BLE Deployment Expands by 6.5 Billion Devices per Year
Bluetooth Mesh Supports Commercial and Industrial Applications
Mesh Network Capability Offers Advantages for Industry, Logistics and Retail
In 2017, the Bluetooth SIG published the three mesh networking specifications Mesh Profile, Mesh Model and Mesh Device Properties. Bluetooth mesh networks guarantee many-to-many (m:m) device communication and are optimized for creating large device networks. Designed to meet the scalability, reliability and security requirements of commercial and industrial environments, Bluetooth Mesh supports smart building and industrial deployments where dozens, hundreds or thousands of devices need to communicate effectively.
From factories to hospitals, airports, retail stores and homes, Bluetooth Mesh supports building technologies that deliver value to owners, operators and occupants. Since the release of the Mesh specifications in July 2017, Bluetooth Mesh has played a critical role in the development of emerging markets such as smart buildings, smart industry, smart cities and smart homes.
More than 400 products with mesh networking capability have already been qualified by leading IC, stack, component and end-product suppliers.
Indoor Localization
In the maintenance and logistics sector, BLE is suitable for indoor localization, as GPS signals only have muted reception quality inside buildings and since NFC only works properly over a range of a few centimeters. Technicians can locate and read previously tagged objects such as keys or tools – BLE tags can be the size of a button battery – via their smartphone, for example, because BLE tags ensure precise localization down to one meter.
Smart Lighting
The Bluetooth Mesh Model specification includes a complete feature set for building highly scalable and robust lighting control networks. Smart lighting systems, in addition to the wireless control of lighting, are suitable for the collection of environmental data such as temperature, air quality, noise level, CO2 concentration and more. BLE mesh-based lighting systems can also be used as part of asset tracking solutions, providing information about the position and movement of tagged objects.
