13
As the Bluetooth connection interval is reduced, the number
of Bluetooth connection events increase, and the Zigbee
throughput decreases due to the decreased radio time on the
Zigbee network. Note that 100% end-to-end message reliability
was achieved and, although throughput decreased due to longer
data transfer, no Zigbee application messages were lost.
To verify the impact of advertisement intervals the device was
configured to transmit Bluetooth advertisements at varying
intervals instead of maintaining a Bluetooth connection. Since
Bluetooth advertisements packets are larger than Bluetooth
connection keepalives, they have a slightly higher impact on
Zigbee throughput for the same time interval. Advertisement
intervals as short as 0.5 seconds have little impact on Zigbee
throughput and should meet the needs of most use cases.
Designing Systems with Multiprotocol Connectivity
With dynamic multiprotocol hardware and software it is now
feasible to combine the benefits of multiple protocols in cost
effective manner on a single SoC. Home automation, asset
tracking, and retail advertising can benefit from combining
Zigbee and Bluetooth connectivity on a device.
Each device and application has unique needs that require
software configurability of items such as Bluetooth connection
intervals. Before embarking on development is important to
ensure the underlying software and hardware architecture
is designed for effective resource sharing of the radio and
enables advanced scheduling scenarios. In addition, testing and
performance benchmarks should be defined with the specific
application and system use cases in mind to ensure proper
operation in the field.
Figure 5: Zigbee throughput vs. Bluetooth connection interval
Figure 6: Zigbee throughputs vs. Bluetooth advertisement interval
Enhance Home and Building Automation with
Multiprotocol Wireless Connectivity
Smart lighting has experienced notable success in home
and building automation thanks to a wide selection of
application-specific wireless protocols. During this webinar,
we'll discuss the wireless technologies that best serve smart
lighting, homes, and buildings and consider the benefits of
enabling simultaneous operation of Zigbee and Bluetooth
low energy (BLE) on a single device.
By Tom Pannell, Senior Director of IoT Marketing, Silicon Labs
