6
Bluetooth 5 – Now with Mesh
Range, speed, and bandwidth are the core improvements
introduced in Bluetooth 5. Doubling the speed and quadrupling
the range of Bluetooth 4, Bluetooth 5 has added many
additional improvements over previous versions. Data length
extensions (DLE) allow for eight times the previous message
length. These new enhancements of Bluetooth 5.0 focus on
increasing functionality for home automation and the IoT.
Two new features for Bluetooth 5 deserve a closer look:
Mesh networking and beaconing.
Mesh networking is something new for Bluetooth. Considered a
drawback in previous versions, each node of the network could
only communicate with the hub in a star-like relationship shown
(Figure 3). Bluetooth 5 has incorporated mesh networking,
which allows node-to-node communication.
Aside from the improvements in speed that Bluetooth 5 gives
home automation components, it's worth noting that wearables
will benefit from the increased data rate and range. I've owned
two trackers/wearables, and my biggest disappointment with
both was battery life. Wearable devices typically operate in a
low-power sleep mode. When needed, they quickly wake, send
or receive data, and then go back to sleep mode to save power.
Since the data rate of Bluetooth 5 is faster, transmission time is
shorter, thus saving power.
Beacons are a new feature of Bluetooth 5 that very effectively
broadcast short messages over short distances and track
Bluetooth-enabled devices without the need for pairing between
the beacon and the device. Although the retail industry is the
current focus of beaconing, home and industrial applications
are soon likely to take advantage of the very low power
consumption of the beacon.
Several companies have already started producing Bluetooth
5 supported systems on a chip. The Silicon Labs EFR32MG13
Mighty Gecko Multi-Protocol can be used for battery-operated
applications and other systems requiring high-performance
and low-energy consumption. This System-on-a-Chip (SoC) is
designed for home automation and other IoT applications:
- IoT multi-protocol devices
- Connected home
- Lighting
- Health and wellness
- Metering
- Home and building automation and security
Figure 4: The Silicon Labs EFR32MG13 Mighty Gecko
Multi-Protocol. Source: Mouser Electronics
Silicon Labs BGM13P Blue Gecko Bluetooth Mesh Modules
offer a turnkey SoC Bluetooth 5 system in a compact package.
Focused even more on Bluetooth 5 mesh systems, its
applications include:
- IoT end devices and gateways
- Wearables
- Health, sports, and wellness devices
- Industrial, home, and building automation
- Smartphone, tablet, and PC accessories
- Beacons
Figure 3: Illustration of hub and spoke, or "star," network and a
mesh network layout.
Figure 5: The Silicon Labs BGM13P Blue Gecko Bluetooth
Mesh Modules. Source: Mouser Electronics
