing: We’ve already had 15 testing events where we’ve covered the whole spec,”
Not all nodes are created equal in a Bluetooth mesh network. Some – controllers in light fittings, for example – may have plentiful power while others – light switches, say, or temperature sensors – may need to run for years on one battery. The specification provides two ways for such devices to save their energy.
One is the “publish and subscribe” model for sending messages. A kitchen light switch, for example, does not need to expend power maintaining a list of the addresses of the devices it is expected to turn on and off. Instead, it publishes a “turn on” message marked for the attention of the “kitchen lighting” list. The message is relayed around the mesh and devices decide for themselves whether to act on it based on whether or not they subscribe to the list.
The other way relies on energy-constrained devices calling a “friend”. Temperature sensors, for example, might not be required to send out regular readings, but only to report when the temperature drifts outside a set range. That saves energy on the transmission side, as the sensors only have to signal rare exceptions — but constantly listening for updates to the set temperature range can soon flatten batteries. By designating a device with plentiful power as their friend, such sensors need only turn on their radio receiver once a day (or whatever interval has been agreed), at which point their friend hands over all the messages sent to them while they’ve been offline. It’s a little like having someone pick up your mail for you while you’re on vacation, rather than running home every day to check your mailbox.
Choosing which mesh network to join, or which devices to be friends with, will be a little more complicated than pairing two Bluetooth devices to make a point-to-point connection.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth LE: mesh
https://www.bluetooth.com/what-is-bluetooth-technology/how-it-works/le-mesh
Bluetooth SIG Member Companies Celebrate Bluetooth mesh
https://blog.bluetooth.com/category/bluetooth-mesh
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth SIG Member Companies Celebrate Bluetooth mesh
Posted on July 18, 2017 by Bluetooth SIG
https://blog.bluetooth.com/bluetooth-sig-member-companies-celebrate-bluetooth-mesh
The introduction of Bluetooth® mesh networking comes at a time of pivotal industry growth, with ABI Research expecting 48 billion internet-enabled devices to be installed by 2021, of which nearly one-third will include Bluetooth. Bluetooth mesh will make the largest initial impact in commercial lighting and industrial applications, and will eventually become a common technology in the larger Internet of Things ecosystem.
But don’t take our word for it. Here’s what a few of our 32,000 member companies have to say about Bluetooth mesh.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth mesh networking FAQs
https://www.bluetooth.com/what-is-bluetooth-technology/how-it-works/le-mesh/mesh-faq
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mesh Networking Specifications
https://www.bluetooth.com/specifications/mesh-specifications
Mesh Profile: Defines fundamental requirements to enable an interoperable mesh networking solution for Bluetooth LE wireless technology
Mesh Model: Introduces models, used to define basic functionality of nodes on a mesh network
Mesh Device Properties: Defines device properties required for the Mesh Model specification
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth is getting a big upgrade to make it better for smart homes
Yay, another smart home standard
https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/7/18/15988362/bluetooth-mesh-networking-standard-released-smart-home
There’s a long-running fight between wireless standards to be the one and only to connect all the smart devices in your home. And with an upgrade today, Bluetooth is making a good case for itself.
Bluetooth SIG, the group that oversees the Bluetooth standard, is today releasing the specification for Bluetooth mesh. If you’re familiar with mesh networking, Bluetooth mesh is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: it allows low-power Bluetooth devices to create and act like a mesh network.
So if a signal can’t reach its destination on the first try, another device on the network can re-transmit the message, sending it out even farther in hopes of finding the device it’s trying to get in touch with. And this can happen again and again, until the message finally gets where it needs to go.
This is particularly useful for smart home tech, because it allows a device in one corner of the home to send a message that reaches smart devices in all the far nooks and crannies of a house. So a garage door opener, for example, could send a message to turn on the upstairs bedroom lights when you arrive home from work, with the message hopping from one smart light to another in order to reach the distant bulbs.
Mesh networking is also important because many of these devices need to run on very little energy.
Bluetooth mesh doesn’t require new hardware, but your device might not get an upgrade
Bluetooth SIG is accounting for a bunch of different types of devices using mesh. It won’t require all devices on a network to rebroadcast signals, for instance, so that they can save even more power. In some cases, really low-power devices may only wake up every few hours and ping a “friend” device (say, a temperature sensor reaching out to a thermostat) to receive any pending messages, like an update to the temperature range it’s supposed to track. The mesh standard also requires all communications to be encrypted.
Bluetooth SIG says that it usually expects to see new Bluetooth standards starting to enter the market about six months after they’re released. In this case, it expects Bluetooth mesh to show up even sooner, since new hardware isn’t required. So there’s a good chance your next Bluetooth device will support mesh, but there’s no guarantee your current ones will.
Bluetooth won’t be the only standard, but it could become an even more popular one
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/print/volume-13/issue-3/features/smart-lighting/bluetooth-mesh-what-s-that-noise-about.html?cmpid=enl_leds_ledsmagazine_2017-07-19
Legacy Bluetooth has relied on a hub-and-spoke topology while commercial smart lighting will require a mesh network for communications.
The original Bluetooth, known as Bluetooth Classic, was designed as a short-range, cable-replacement technology for point-topoint communications. Initially, the main goal was to synchronize data between mobile phones, but the standard quickly became the default technology for wireless data exchange between personal computing equipment (mobile phones, PCs, PDAs) and peripherals (headsets, cordless keyboards and mice, printers, and such). Devices could form a tiny personal area network (PAN) called a piconet, whereby a single central device would coordinate the activity of up to seven active peripherals.
Fast-forward to 2010, the Bluetooth Core Specification version 4.0 is released, introducing Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), more commonly known as Bluetooth Smart. This is where the story of Bluetooth in the IoT really begins. Bluetooth Smart was designed specifically to address the needs of a new generation of smart devices, many of which are battery-powered and therefore require fast connection times and efficient power management to reduce unnecessary energy consumption.
The new specification extended Bluetooth’s usefulness to a whole new range of products, ultimately making it a default technology for all kinds of wearable devices. But despite some really outstanding features of the Bluetooth Smart radio, the protocol didn’t make any significant impact in the building automation segment. Smart homes were dominated by other low-power technologies, mainly ZigBee and Z-Wave, and wireless communication never really took off in commercial spaces. Due to certain important drawbacks of the available low-power communication standards, building managers preferred to stick to wired solutions, considering them way more reliable.
The reason why Bluetooth Smart was never considered a serious contender for building automation purposes is because it was designed to support relatively simple hub-and-spoke networks
Applications like smart lighting require much more than that. Peer-to-peer communication and extended range are among the must-have features enabling a robust network consisting of multiple smart bulbs, and the core specification of Bluetooth Smart simply didn’t provide such capability. Its hub-and-spoke model couldn’t match with the mesh topology of ZigBee or Z-Wave networks, and for this reason Bluetooth could never really compete with the two in the applications they were intended for.
Is this meshable?
Even though the support for mesh networking wasn’t included in the core specification of Bluetooth Smart, several companies noticed that building a mesh network based on this particular communication standard might not be such a bad idea. In 2014, Silvair (operating as Seed Labs back then) started building a mesh architecture based on Bluetooth Smart. Transforming the protocol’s single-hop topology into a robust multi-hop, peer-to-peer network was quite a challenge, but the potential reward was enormous.
A mesh network based on Bluetooth Smart also turned out to offer outstanding performance and the core features of the Bluetooth radio allowed us to overcome many of the challenges that other communication protocols have a hard time dealing with. Obviously, the technology developed by Silvair was proprietary, although we did manage to maintain compliance with Bluetooth Smart’s core specification.
Near the end of 2015, the SIG officially confirmed that it’s on track with the development of the Bluetooth Mesh, and that the standard would be adopted at some point in 2016. Moreover, some major improvements with regard to both the data rate and range of Bluetooth Smart will be included in the new standard.
The standardized mesh architecture based on Bluetooth Smart is shaping up to be a powerful framework enabling robust and scalable implementations in some of the most challenging applications. Being part of that development process and seeing many of our concepts being incorporated into the global standard is a great feeling.
The decision to base Silvair Mesh on Bluetooth Smart was intentional, as it meant that the ecosystem would be compatible with all existing Bluetooth Smart devices and chipsets. However, a mesh stack also requires numerous additional features to standard Bluetooth Smart.
How the mesh works
Now let’s consider how the mesh extension works. There are two types of communication within a Silvair Mesh network: central to peripheral and peripheral to peripheral. Once the mesh network is commissioned, there is no need for further central-peripheral communication.
Central devices are usually smartphones and tablets. Such devices would typically run some type of control software. In the Silvair case, we developed an app for iOS and Android devices. The central devices are used to configure and manage the network but can also perform a software update of peripheral devices. Central devices connect to peripherals using Bluetooth Smart’s standard GATT services. While this type of connection is fully compatible with Bluetooth 4.0, it employs certain proprietary techniques to allow many smartphones to be used simultaneously to control more than eight peripheral devices with eight being the limit in standard Bluetooth 4.0.
Peripheral devices are the nodes of a mesh network. A robust mesh implementation must allow peripherals to talk to each other and act as relays that pass messages through the mesh. This is a radical departure from the original architecture of Bluetooth Smart, and it allows for controlling entire groups of devices using multicast (one to many) communications – e.g., dimming a group of ceiling lights in a hallway. The Silvair Mesh implementation allows a maximum of 63 hops, which enables it to cover very extensive areas out of the box, in contrast to other technologies that require setting up more complicated or more expensive networks.
Network setup
As will be required in commercial applications, the Silvair Mesh software allows networks of any size to be set up, but the way in which large and small networks are commissioned, is different. Small networks of up to about 30 devices can be commissioned and managed using just the app on a smartphone or a tablet. The plug-and-play nature of Bluetooth, and the fact that the protocol is natively supported by virtually all smartphones and tablets on the market, makes the entire process extremely simple and intuitive. The app detects and displays mesh devices in its vicinity. The user creates a mesh network by selecting which devices should be added, and by giving the network a name. Once added to the network, associations and relationships can be set up between the devices as desired. The smartphone can then be switched off and these connections will remain in place
Networks of over about 30 devices, or the ones requiring more sophisticated associations, scenarios, and network monitoring services, are best set up using some type of server or management appliance.
Other mesh needs
There are a few other key elements of a Bluetooth Mesh implementation that we will mention briefly here. There needs to be a concept of permissions for control devices that ensures proper management of devices in the network. The Silvair software stack implements four levels of permissions: 1) Administrator – can operate all devices within the network, as well as configure them and manage other users’ permissions; 2) Family – can operate all devices within the network, but cannot configure or manage them; 3) Guest – has limited permission to operate selected devices within the network; 4) and AdHoc – can operate public devices only on a one-to-one basis (no access to the mesh network).
Likewise, the network nodes or peripherals require the ability to provide information on their operational status and programmability. The Silvair software stack defines three Peripheral Device States: 1) Factory Default – the device leaves the factory in this state and is ready for commissioning; 2) Private – all communication is encrypted, so only users with matching keys can decrypt the state information and control the device; and 3) Public – state information, as well as selected control functions, are not encrypted and can be accessed by anyone.
The Bluetooth difference
The question one might ask at this point is why the Bluetooth Smart mesh would be any better than other mesh protocols available on the market? Simply put, it’s all about the radio. Out of all low-power, low-bandwidth communication standards, none is even close to having such impressive qualities as Bluetooth Smart. This allows the protocol to address some of the most difficult issues in such challenging applications as smart lighting, where multicast, synchronous operation and responsiveness are among the must-have features.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Introducing Bluetooth Mesh Networking
https://blog.bluetooth.com/introducing-bluetooth-mesh-networking
The Case for Bluetooth Mesh
Same trusted technology, a whole new way to connect
https://www.bluetooth.com/what-is-bluetooth-technology/how-it-works/le-mesh/case-mesh?_ga=2.141365042.102078617.1500990066-1013771339.1500990066
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth mesh networking could connect smart devices city-wide
Thousands of intelligent devices can be linked using the network.
https://www.engadget.com/2017/07/18/bluetooth-mesh-networking-could-connect-smart-devices-city-wide/
Bluetooth is one step closer to connecting smart devices on a large scale. The wireless standard’s Special Interest Group (SIG) has announced support for mesh networking. With the new technology, manufacturers can build devices that can all talk to one another, from smart street lighting to transportation.
Anyone who’s used mesh WiFi networks knows they work by bouncing data between routers to deliver signal to every corner of your home. Now, imagine that on the scale of a smart city, where thousands of connected devices are linked up to communicate with each other. According to the Bluetooth SIG, mesh networking offers the most reliable connection for these types of large-scale projects. This is mainly down to its low-bandwith message routing system, which can handle large amounts of data.
In light of the recent attacks on smart appliances, the wireless standard’s governing body is also assuring manufacturers of the network’s security capabilities. It claims all messages sent across Bluetooth mesh will be encrypted and authenticated using three types of keys, making it ideal for industries that handle sensitive info, such as healthcare and financial services.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth makes a mesh of itself with new spec
Up to 32,000 nodes without routers in the middle and battery life measured in years
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/07/21/bluetooth_mesh_specs_released/
Bluetooth is getting a big upgrade to make it better for smart homes
Yay, another smart home standard
https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/7/18/15988362/bluetooth-mesh-networking-standard-released-smart-home
There’s a long-running fight between wireless standards to be the one and only to connect all the smart devices in your home. And with an upgrade today, Bluetooth is making a good case for itself.
Bluetooth SIG, the group that oversees the Bluetooth standard, is today releasing the specification for Bluetooth mesh. If you’re familiar with mesh networking, Bluetooth mesh is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: it allows low-power Bluetooth devices to create and act like a mesh network.
If you’re not familiar with mesh networking, here’s what it means: most wireless communications go straight from one point to another — say, from your router to your laptop and back again. If your laptop is too far out of range, then you’re just out of luck.
But mesh networks have a useful trick to help data travel longer distances: communications can hop between devices. So if a signal can’t reach its destination on the first try, another device on the network can re-transmit the message, sending it out even farther in hopes of finding the device it’s trying to get in touch with. And this can happen again and again, until the message finally gets where it needs to go.
This is particularly useful for smart home tech, because it allows a device in one corner of the home to send a message that reaches smart devices in all the far nooks and crannies of a house.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Last week we reported that the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) had finalized the Bluetooth Mesh specification. This week we report on companies that are prepared to help SSL developers to quickly move to deliver Bluetooth-connected products. Qualcomm, Silvair, and Silicon Labs have all announced hardware/software enabling technologies that are compliant with the mesh standard.
Bluetooth’s range just widened, and IoT lighting companies are thrilled (UPDATED)
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2017/07/bluetooth-s-range-just-widened-and-iot-lighting-companies-are-thrilled.html?cmpid=enl_leds_ledsmagazine_2017-07-26
The organization that oversees Bluetooth wireless communication protocols at long last issued a standard today that extends Bluetooth’s physical range, a move that could help open commercial and industrial market opportunities for Internet of Things (IoT) lighting.
After at least two years of internal wrangling and difficult technology choices, the Kirkland, WA-based Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) ratified a means to mesh together Bluetooth beacons, allowing them to hand off instructions to each other. The move effectively boosts Bluetooth’s reach far beyond the 30 ft that is typical for the Bluetooth that consumers commonly use to share things like audio files among smartphone, computers, tables, TVs, and other devices.
“We just completed a several-year effort of completing a set of specifications that define a standardized approach for creating true industrial-grade mesh networking solutions using Bluetooth technology,” Bluetooth SIG vice president of marketing Ken Kolderup said in a phone interview with LEDs Magazine. “Now there’s a standard way that defines how mesh networking gets done on Bluetooth, so that all the vendors can now create interoperable solutions.”
While other technologies such as ZigBee, Z-wave, visible light communication, and Power over Ethernet — to name just a few — can support those schemes, many lighting vendors have been counting on Bluetooth. Today’s announcement, which Bluetooth SIG hinted at when it named a Philips manager to its board last week, is welcome news to them.
Vendors roll out compliant Bluetooth Mesh enablers for solid-state lighting products
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2017/07/vendors-roll-out-compliant-bluetooth-mesh-enablers-for-solid-state-lighting-products.html?cmpid=enl_leds_ledsmagazine_2017-07-26
Qualcomm, Silvair, and Silicon Labs are among the first companies to announce building-block products that are compliant with the recently announced Bluetooth Mesh standard, allowing developers of LED-based products to accelerate wirelessly-connected SSL products to market.
Silvair Bluetooth Mesh offer
Silvair made a Bluetooth Mesh software-stack announcement virtually coincident with the SIG press release. The company was deeply involved in the development of the mesh standard and in fact contributed an article to LEDs Magazine covering its pre-standard mesh offering last year.
Silvair said its Bluetooth Mesh stack is fully compliant. The company is supplying its software stack for now with system-on-chip (SoC) ICs and/or modules with the Bluetooth radio IC supplied by Nordic Semiconductor. The company also offers a Lighting Evaluation Kit that allows SSL product developers to experiment with the Bluetooth capability and speed product design.
“We are serious about the lighting industry, as we believe connected lighting will pave the way for massive IoT adoption,” said Szymon Slupik, CTO of Silvair and chair of the Mesh Working Group at the Bluetooth SIG. “After more than two years of interoperability testing, and with contributions from the leading software, silicon, and lighting companies, we are certain that Bluetooth mesh networking will be wildly successful.”
Silicon Labs Bluetooth Mesh offer
Silicon Labs, meanwhile, will offer its own SoC products along with a compliant Bluetooth Mesh software stack. “We expect to see a wave of new devices hit the market quickly by leveraging ubiquitous Bluetooth connectivity to create hub-less mesh networks that extend the range and reliability of Bluetooth systems,”
Qualcomm Bluetooth Mesh offer
Now we turn to Qualcomm, perhaps the most competent company globally in the wireless space — especially in cellular. But Qualcomm has acquired many companies that play in wireless areas outside of the cellular systems for which Qualcomm is most famous. One of those acquisitions was CSR, an early innovator in enabling technologies for Bluetooth-based products.
Qualcomm has played around the edges of the lighting business, partnering with some companies such as LIFX at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) a few years back. Moreover, Qualcomm partnered with Acuity Brands on an indoor-location-services demonstration based on Bluetooth beacons integrated in SSL products and other places in a commercial space.
Qualcomm has said its CSRmesh technology is compliant with the new Bluetooth standard. The company has a number of SoC products that are compatible with its Bluetooth Mesh stack. Most include multiple radios including the QCA4020 that supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and the IEEE 802.15.4 lower-layer protocol that underlies ZigBee and other low-power Internet Protocol (IP) technologies such as Thread. The QCA 4024 only supports Bluetooth and 802.15.4.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mesh And Bluetooth A Smart Combination
https://blog.bluetooth.com/bluetooth-and-mesh-smart-combination
technology roadmap for 2016 and beyond a few months ago, it caused quite a stir. With longer range, faster speed and mesh networking on the map, we could see a complete shift in many verticals including the smart home, industrial automation, location-based services and smart infrastructure.
Even Junko Yoshida of EE Times said, “Mesh technology is regarded as a key to many Internet of Things applications, especially those that require extended range or peer-to-peer communication.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
BLE mesh networks find growing use in smart homes
https://telinkiotsilicon.wordpress.com/2016/04/22/ble-mesh-versus-zigbee-whats-the-best-technology-for-smart-homes/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth Mesh – What’s that noise about? (MAGAZINE)
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/print/volume-13/issue-3/features/smart-lighting/bluetooth-mesh-what-s-that-noise-about.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
An Intro to Bluetooth Mesh
Posted on July 24, 2017 by Martin Woolley
Part 1 of the Bluetooth Mesh Networking Series
https://blog.bluetooth.com/an-intro-to-bluetooth-mesh-part1
Motivation for Mesh Networking
Bluetooth mesh networking was created because mesh topologies offer the best way to meet various, increasingly common communications requirements, typified by applications such as building automation and sensor networks. Those requirements include:
Coverage of very large areas
“Just works interoperability”
The ability to monitor and control large numbers of devices
Optimized, low energy consumption
Efficient use of radio resources, leading to scalability
Compatibility with currently available smartphone, tablet and personal computer products
Industry-standard, government-grade security
There are other low-power wireless communications technologies which support mesh topologies, but our members often report that these technologies have unacceptable constraints and limitations, and that they are not optimal for the kinds of problems that they are trying to address and the types of products they want to create. Issues in other, comparable technologies, include low data transmission rates, limited numbers of “hops” when relaying data across the mesh, scalability limits often caused by the way radio channels are used and difficulties and delays when following procedures to change the device composition of the mesh network.
Other mesh technologies are, generally speaking, not supported by standard smartphone, tablet and PC equipment; a major constraint.
Creating an industry-standard mesh communications technology based on Bluetooth LE, gave the opportunity to meet the requirements, but without the associated limitations and constraints. Interoperability and energy efficiency are the hallmarks of Bluetooth LE after all.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Industry is Abuzz with Talk of Bluetooth Mesh
https://blog.bluetooth.com/the-industry-is-abuzz-with-talk-of-bluetooth-mesh
Tomi Engdahl says:
EnOcean and Silvair partner on controls for Bluetooth-connected LED lighting
http://www.setventures.com/enocean-and-silvair-partner-on-controls-for-bluetooth-connected-led-lighting/
EnOcean is launching wireless switches based on kinetic energy harvesting that will work with emerging Bluetooth Mesh networks and is partnering with Silvair for a low-power network implementation.
EnOcean and Silvair have announced a partnership focused on LED-based lighting systems that will be connected using the emerging Bluetooth Mesh networking standard. EnOcean is demonstrating new switch products in its EasyFit line at the Smart Lighting conference in Hamburg, Germany that are based on Bluetooth wireless links. And Silvair is supplying EnOcean with a hardware/software network stack to use in such EasyFit products that are powered by kinetic energy harvesting and don’t require batteries.
EnOcean is a long-time player in simple controls for solid-state lighting (SSL) and other home and commercial automation environments, and has long championed its own wireless connectivity scheme that has been promulgated by the separate EnOcean Alliance.
Going forward, EnOcean will offer its EasyFit products in both the sub-1-Ghz models and in Bluetooth versions that operate in the 2.4-GHz band. In both cases, the switches and controls can be commissioned using the NFC (near field communication) capability integrated into many mobile phones and tablets.
EnOcean says the new products will be compatible with products from a number of other vendors. For example, Casambi makes control apps for smart devices and modules that luminaire makers integrate into their products. And EnOcean controls will work seamlessly with such products. Likewise, new Xicato LED light engines that integrate Bluetooth will work with the EnOcean products.
Silvair has developed a software stack that can be hosted on microcontroller-based Bluetooth ICs from a number of leading vendors such as Texas Instruments. And now EnOcean and Silvair are partners.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth mesh networking
https://www.ericsson.com/en/publications/white-papers/bluetooth-mesh-networking
Conclusion
Bluetooth mesh is a scalable, short-range IoT technology that provides flexible and robust performance. The Bluetooth Mesh Profile is an essential addition to the Bluetooth ecosystem that enhances the applicability of Bluetooth technology to a wide range of new IoT use cases. Considering the large Bluetooth footprint, it has the potential to be quickly adopted by the market.
With proper deployment and configuration of relevant parameters of the protocol stack, Bluetooth mesh is able to support the operation of dense networks with thousands of devices. The building automation use case presented in this white paper shows that Bluetooth mesh can live up to high expectations and provide the necessary robustness and service ratio. Furthermore, the network design of Bluetooth mesh is flexible enough to handle the introduction of managed operations on top of flooding, to further optimize behavior and automate the relay selection process.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth mesh networking could connect smart devices city-wide
Thousands of intelligent devices can be linked using the network.
https://www.engadget.com/2017/07/18/bluetooth-mesh-networking-could-connect-smart-devices-city-wide/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth mesh networks could give the Industrial IoT a boost
http://www.businessinsider.com/bluetooth-mesh-networks-industrial-iot-2017-7?r=US&IR=T&IR=T
Bluetooth mesh networks could be particularly well suited for the industrial IoT (IIoT). Unlike IoT solutions in the utilities and supply chain, devices deployed in the IIoT, such as robots and connected machinery that’s outfitted with sensors all over, produce more data than can be transmitted over low-power standards and protocols like LoRaWan or Narrowband-IoT. But Bluetooth can handle more data than these low-power protocols, and now that it can be extended through mesh standards, it could be good for connecting machinery on a factory floor. And that could allow manufacturers to connect equipment they previously had been unable to, boosting spending in the long run — BI Intelligence estimates that global manufacturers will spend $70 billion annually on IoT solutions in 2021.
BI Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, expects that more than 24 billion IoT devices will be installed globally in 2020, and the vast majority of these will fall into the small, low-power category.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nordic Semiconductor – New Development Kit enables developers to embark on Bluetooth mesh designs
http://www.electropages.com/2017/07/nordic-semiconductor-development-kit-enables-developers-embark-bluetooth-mesh-designs/?utm_campaign=2017-07-28-Electropages&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=article&utm_content=Nordic+Semiconductor+-+New+Development+Kit+enables+developers+to+embark+on+…
Nordic Semiconductor ASA has introduced the “nRF5 SDK for Mesh”, an SDK which allows engineers to develop with Bluetooth mesh. The launch of the SDK coincides with the Bluetooth SIG formal adoption of Bluetooth mesh 1.0.
The SDK can be downloaded from Nordic’s website and includes the company’s first release of its Bluetooth mesh software protocol (“stack”). The SDK is compatible with the nRF51 and nRF52 Series SOCs, and the S110, S130, and S132 Bluetooth 4.0-compatible SoftDevices . With the nRF5 SDK for Mesh, developers who already have a Nordic nRF52 Development Kit (DK) can immediately start building Bluetooth mesh-based applications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth Mesh Bucks Short Range Reputation, Consumer Roots
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332081&
Bluetooth Mesh is going to push the connection technology away from consumer applications to commercial and industrial applications, while highlighting its range and low power capabilities.
“Bluetooth has struggled in reputation if nothing else as people associate it with being shorter range communication,” said Michael McDonald, vice president of Toshiba’s Platform Enabling Group. “We’re very happy with Bluetooth Mesh coming out because it addresses the ability for Bluetooth to go longer ranges.”
Toshiba recently announced it added Bluetooth Mesh support to its lineup of Bluetooth Low Energy products, including support for a long range option with an external power amplifier. It comes on the heels of the standard meeting by ratified and launched by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG).
McDonald said the big appeal of the new Bluetooth Mesh standard is it increases the range and reliability of communications without increasing power requirements, making it ideal for battery-operated security devices on doors and windows, particularly where thick concrete walls are in place, which traditionally challenged Bluetooth. “Now we’re taking about being able to go hundreds of meters,” he said.
Bluetooth was originally a point-to-point connection in many ways, said McDonald. “People used it to sync their cellphone to their car or their cellphone to their Jawbone headpiece,” he said.
Recently, Bluetooth has also been used in a one-to-many configuration. “That became really important for the beacon market,” McDonald said.
For industrial IoT and IoT in general to succeed, McDonald said, it’s necessary to have an end-to-end connection where devices are able to talk to other devices — a Bluetooth door sensor communicating with a camera in a security scenario, for example, or bringing up the lighting in a house. “If you can have greater interaction between these devices, that’s when you can start to see some of the magic come out with IoT,” McDonald said.
Non-proprietary solutions are also important, McDonald said. “People have been trying to create a more robust Bluetooth solution with a fabric capability,” he said. “Solutions up until now have been proprietary solutions.”
Given the infancy of Bluetooth Mesh, MacDonald said there is a lot of education that needs to be done by the Bluetooth SIG. “There are some nice capabilities that come with Bluetooth Mesh like the ability to do grouping,” he said. “When you are start adding some of these capabilities it adds a level of sophistication to setting up the network.”
Silicon Labs recently released a suite of software and hardware that supports the new specification, including development tools, a software stack and mobile apps supporting Silicon Labs’ wireless system-on-chip (SoC) devices and certified modules to reduce time to market for developers.
While the 4.0 Bluetooth standard was driven by the requirements of Apple’s iPhone, Cooley said, it’s moving away from consumer applications where it’s been rooted to commercial and industrial uses because of Bluetooth Mesh. “These are customers that need ROI,” he said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mesh to Thrust Bluetooth in Industrial IoT
Might Bluetooth Mesh Mend IoT Mess?
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332029
Mesh Networking is finally coming to Bluetooth as a formally ratified, interoperability- tested global standard, allowing Bluetooth proponents to target a whole new machine-to-machine, industrial Internet of Things (IoT) market that they haven’t been able to crack yet.
Ken Kolderup, vice president of marketing at the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), told EE Times the new standard will allow its member companies to “rally and grow their business around such new markets as commercial building automation.”
Bluetooth mesh is an “industrial-strength” mesh networking technology ideal for commercial building and factory automation, Kolderup explained. It leverages a level of “reliability, scalability and security that aren’t made available by competing mesh technologies,” he added.
Lee Ratliff, senior principal analyst for connectivity and IoT at IHS Markit, called the SIG’s move for Bluetooth mesh “very significant in the long run.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth Mesh Bucks Short Range Reputation, Consumer Roots
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332081&
Bluetooth Mesh is going to push the connection technology away from consumer applications to commercial and industrial applications, while highlighting its range and low power capabilities.
“Bluetooth has struggled in reputation if nothing else as people associate it with being shorter range communication,” said Michael McDonald, vice president of Toshiba’s Platform Enabling Group. “We’re very happy with Bluetooth Mesh coming out because it addresses the ability for Bluetooth to go longer ranges.”
Toshiba recently announced it added Bluetooth Mesh support to its lineup of Bluetooth Low Energy products, including support for a long range option with an external power amplifier. It comes on the heels of the standard meeting by ratified and launched by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG).
Toshiba Bluetooth communication system is capable of link budgets exceeding 100 decibels (dB) with external PA and LNA, which makes it suitable for fast growing markets such as factory automation and building management, as well as communications in consumer products.
McDonald said the big appeal of the new Bluetooth Mesh standard is it increases the range and reliability of communications without increasing power requirements, making it ideal for battery-operated security devices on doors and windows, particularly where thick concrete walls are in place, which traditionally challenged Bluetooth. “Now we’re taking about being able to go hundreds of meters,” he said.
Recently, Bluetooth has also been used in a one-to-many configuration. “That became really important for the beacon market,” McDonald said.
For industrial IoT and IoT in general to succeed, McDonald said, it’s necessary to have an end-to-end connection where devices are able to talk to other devices — a Bluetooth door sensor communicating with a camera in a security scenario, for example, or bringing up the lighting in a house. “If you can have greater interaction between these devices, that’s when you can start to see some of the magic come out with IoT,” McDonald said.
Non-proprietary solutions are also important
Given the infancy of Bluetooth Mesh, MacDonald said there is a lot of education that needs to be done by the Bluetooth SIG. “There are some nice capabilities that come with Bluetooth Mesh like the ability to do grouping,” he said. “When you are start adding some of these capabilities it adds a level of sophistication to setting up the network.”
McDonald said it’s hard to pigeonhole Bluetooth into a particular market because there are so many applications in so many places, but he sees Bluetooth Mesh being particularly valuable in building automation and lighting.
Silicon Labs recently released a suite of software and hardware that supports the new specification, including development tools, a software stack and mobile apps supporting Silicon Labs’ wireless system-on-chip (SoC) devices and certified modules to reduce time to market for developers.
Mesh technology brings with it a great deal of complexity in comparison to point to point, said Cooley, regardless of the standard employed, and Silicon Labs has gained a great deal of insight seeing where mesh deployments have failed. “You get something from that complexity at the end of the day,” Cooley said
Tomi Engdahl says:
Competing Mesh systems:
zigbee
IEEE 802.15.4-based wireless networking
Thread
IPV6-based mesh networking protocol
Bluetooth Mesh
Bluetooth LE based mesh networking
https://www.silabs.com/products/wireless/mesh-networking
Tomi Engdahl says:
5 Things You Must Know About the New Bluetooth 5
http://www.electronicdesign.com/blog/5-things-you-must-know-about-new-bluetooth-5?code=UM_NN7TT3&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=12213&utm_medium=email&elq2=49c083757ae4409d9d7ebabf70a084d5
How many Bluetooth radios do you own? Answer: More than you probably think. These chips are in your smartphones, cars, laptops, tablets, wireless speakers, headsets, mice, keyboards, game controllers, and others. You may own dozens. Double what you think, since it takes two radios to communicate.
That’s why Bluetooth is the best-selling wireless technology in the world. Billions of radios have been made and sold. Now Bluetooth is ready to add to that impressive outcome with the announcement of its latest version Bluetooth 5.
Last month, on December 7, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) adopted Bluetooth 5 as the latest version of the Bluetooth core specification. Key updates to Bluetooth 5 include longer range, faster speed, and larger broadcast message capacity, as well as improved interoperability and coexistence with other wireless technologies.
1. Two Bluetooth classes: There are essentially two strains of Bluetooth, the older legacy or classic strain that encompasses versions 1.0 through 3.0 (including EDR). The other strain is the low-energy Bluetooth that includes versions 4.0, 4.1, and 4.2. The low-energy version uses a different radio technology than the classic strain. It employs frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) over the 2.4- to 2.483-GHz spectrum, but uses 40 2-MHz-wide channels rather than the 79 1-MHz channels of classic Bluetooth. Max data rate is 1 Mb/s. Most of the newer Bluetooth chips actually contain both types of radios.
2. Bluetooth 5 is an enhancement to the low-energy version: Version 5 bumps the data rate up to 2 Mb/s. It still uses the same GFSK modulation, though. The higher data rate decreases the transmission time of the messages sent to better conserve power. The basic power output level is 0 dBm or 1 mW, but higher-power classes of Bluetooth can also be used. The options are 4, 10, or 20 dBm for extended range.
3. Extended range: Low-energy Bluetooth has a nominal range of 10 to 30 meters. Bluetooth 5 extends this to the 30- or 50-meter range. Actual range depends entirely on the environment, but longer range means more potential uses.
4. Greater message capacity: The new version 5 ups the payload capacity of it packets. Data packets can now be in the 31- to 255-octet range, and that means fewer transmissions and less broadcast time.
5. Interference mitigation: Bluetooth 5 also incorporates features to better minimize interference. Remember Bluetooth shares the 2.4-GHz ISM band with Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and a bunch of other wireless devices
Tomi Engdahl says:
Meshing with Bluetooth
http://www.electronicdesign.com/embedded-revolution/meshing-bluetooth
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has released a standard for Bluetooth mesh. Find out what that means
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wireless mesh networks: Everything you need to know
There are genuine benefits behind the hype.
https://www.techhive.com/article/3212444/wi-fi/mesh-network-explained.html
Mesh networks are resilient, self-configuring, and efficient. You don’t need to mess with them after often minimal work required to set them up, and they provide arguably the best and highest throughput you can achieve in your home. These advantages have led to several startups and existing companies introducing mesh systems contending for the home and small business Wi-Fi networking dollar.
Mesh networks solve a particular problem: covering a relatively large area, more than about 1,000 square feet on a single floor, or a multi-floor dwelling or office, especially where there’s no ethernet already present to allow easier wired connections of non-mesh Wi-Fi routers and wireless access points. All the current mesh ecosystems also offer simplicity.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth Mesh Bucks Short Range Reputation, Consumer Roots
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332081&
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vendors roll out compliant Bluetooth Mesh enablers for solid-state lighting products
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2017/07/vendors-roll-out-compliant-bluetooth-mesh-enablers-for-solid-state-lighting-products.html?eid=293591077&bid=1837145
Silvair Bluetooth Mesh offer
Silvair made a Bluetooth Mesh software-stack announcement virtually coincident with the SIG press release. The company was deeply involved in the development of the mesh standard and in fact contributed an article to LEDs Magazine covering its pre-standard mesh offering last year.
Silvair said its Bluetooth Mesh stack is fully compliant. The company is supplying its software stack for now with system-on-chip (SoC) ICs and/or modules with the Bluetooth radio IC supplied by Nordic Semiconductor. The company also offers a Lighting Evaluation Kit that allows SSL product developers to experiment with the Bluetooth capability and speed product design.
Silicon Labs Bluetooth Mesh offer
Silicon Labs, meanwhile, will offer its own SoC products along with a compliant Bluetooth Mesh software stack.
Developers will have the option of both SoC and module-level products from Silicon Labs.
Qualcomm Bluetooth Mesh offer
Now we turn to Qualcomm, perhaps the most competent company globally in the wireless space — especially in cellular. But Qualcomm has acquired many companies that play in wireless areas outside of the cellular systems for which Qualcomm is most famous. One of those acquisitions was CSR, an early innovator in enabling technologies for Bluetooth-based products.
Qualcomm has played around the edges of the lighting business, partnering with some companies such as LIFX at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) a few years back. Moreover, Qualcomm partnered with Acuity Brands on an indoor-location-services demonstration based on Bluetooth beacons integrated in SSL products and other places in a commercial space.
Qualcomm has said its CSRmesh technology is compliant with the new Bluetooth standard.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth’s range just widened, and IoT lighting companies are thrilled (UPDATED)
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2017/07/bluetooth-s-range-just-widened-and-iot-lighting-companies-are-thrilled.html?eid=293591077&bid=1837145
Some vendors think the brand new “Bluetooth mesh” standard will kick off a commercial smart lighting bonanza.
The organization that oversees Bluetooth wireless communication protocols at long last issued a standard today that extends Bluetooth’s physical range, a move that could help open commercial and industrial market opportunities for Internet of Things (IoT) lighting.
“We just completed a several-year effort of completing a set of specifications that define a standardized approach for creating true industrial-grade mesh networking solutions using Bluetooth technology,” Bluetooth SIG vice president of marketing Ken Kolderup said in a phone interview with LEDs Magazine. “Now there’s a standard way that defines how mesh networking gets done on Bluetooth, so that all the vendors can now create interoperable solutions.”
The mesh standard applies across all possible commercial, industrial, and residential information technology uses. The lighting industry is one group in particular that is welcoming the move. As LEDs has been reporting for some time, mesh could help buoy IoT lighting, making it more likely that smart lights can cover large areas of retail stores, warehouse, commercial offices, and other locations. Smart lights can engage shoppers on retail floors, can track assets and inventory in shops and warehouses, can adjust building management systems or readjust their own light settings, can advise facility managers on how to reassign space, and support many other data-oriented processes.
While other technologies such as ZigBee, Z-wave, visible light communication, and Power over Ethernet — to name just a few — can support those schemes, many lighting vendors have been counting on Bluetooth. Today’s announcement, which Bluetooth SIG hinted at when it named a Philips manager to its board last week, is welcome news to them.
“We are extremely excited to see this happen,” Gooee chief technology officer and co-founder Simon Coombes told LEDs. “We’ve been waiting a long time.”
Gooee provides communication chips and sensors to luminaire makers including Aurora, Feilo Sylvania, and many others. It has been a leading advocate of IoT lighting.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nordic Beacons and the Bluetooth SIG Mesh
https://www.beaconzone.co.uk/blog/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.
Introducing nRF5 SDK for Mesh
https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/blogs/1147/introducing-nrf5-sdk-for-mesh/
Tomi Engdahl says:
SmartMesh IP Wireless Sensor Network Starter Kit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe_J8CJLB8I&index=1&list=PLDglzuv1g_h-Ch5QlzRzj_cRTY-zWnNr1
SmartMesh IP products are wireless microchips and embedded printed circuit boards, complete with Wireless Sensor Networking software that reliably connects sensors in harsh industrial environments. A critical step in any wireless Industrial Internet of Things (Industrial IoT) development program is to deploy a network to gain confidence that your sensor nodes will communicate reliably in rugged industrial environments and run smoothly over many years of operation. In this video, we introduce the DC9021B SmartMesh IP Starter Kit, which enables you to quickly evaluate network performance, integrate different sensors and accelerate hardware and software integration.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth Mesh Drives Security
https://www.synopsys.com/designware-ip/technical-bulletin/bluetooth-mesh-drives-security-2017q4.html?elq_mid=9452&elq_cid=546544
Bluetooth-enabled devices have been a target of many documented hacks including Blueprinting, Bluesnarfing, Bluebugging, Bluejacking, Bluesmack and now most recently BlueBorne. BlueBorne intercepts communications in seconds, and subsequently enables hackers to download malicious software without requiring a file download – a frightening thought for consumers using and interacting with smart phones, tablets, wearables, beacons and personal assistants. These Bluetooth-enabled devices transmit and receive private user information that consumers expect to be secure. This article discusses how the introduction of Bluetooth mesh will remedy current vulnerabilities and drive a more secure and private IoT world.
In July of 2017, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) introduced Bluetooth mesh networking, continuing its upgrades to Bluetooth 4.2 with low energy technology and Bluetooth 5 specifications. Bluetooth 4.2 added optional security features while Bluetooth 5 added longer distances, better reliability, more data throughput, and faster data rates. Bluetooth mesh allows Bluetooth devices to create a network targeting applications like smart cities and factories.
As the chart shows, costs are one of the biggest disappointments from 2014 to 2016. Bluetooth’s high level of use contributes to cost reductions, and die size has improved over the past 18 months. Bluetooth’s low memory footprint and small die size make it a perfect technology for chip integration. Battery life is a constant priority and even though other standards like the 802.15.4 technologies use less power than Bluetooth, the difference is minimal and remedied by integration into a single SoC rather than separate chipset implementations.
However, wireless sensor networks have their own set of security vulnerabilities. Hackers exploit these with node capture attacks, side channel attacks, denial of service attacks, routing attacks, replication attacks, time synchronization attacks, Sybil attacks and more. Upgrades to the Bluetooth Low Energy specifications address these concerns by, for example, making security a requirement in the Bluetooth mesh specification.
Bluetooth is Pervasive, But is it Secure?
It’s still common practice for many Bluetooth Low Energy devices to send unencrypted data in peer-to-peer connections. Logically, this unsecured connection is because security is optional in current Bluetooth Low Energy Generic Attributes (GATT) devices. Secondly, developers see extra risk and cost associated with implementing security. If there are limited repercussions to avoiding security, and big hurdles to implementing security, many choose to forgo any security features.
Bluetooth Mesh Security Requirements and Implementation
For example, per a security researcher at the DEF CON hacker conference in 2016, “Many Bluetooth Low Energy smart locks can be hacked and opened by unauthorized users, but their manufacturers seem to want to do nothing about it.” Today, Bluetooth mesh requires lock manufacturers to implement proper security features in their devices.
Bluetooth mesh security uses three types of security keys: Network Keys, AppKeys and Device Keys.
From a bottoms-up security implementation, many Bluetooth-enabled products will need to begin with a Random Number Generator.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth Mesh Drives Security For Automotive Applications
https://semiengineering.com/bluetooth-mesh-drives-security-for-automotive-applications/
What’s changing in Bluetooth that makes security a requirement, not an option.
The use of Bluetooth technology continues to grow beyond mobile into rapidly expanding IoT and automotive applications. Consumers have grown to expect hands-free calling via Bluetooth, however, as the technology moves to other use cases such as tire pressure monitors or door lock connectivity, security becomes a key challenge to automotive SoC designers.
Bluetooth-enabled devices have been a target of many documented hacks including, most recently, BlueBorne.
In July of 2017, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) introduced Bluetooth mesh networking, continuing its upgrades to Bluetooth 4.2 with low energy technology and Bluetooth 5 specifications. Bluetooth 4.2 added optional security features while Bluetooth 5 added longer distances, better reliability, more data throughput, and faster data rates.
Bluetooth mesh allows Bluetooth devices to create a network, targeting applications like smart homes, cities and factories. The specification enables a many-to-many network topology, connecting a few or a few thousand devices to one another. Bluetooth mesh’s features enable the adoption of Bluetooth beyond the traditional peer to peer connection to systems needing wireless sensor networks. Unlike traditional networks that route data to the proper addresses, Bluetooth mesh uses a simple approach of flooding the data to the network. Bluetooth mesh and the new Bluetooth 5 capabilities position Bluetooth in many new applications that can interact with an automobile or its passengers both within the automobile or within the range of the surrounding infrastructure.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LEDvance launches Bluetooth mesh-based smart LED lamps coincident with CES
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2018/01/ledvance-launches-bluetooth-mesh-based-smart-led-lamps-coincident-with-ces.html?eid=293591077&bid=1969736
After rebranding its smart replacement lamp line Sylvania Smart+ in December, LEDvance starts the new year with new LED-based Bluetooth mesh alternatives in multiple form factors.
LEDvance used the occurrence of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) as a launchpad for a new series of smart, LED-based replacement lamps that integrate Bluetooth mesh wireless support. The wireless solid-state lighting (SSL) products that target the residential market include A19 lamps and flex strips.
LEDvance is somewhat unique in supporting multiple wireless networking products in the Sylvania Smart+ portfolio. In December, the company had said the A19, BR30, and PAR38 LED lamps based on the ZigBee wireless network would start at $12. Now the company is adding Bluetooth support to the portfolio, and the Bluetooth products will not require a gateway to link the lamps and strips to mobile phones or other smart devices. The Bluetooth mesh standard emerged back in July. And we published a recent feature article that details the advantages the network offers in SSL applications.
Although LEDvance is not exhibiting at CES, the company still used the consumer-focused event timing to push the new Sylvania Smart+ products into the market. Connected devices are a significant trend at CES, and lamps such as the new LEDvance products are just another smart device to connect in home networking scenarios. The products can also serve in the commercial sector.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Silvair strikes Bluetooth Mesh deals with Feilo and several subsystem makers
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2018/03/silvair-strikes-bluetooth-mesh-deals-with-feilo-and-several-subsystem-makers.html?eid=293591077&bid=2025944
The IoT of lighting takes another step forward, as luminaire maker Feilo Sylvania and driver vendors including Fulham embed the wireless protocol.
With “collaboration” the mantra in the IoT of lighting, Bluetooth technology specialist Silvair today gave plenty of cause to recite it, announcing several partnerships across the value chain including luminaire maker Feilo Sylvania and half a dozen subsystem makers such as driver maker Fulham.
Silvair provides Bluetooth Mesh firmware — chips programmed with software.
“We are very excited by the release of the Bluetooth Mesh standard, and in particular Silvair’s lighting control stack,” said Feilo Sylvania’s global senior product line manager for smart lighting and controls Edward Lees.
The Silvair firmware marks one of many IoT offerings to have caught Feilo’s eye, which as LEDs Magazine has reported is positioning itself as a systems integrator working with many different information technology partners to tie luminaires into the Internet. The company might even be eyeing the acquisition of GE’s commercial smart lighting and energy entity, called Current, powered by GE.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The highlights of Bluetooth mesh networking technology
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333715
The key to Bluetooth mesh is the ability for each node to act as a viable operator in a network and also have the ability to relay messages from other nodes in the network. With one, or several, nodes connected to the internet, a Bluetooth mesh network can then seamlessly become an internet of things (IoT) network that is readily scalable and comparably straightforward to develop.
Fortunately for developers that already have mature Bluetooth LE stacks and deployments, Bluetooth mesh is complementary to the established Bluetooth LE protocol. Using a supplier’s Bluetooth Mesh SDK, a mesh network can rapidly be developed and optimized for a given application
BLUETOOTH MESH AND HOME AUTOMATION
Smart light bulbs, thermostats, vents, motion sensors, and many other smart home IoT applications are gaining in popularity. Typically, these home automation devices use a variety of different wireless standards and technologies and require various interconnected hubs and network routing throughout a home. Bluetooth mesh is promising as a protocol to simplify the smart home automation process by enabling a growing mesh network of devices readily set up and provisioned with a user’s smartphone or tablet.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Beta Release for ESP Bluetooth Mesh
https://blog.hackster.io/a-beta-release-for-esp-bluetooth-mesh-6eb8998334e6
Surprisingly perhaps, the Espressif ESP8266 and, more recently now the ESP32, both have official support for Wi-Fi mesh networking.
The idea the Bluetooth too could act in a mesh arrived much more recently with the Bluetooth 5 standard, and right now has fairly minimal real world support. Which means that yesterday’s announcement of support for BLE Mesh networking on the ESP32
ESP BLE Mesh v0.5 Beta has been released
https://esp32.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=7875
Tomi Engdahl says:
MESH-Bluetooth tuo kokonaan uusia sovelluksia
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/tekniset-artikkelit/9266-mesh-bluetooth-tuo-kokonaan-uusia-sovelluksia
Tomi Engdahl says:
Evaluation kit for Bluetooth SIG-compliant mesh
https://www.electropages.com/2019/05/evaluation-kit-bluetooth-sig-compliant-mesh?utm_campaign=2019-05-13-Electropages-Email-Newsletters&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=article&utm_content=Evaluation+kit+for+Bluetooth+SIG-compliant+mesh
Mouser now supplies the EZ-BT Mesh Evaluation kit from Cypress Semiconductor. The battery or USB-powered kit enables designers to evaluate the Bluetooth SIG mesh networking functionality of the CYBT-213043-02 EZ-BT WICED module.
Tomi Engdahl says:
u-blox ketjuttaa vesimittarit suomalaistekniikalla
https://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10764&via=n&datum=2020-05-13_15:27:18&mottagare=31202
Testissä australialaisen WaterSynergy Groupin WaterLink SmartMESH -vesimittari käyttää mesh-verkkotekniikkaa yhdistämään useita vesimittareita toisiinsa ja kännykkäverkkoon. Mesh-verkko perustuu suomalaisen Wirepasin kehittämään protokollaan, joka mahdollistaa kymmenien tuhansien laitteiden liittämiseen samaan mesh-verkkoon.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Design Considerations for Bluetooth Mesh Across Industrial, Home Environments
https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/iot/article/21131052/design-considerations-for-bluetooth-mesh-across-industrial-home-environments?utm_source=EG+ED+IoT+for+Engineers&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS200508057&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
BLE Mesh technology expands Bluetooth’s reach into an array of applications, but it brings to bear numerous design tradeoffs in both hardware and software. Here’s an intro to BLE Mesh and an overview of those tradeoffs framed in a smart-lighting context.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.embedded.com/bluetooth-mesh-models-the-building-blocks-for-interoperable-products/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=link&utm_medium=EDNFunFriday-20200703
Tomi Engdahl says:
Home
New Product Alerts
Articles
Products
News
Product Teardown
Engineering Distribution
Buyers Guide
Technology Centers
Analog / Mixed Signal ICs
Analog / Mixed Signal ICs Home
Amplifiers
Communications
Communications Interface
Comparators
Diodes
Discrete, Power Transistors
Drivers (Display, LED, etc.)
PLLs, Timing Devices
Power Management
Power Semiconductors
Sensors
SoCs, ASICs, ASSPs, MEMS
Standard Linear
Transistors / Diodes
Board Level Products
Board Level Products Home
Communication Boards
Interface
Memory / Storage
Multimedia
Signal Processing
Single Board Computer
Computer Peripherals
Computer Peripherals Home
Computer Peripherals
Display / Graphics
Input / Output
Storage
Systems
Computer Systems
Computer Systems Home
Modules
Servers
Standalone/ Mobile
Digital ICs
Digital ICs Home
Communications / Interface
Memory
Microprocessors, Microcontrollers, DSPs
SoCs, ASICs, ASSPs, MEMS
Standard and Programmable Logic
Video / Graphics / Audio
Discrete Semiconductors
Discrete Semiconductors Home
Transistors / Diodes
Power Semiconductors
Electromechanical Components
Electromechanical Components Home
Electromechanical Switches
Motors and Controllers
Relays and Solenoids
Interconnections
Interconnections Home
Connectors
Sockets and Pins
Wire and Cable
Manufacturing
Manufacturing Home
IC and Board Assembly
Optoelectronics
Optoelectronics Home
Displays
Fiber-optic Connectors, Cables, Transceivers
Hardware and Accessories
Image Sensors and Optical Detectors
Lamps and Bulbs
Lasers
LEDs
Optocouplers and Optoisolators
Packaging & Hardware
Packaging & Hardware Home
Adhesives, Sealants, Coatings
Device Packaging
Enclosures, Cabinets, and Chasis
Fasteners, Retainers, Panels, Clips
Protoyping Tools, Equipment, Services
Shielding and Insulation
Passive Components
Passive Components Home
Antennas
Capacitors
Circuit Protection
Magnetics, Inductors, Transformers
Oscillators, Crystals, Saw Filters
Resistors and Pontentiometers
Power Products
Power Products Home
AC/DC Power Supplies
Batteries and Fuel Cells
DC/DC Converters
Inverters
Power and Control
Power Management
Power Semiconductors
RF & Microwave Components
RF & Microwave Components Home
Microwave Components
RF and Microwave
Sensors and Transducers
Sensors and Transducers Home
Image Sensors and Optical Detectors
Sensors
Sensors and Transducers
Transducers
Software
Software Home
Development Tools and Software
EDA Software and Hardware
System
Test and Measurement Software
Test and Measurement
Test and Measurement Home
ATE
Benchtop, Rack Mountable
Panel Meters / Data Loggers / Monitors / Process Control
Portable / Handheld
Test and Measurement Software
Thermal Management
Thermal Management Home
Fans and Blowers
Heat Sinks and Thermal Materials
Thermoelectric Coolers
End Markets
Automotive / Transportation
Consumer Electronics / Appliances
Energy Generation / Distribution
Industrial
IT / Networking / Computing
Lighting
Medical
Military / Aerospace
Natural Resource Development
Science / Research
Security / Identification
Telecom / Broadcasting / Cable
Companies
Advanced Assembly
Advanced Assembly Content Information Center
News
Videos
Download Center
Avago Technologies
Avago Content Information Center
News
Download Center
Technical Articles
Blogs
Littelfuse
Littelfuse Company Information Center
Littelfuse News
Littelfuse Technical Articles
Maxim Integrated
Maxim Integrated Company Information Center
Blogs
Product of the Day
Microchip / Allied
Microchip / Allied Company Information Center
Product of the Day
Blogs
Mouser
Mouser Company Information Center
Technical Articles
Announcements
Blogs
Renesas
Renesas Company Information Center
News
Download Center
Technical Articles
Blogs
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Company Information Center
Product of the Day
Blogs
All Companies
Videos
Littelfuse Videos
Littelfuse Videos Content Information Center
Circuit Protection: Protecting Technology. Protecting Life
Littelfuse Speed2Design @ NASA
Littelfuse Speed2Design @ IndyCar
Tutorials
Download Center
Download Center Home
Datasheet Archive
Catalogs and Literature Downloads
Reference Design Directory
White Paper Downloads
Research Paper Downloads
Product Information Pages Downloads
Application Notes Downloads
Guides Downloads
eBooks Downloads
Circuit / Block Diagrams
Education Center
Education Center Home
Student Center
Fundamental EE
Outlook
How To
Versus
DIY
DIY Home
Interviews
What’s it Worth?
How To
Product of the Year
EEM
Newsletters
Energy Saving
Calculators and Tools
AspenCore
Search
Close
Sign In | Register
Close
Sign In Here
Register
Home > Digital ICs > SoCs, ASICs, ASSPs, MEMS
This article was posted on 06/23/2020
ON Semiconductor launches RSL10 BLE mesh platform
https://www.electronicproducts.com/Digital_ICs/SoCs_ASICs_ASSPs_MEMS/ON_Semiconductor_launches_RSL10_BLE_mesh_platform.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=link&utm_medium=EDNWeekly-20200709
ON Semiconductor’s RSL10 mesh platform meets all the requirements needed to develop and deploy a Bluetooth Low Energy mesh network for smart building and industrial IoT applications
Feasycom_Bluetooth says:
https://www.feasycom.com/product/bluetooth-module.html
https://www.feasycom.com/product/WiFi-and-Bluetooth-Combo-Module.html
https://www.feasycom.com/product/Bluetooth-Beacon.html
https://feasycom.com/product/Bluetooth-Adapter.html
Feasycom_Bluetooth says:
RTL8761BTV FSC-BT836B | Bluetooth 5 Dual-Mode Module High-Speed Solution
SOURCE FROM : https://www.feasycom.com/product-realtek-Bluetooth-5-Dual-Mode-Module-High-Speed.html
PRODUCTS:Bluetooth Module,WiFi Module ,Bluetooth Beacon,Development Board,Bluetooth Adapter
Basic Parameter
FSC-BT836B supports SPP, GATT(central/peripheral), HID profiles, it can transfer data in a high speed mode(SPP: 82KB/s, GATT: 75KB/s). FSC-BT836B also supports multiple connections(Supports connect with 1 iOS+7 Android smartphones simultaneously).
Bluetooth module model
FSC-BT836B
Bluetooth version
Bluetooth 5.0 dual mode(BR/EDR+BLE)
Dimension
13mm x 26.9mm x 2.0mm
Transmit power
+10dBm maximum
Power supply
3.3 V
Profiles
SPP, HID, GATT, ATT, GAP
Frequency
2.402 – 2.480 GHz
Antenna
Built-in PCB Antenna(Default), supports external antenna(Optional)
Highlights
High speed, Bluetooth 5.0, Multiple connections, OTA function, High compatibility, Supports iap2 protocol
Features:
* Fully qualified Bluetooth 5.0 dual mode.
* Postage stamp sized: 13*26.9 *2mm.
* Class 1.5 support(high output power).
* Profiles support: SPP, HID, GATT, ATT, GAP.
* The default UART Baud rate is 115.2Kbps and can support from 1200bps up to 921.6Kbps.
* UART, I2C ,USB hardware interfaces.
* Supports the OTA upgrade.
* Supports Apple MFi(iAP2), iBeacon.
* BQB, FCC, CE, KC,TELEC Certified.
Applications
*Smart Watch and Bluetooth Bracelet
*Health & Medical devices
*Wireless POS
*Measurement and Monitoring Systems
*Industrial Sensors and Control
*Asset Tracking
Feasycom_Bluetooth says:
RTL8720DN Chip BLE 5 & Wi-Fi Combo Module FSC-BW236
SOURCE FROM : https://www.feasycom.com/product-RTL8720DN-Chip-BLE-5-Wi-Fi-Combo-Module.html
PRODUCTS: Bluetooth Module,WiFi Module ,Bluetooth Beacon,Development Board,Bluetooth Adapter
Basic Parameter
Customer can transfer data via UART, I2C and SPI interface, FSC-BW236 supports Bluetooth GATT profiles and Wi-Fi TCP, UDP, HTTP, HTTPS, and MQTT protocols, the Wi-Fi maximum data rate can up to 150Mbps in 802.11n, 54Mbps in 802.11g and 802.11a, it supports install an external antenna to increase wireless coverage
FSC-BW236 Bluetooth & Wi-Fi combo module’s parameters:
Module Model
FSC-BW236
Wi-Fi
Version
802.11 a/b/g/n
Transmit Power
2.4GHz: 17.5dBm(11b), 15.5dBm(11g), 13.5dBm(11n)
5GHz: 8dBm(11a)
Bluetooth
Version
BLE 5.0
Transmit Power
+8dBm
Other Parameters
Interfaces
UART, SPI, I2C
Power Supply
3.0-3.6V
Dimension
13mm x 26.9mm x 2.2mm
Operation Temperature
-20℃ to +85℃
Storage Temperature
-55℃ to +125℃
MSL Grade
MSL 3
Feasycom_Bluetooth says:
DA14531 FSC-BP108 | IP67 Waterproof Bluetooth Beacon
SOURCE FROM : https://www.feasycom.com/product-DA14531-IP67-Waterproof-Bluetooth-Beacon-FSC-BP108.html
PRODUCTS: Bluetooth Module
WiFi Module
Bluetooth Beacon
Bluetooth Adapter
Basic Parameter
FSC-BP108 is an innovative IP67 Waterproof Bluetooth Beacon with Bluetooth 5.1 specifications, it simultaneously supports iBeacon, Eddystone (e.g. URL, UID, TLM), AltBeacon for broadcasting and provides the ability to advertise up to 10 slots of advertising frames.
Item Description
Chipset DA14531
Bluetooth Version Bluetooth 5.1
TX power -19.5 dBm to +2.5 dBm
Antenna Ceramic antenna
Power Supply CR3032
Battery Life 6 Years (ADV Interval = 1300 ms; TX Power = 0 dBm)
Material ABS plastic
Color White or customized
Size 48(L)mm x 37(W)mm x 7.8(H) mm
Net weight 15 g
Protection IP67
Operating temperature -20°C to +60°C
Features:
*IP67 Waterproof
*Bluetooth Beacon with design patent
*Bluetooth 5.1 Compliant
*Pre-programmed with Feasycom Standard Beacon Firmware
*Up to 10 slots of Advertising Frames
*Portable Smart Beacon with 6 Years Battery Life (At most)
*Configurable by Free FeasyBeacon Mobile App and SDK
*Customizable Color, Logo, Hardware, Software
Applications:
*Asset Tracking
*Pet Locating
*Advertising
*Proximity Marketing
Feasycom Provides:
*Free Beacon Configuring APP in Goole Play & APP Store(FeasyBeacon)
*Firmware, APP, Cloud SDK is avialable
*Pre-configure UUID, Major, Minor and etc before the shipment.
*Software, Hardware, Mold, Package can be customized
*Global Service and Technical Support