The Bluetooth core specification has been updated to version 4.1 to provide increased co-existence support for Long Term Evolution (LTE) and to prepare for IP-based connectivity, thereby extending Bluetooth’s usefulness for Internet of Things applications.
The change is described as a significant evolution of the specification – building on the introduction of Bluetooth Smart, otherwise known as Bluetooth Low Energy in 2010, and the upgrade of the core specification to version 4.0.
Amongst the changes is support for LTE and Bluetooth radios to communicate with each other automatically for the purpose of coordination and to reduce the possibility of near-band interference. Reconnection time has been made variable and brought under developer control. This can be used to improve the user experience by allowing devices to reconnect automatically after moving out of range briefly. The 4.1 specification also increases the bulk data transfer capacity so that volumes of data collected when out of connection can be uploaded efficiently once a connection is made.
Other changes include the ability for devices to be in hub and client modes at the same time so that a device, say a Smartwatch, can be a Bluetooth Smart peripheral and a Bluetooth Smart hub at the same time.
Finally a standard means has been specified to create a dedicated data channel within a broader communications mix. This could be used for IPv6 communications and lays the ground work for the addition of IP connectivity to Bluetooth Smart and its use as short-range wireless link for Internet of Things applications.
Bluetooth devices are currently shipping at a rate of 2 billion units per year and more than 4.5 billion Bluetooth Smart devices will ship over the next five years, according to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group.
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