BLE Deployment Expands by 6.5 Billion Devices per Year
The Use of Energy-saving Data Transmission with BLE in Buildings
BLE Devices Transmit Data in Six Milliseconds
The net data rate of BLE is 0.27 megabits per second. Bluetooth-enabled devices can establish a connection within three milliseconds and complete a data transfer in six milliseconds without delays. The short signal pulses during data transmission contribute to the low power consumption of BLE devices with a minimum of ten milliwatts. Data security is ensured via the 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).
Proximity Marketing with BLE
BLE beacons are also used for proximity marketing. In shopping malls or stores, for example, potential customers can receive location-based advertising or participate in the distribution of coupons via the BLE function of their smartphone. For this reason, BLE proximity marketing is currently mainly used in retail, where BLE can also be used for internal process optimization via tracking & tracing or in consumer-facing functions.
BLE Deployment in Infrastructure Management
One of the most extensive areas of application for BLE technology is the monitoring of technical equipment. An easy-to-integrate sensor network controls the function of escalators, elevators or ventilation systems. In the event of deviations from predefined threshold values, for example temperature development on electric motors, messages can be sent automatically to the maintenance service.
Modulation via GFSK and FHSS Prevents Collisions in Signal Transmission
Due to the modulation method used, BLE is suitable for transmitting small data packets in rapid succession. Modulation takes place using Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying (GFSK) and frequency hopping (FHSS). GFSK is a modulation technique by modified Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) using a Gaussian filter. In Frequency Shift Keying, the transmitted carrier signal is filtered so that the high frequency components of the signal are eliminated and less bandwidth is required to transmit the signal.
FHSS is used to ensure interference-free transmission and to prevent collisions with other signal transmissions by transmitting at 1,600 frequency hops per second between predetermined frequency channels. For this purpose, the frequency band is divided into 40 channels with a width of two megahertz. Three of the 40 channels are reserved for contact between BLE devices. At the lower and upper end of the frequency range, one frequency band each serves as a safety band to neighboring frequency ranges.