Bluetooth 4.0 uses a small fraction
of the power consumed by previous versions of Bluetooth and many other wireless
technologies. Since it has been optimized for transmitting small bursts of data
very efficiently, devices and sensors using 4.0 can run for years at a stretch
without requiring a recharge or battery change.
The Bluetooth SIG is a global trade
association with more than 17,000 member companies. It was formed with five
companies in 1998, and today, has a membership that surpasses 17,000
companies worldwide.
Last year, Apple announced that the iPhone
4S will support Bluetooth v4.0 and become the first Bluetooth Smart Ready
phone. The SIG adopted 29 new Bluetooth v4.0 profiles, services, protocols and
prototyping specifications, creating the infrastructure for Bluetooth Smart
devices.
Elaborating on the Bluetooth 4.0
technology, Suke Jawanda, chief marketing officer, Bluetooth SIG, shared that
it was a revolutionary update for Bluetooth as its low-power feature enable
whole new categories of devices to become part of the connected world.
Bluetooth
4.0: Low-power feature enables revolutionary uptake
"As these devices can now run for
months or years on a tiny battery, it is now feasible to liberate data from
just about any electronic device you can imagine (security sensor, athletic
equipment and apparel, toothbrush, thermostat, heart rate monitor) and send
that data to applications that are on the ubiquitous Bluetooth hub devices
like smart phones or tablets, or to the cloud," he said.
Where is Bluetooth 4.0 being used?
Bluetooth 4.0 is currently appearing in hub
devices and edge devices. The Bluetooth SIG refers to hub devices using
Bluetooth 4.0 as 'Bluetooth Smart Ready,' as these are 'ready' to connect to
the entire universe of Bluetooth devices in the market. Examples of Bluetooth
Smart Ready products in the market are the iPhone 5 and 4S, new iPad, Motorola
RAZR and Samsung Galaxy, just to name a few.
Low-energy edge devices are referred to as
Bluetooth Smart. Examples of Bluetooth Smart devices are the Polar H7 heart
rate monitor, the Wahoo Fitness Blue HC Cycling monitor and the Casio G-Shock
GB-6900 smart watch.
All of the devices on the market can be
found at www.bluetooth.com/Pages/Bluetooth-Smart-Devices-List.aspx
Almost no power requirement!
It seems that Bluetooth 4.0 is targeted for
small, battery-operated devices and similar products that require almost no
power. Jawanda agrees, adding that Bluetooth 4.0 uses a small fraction of the
power consumed by previous versions of Bluetooth and many other wireless
technologies.
Since it has been optimized for
transmitting small bursts of data very efficiently, devices and sensors using
Bluetooth 4.0 can run for years at a stretch without requiring a recharge or
battery change. This dramatically increases the number of potential devices
that can use wireless connectivity.
For example, wireless keyboards that run on
two AA-size batteries and last up to six months without a recharge/replacement
can now last over six years if they are a Bluetooth Smart device, given the
Ultra-Low-Power performance of Bluetooth v4.0.
More applications and range!
It would be interesting to note some of the
other applications suitable for Bluetooth 4.0.
According to Jawanda, virtually anything
that needs to send relatively small burst of data (vs a constant stream like
audio and video) at various times can be a suitable application for Bluetooth
4.0. Heart rate monitors, glucose meters, pedometers, cycling sensors, running
sensors, running shoes, golf clubs, security and home automation sensors,
watches and irrigation controllers are examples of Bluetooth Smart products
coming to the market.
Bluetooth
Smart Ready Apple iPhone 5
The range covered by Bluetooth 4.0 is
approximately 30 meters, typically.
"There is nothing inherent in the
specification itself that limits the range. Range is a function of the environment
the wireless device is operating in and the device hardware itself (for
example, how powerful the antenna is)," Jawanda adds. There are industrial
applications of Bluetooth that have a range of approximately 1 kilometer.
New use-cases
Does Bluetooth 4.0 open up new use-cases,
much more than Bluetooth 3.0 ever did?
Does
Bluetooth 4.0 open up new use-cases, much more than Bluetooth 3.0 ever did?
The answer is 'yes', and that's because of
Bluetooth 4.0's ultra-low power consumption. Bluetooth is the key technology
to bring billions of disconnected devices into the connected world. The
technology is already transforming industries like sports and fitness today.
Bluetooth is enabling manufacturers to
efficiently embed their power-sensitive products with a high-performing and
secure sensor technology that allows them to securely send data to devices
their customers already have (their phones, tablets, PCs) and feed the applications
on these devices or in the cloud.
The data coming from the Bluetooth sensor
is then turned into information by the application, delighting end-users and allowing
OEMs to have a deep service relationship with their customers.
Jawanda says, "We see this transformation
happening in massive verticals like healthcare, smart home and industrial
automation. The 'Connected things' are all part of the bigger movement towards
the 'Internet of things' or IoT, and Bluetooth technology is considered as the
backbone wireless technology to connect the billions of power-sensitive sensors
ultimately to Web services.
"The proliferation of Bluetooth technology
is booming, and ABI Research expects two billion Bluetooth-enabled products to
be shipped in 2012 alone. The figure will grow to approximately 5 billion per
year within the next few years."
A total of ten billion Bluetooth products
have already been shipped since inception. This massive network of connected
devices will double by 2017. The new use-cases stimulated by Bluetooth v4.0
(and its hallmark low-energy feature) are driving much of this growth.
Bluetooth 4.0 also complements the
continued proliferation of Bluetooth Basic Rate/Enhanced Data Rate (BR/EDR)
that has and will continue to power wireless audio devices like wireless
headsets, speakers and headphones.