What is Bluetooth?

Bluetooth is a wireless communication technology that connects devices within a short distance . Although it is an image that is installed in earphones, speakers, keyboards, mice, etc., various communication methods have been established depending on the version, and it is expected to be used in various industries and services in the future.

In this article, we will explain the basic knowledge and characteristics of Bluetooth, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) , a type of Bluetooth , and Bluetooth device beacons . It also introduces a Bluetooth use case.

What is Bluetooth? Explanation of basic knowledge and features

First, an overview of Bluetooth is introduced. We will also explain the advantages and disadvantages of each feature, as well as the differences between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Basic knowledge of Bluetooth

Bluetooth is one of the wireless communication technologies . Using the 2.4GHz band, which is an ultra- short wave , you can wirelessly connect digital devices within a short distance .

Because it is a global standard , it is highly versatile and has been adopted by various manufacturers in their products. More than 36,000 organizations, including Microsoft, Apple, and Google, are members of the Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) , a standardization body for Bluetooth standards, and 45 Bluetooth devices were shipped in 2020 alone. It is also predicted to exceed 100 million units .

In the future, it is expected not only for personal use such as personal computers and audio equipment, but also as a communication technology that realizes smart cities and smart homes.

Features, advantages and disadvantages of Bluetooth

Although the characteristics of Bluetooth differ for each standard, they are mainly summarized in the following four points.

Features (1) Low power consumption

Bluetooth consumes less power than wireless LAN such as Wi-Fi. In particular, BLE, which will be described later, specializes in power saving, and some can operate for several months to several years with a single battery. Therefore, it is suitable for things that will be used for a long time, such as mice, keyboards, and IoT devices.

However, because the frequency of battery replacement is low, there have been cases where people did not notice that the battery had run out several years after installation. Recently, beacons that use solar power, etc., and beacons that do not require battery replacement have been developed.

Feature ② Low cost

It’s been over 20 years since Bluetooth appeared. Bluetooth devices and related services are becoming cheaper as we move into the IoT era.

In particular, the Bluetooth device “Beacon” is a simple device with only a small base and batteries, and is very reasonably priced. The operating cost is basically only the battery cost.

Houwa System Design , a hardware and software development company , sells a wide variety of beacons for various purposes, such as measures to promote store visits, indoor positioning, and inventory management. The beacon “BLEAD-SL” that emits sound and light costs 20,000 yen for a pack of three. It is said that it will operate for about a year with a coin battery of several hundred yen.

While it is easy to introduce, for services that require a high level of security, it is necessary to devise ways such as combining it with another solution.

The “contact confirmation app”, which is concerned about the handling of personal information, has a mechanism that makes it impossible to identify each other by randomly generating identifiers.

Feature (3) Small size and light weight

Many beacons are small and lightweight, and the Howa System-designed beacon mentioned above has a diameter of 5 cm and a weight of 28 g. It does not require installation work and is easy to handle. Since it is suitable for carrying around, pendant-type beacons are also available for monitoring services for children and the elderly.

However, since short-range communication is the principle, it must be installed in conspicuous places such as shops and public facilities, and there is a risk of theft or loss.

Feature ④ Low complexity

Bluetooth has a data model that is relatively easy for developers to understand. It is characterized by its ability to extend functions and use the framework freely, making it easy to apply to a variety of services.

However, in “broadcast communication,” which transmits information to an unspecified number of people, the receiving side (smartphone, etc.) must be equipped with a mechanism such as an application. Therefore, when using Bluetooth for commercial services, UX design is required, such as having users download an app.

Difference between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi

When it comes to wireless communication, many people probably think of Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi is a type of wireless LAN. LAN is an abbreviation for “Local Area Network”, and it is a network that is used within a single facility such as an office or home. For use, a Wi-Fi device called an access point is installed. You can connect computers, smartphones, etc. to the Internet within the range of the radio waves.

Wireless LAN is good at medium to long distance communication, and the communication distance is about 100m indoors and 300m outdoors. It corresponds to 3 to 10 times the communication distance of Bluetooth.

Also, while wireless LAN is supposed to connect many people, Bluetooth is mainly one-to-one. Therefore, although it depends on the standard and usage conditions, wireless LAN can connect to a larger number of devices.

However, the power consumption of wireless LAN is large, requiring about 25 times the power of Bluetooth.

Terminology used in Bluetooth

From here, I will explain three terms used to describe Bluetooth functions.

Terminology (1) Version

The version is the Bluetooth standard . Starting with “Bluetooth 1.0”, the latest is “Bluetooth 5”. So far, data transfer speed, connection quality, security aspects, etc. have been improved.

Term ② Class

The class is the reach of radio waves . It can be divided into the following three types according to the distance.

Class 1: Up to 100m
Class 2: Up to 10m
Class 3: Up to 1m

Most of the devices we use on a daily basis are class 1 or 2.

Term ③ Profile

A profile is a definition of Bluetooth that is implemented for a function (use case) . In other words, it refers to the services provided by the device.

Bluetooth history and types

From here, we will explain the difference between Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth Low Energy while tracing the history of Bluetooth. We will also introduce Bluetooth Mesh, a feature of the latest standard.

Bluetooth Classic

Bluetooth Classic refers to “Bluetooth 1.0” released to the public in July 1999 to “Bluetooth 3.0″ released in April 2009. It is mainly for personal use such as audio transfer and pairing of PC peripherals.

The main device such as a computer or smartphone is called the ” master “, and peripheral devices such as mice and earphones are called the ” slave ” .

Bluetooth was invented in 1994. Development started as an in-house project of the Swedish telecommunications equipment manufacturer Ericsson. It was designed as a new communication technology to replace the wired communication standard “RS-232” that was standard on personal computers.

In 1999, when Bluetooth 1.0 was released, wireless headphones emerged as the first consumer Bluetooth devices. Mobile phones, printers, and mice followed.

“Bluetooth 2.0” released in November 2004 has an EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) function, and “Bluetooth 3.0” released in April 2009 has an HS (High Speed) function. . It has become easier to send audio and video data with large file sizes.

BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)

LE (Low Energy) function installed in “Bluetooth 4.0” released in December 2009 . Switching from high speed to power saving, active power consumption is about 1/10 of Bluetooth Classic. Therefore, it began to spread rapidly as a basic technology for IoT and wearable devices.

Unlike EDR and HS, which have been added as options for Bluetooth 1.0, LE is a completely new communication standard . Therefore, it is called BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) to distinguish it from Bluetooth Classic.

With BLE, not only peer-to-peer communication but also broadcast communication (communication for an unspecified number of people) is possible. In this case, devices that provide services such as location information are called ” peripherals “, and devices such as smartphones that receive such services are called ” central “.

Devices that fall under Peripherals have beacons . For details, see ” What is a Bluetooth device beacon ” later .

Bluetooth mesh

In “Bluetooth 5” released in June 2016, BLE was expanded and mesh network compatible function was added.

As a result, it has evolved further from Bluetooth Classic’s “one-to-one” and BLE’s “one-to-many”, enabling “many-to-many” communication. We will promote smart homes and smart buildings by connecting various things such as lighting, air conditioning, and disaster prevention systems.

Ken Cordrup of Bluetooth SIG cites the benefits of Bluetooth Mesh as reliability of mesh networks and scalability to accommodate up to 32,000 devices in one network.

What is Bluetooth device “Beacon”?

From here, I will explain the device “beacon” that supports Bluetooth 4.0 or later.

Basic knowledge of Beacon

A beacon is a device that unilaterally sends signals such as radio waves and light in BLE communication . The service will be developed for the first time after a device such as a smartphone that receives the signal and an application that processes the information .

Beacons themselves do not operate functions or provide services to users.

Examples of services that utilize Beacon

Beacons are already being used for various services.

Radio beacons and optical beacons are used in the road traffic field. Information such as traffic jams, road closures, and required times can be transmitted from beacons installed on roads, and displayed on car navigation systems of passing vehicles.

In mountain activities, “avalanche beacons” carried by climbers and skiers are used. In the event of an avalanche or slide accident, radio waves emitted from the beacons are used to conduct search activities.

It is also possible to create a heat map by recording a combination of user location information and identification information. By visualizing the flow of facility users, it is possible to determine the degree of congestion and use it for marketing measures.

Some types of beacons are equipped with sensor functions such as temperature, humidity, and illuminance. It is expected to be used in the construction of smart buildings and in the agriculture and livestock industries.

Types of Beacons

There are many different beacons on the market today. Here, we introduce representative beacons from Apple and Google.

Apple’s beacon “iBeacon”

iBeacon is a standard installed in iOS 7 released in 2013. It is used to observe the beacon area and measure the distance to the beacon, and is positioned as a technology for expanding location information services.

Beacon is originally a word that refers to “bonfire” or “beacon”. The iBeacon was named by combining “i” and “Beacon”, which are characteristic of Apple’s product naming, referring to the way signals are transmitted to distant parties.

Google’s beacon “Eddystone”

Eddystone is a beacon standard announced by Google in 2015. It can be divided into three types, UID, URL, and TLM, depending on the difference in the transmitted data.

The name Eddystone comes from the lighthouse at Eddystone Rocks in the Falkland Islands, England. This is because the appearance of lighthouses emitting light and the appearance of beacons continuing to send signals are similar.

Difference between Beacon and GPS

Position information measurement system “GPS” using artificial satellites. Positions are indicated by plane coordinates based on latitude and longitude, and are often used in location information services such as map applications.

The disadvantage of GPS is that it is not possible to obtain accurate location information in high places such as inside a building. Also, since radio waves are received from satellites, an error of several meters may occur depending on the communication conditions.

On the other hand, since beacons determine the distance based on the strength of radio waves, it is possible to indicate the number of floors of a building. In addition, even adjacent stores and facilities can be identified with high accuracy if beacons are installed in each.

Bluetooth use case

From here, we will introduce various use cases that utilize Bluetooth.

Smart Building/Smart Home

Wireless communication networks, including Bluetooth, can connect different things in a building and facilitate building automation systems. We can comprehensively manage air conditioning equipment, electrical equipment, water supply and drainage sanitary equipment, disaster prevention/crime prevention equipment, and mechanical equipment, and realize comfortable indoor environments, energy conservation, and enhanced security.

mobile payment

Using Bluetooth enables “walk-through payment,” in which payment is completed simply by passing through the POS register. There is no need to hold your smartphone over the payment device or wait in line at the cash register, making payments smooth and efficient.

medical services

Bluetooth, which has less impact on medical equipment than other radio waves, will also play an important role in building smart hospitals.

What is most expected is to grasp the location information of medical staff, patients, and medical equipment. It will lead to prompt medical treatment in an emergency and prevention of accident where the patient’s whereabouts are unknown.

In addition, if the patient wears a wearable device with a sensor, they can check their heart rate and blood pressure in real time, improving the speed of responding to abnormalities.

education service

In the field of programming learning, Bluetooth-equipped robots and microcomputer boards are on sale. You can easily operate it by downloading a dedicated application to your smartphone or tablet. In addition to electronic crafts for IoT, it has recently been used for children’s programming education.

Agriculture/Livestock

Using sensor-equipped beacons to collect and analyze data such as temperature, soil moisture, and chlorophyll levels will lead to more efficient agricultural work and higher yields. It is also possible to implement predictive maintenance of facilities such as water supply tanks and agricultural and dairy equipment.

In the livestock industry, wearable devices can also be used to track livestock for reproductive management and disease detection.

retail business

Placing beacons in shopping malls and malls can improve customer experience and engagement.

Stores can send a variety of information via beacons, such as floor guides, sale information, and points to visit. It also makes it easier to personalize services, such as focusing on repeaters for campaign information.

By combining beacons that acquire location information of customers and products in the store with technologies such as AI, it is possible to realize unmanned payment stores. In that case, the aforementioned mobile payment will also be an indispensable factor.

tourism

Installing beacons at tourist attractions and hotels will help promote smart tourism.

Beacons can be used to display tourist guides and maps, direct visitors to e-commerce sites for specialty products, and make hotel reservations. You can also send information on how crowded the area is and when there are no vacancies, so you can guide tourists safely and comfortably.

As inbound measures, we can also consider developing multilingual signage and introducing manners with videos.

Public transport

By installing beacons at bus stops and stations, it is possible to send timetables, route information, vehicle approach information, and congestion status. Walk-through fare payment will also be realized in the same way as unmanned payment stores.

By accumulating data such as congestion rate and stop frequency, it can be used for future safety management and traffic planning.

automotive industry

One that is already popular is the smart entry function that utilizes BLE. Since it is possible to lock/unlock and start the engine with a virtual key, it will become a key technology in the car sharing market, which is expected to expand in the future.

In addition, by detecting the state of the driver and vehicle with sensors, it is possible to warn the risk of an accident based on the state of health, and to connect it to predictive maintenance such as remote maintenance.

Crime prevention/disaster prevention

If emergency telephones, AEDs, and other equipment are equipped with beacons, they will be easier to find even in emergencies, making it possible to respond quickly. Also, if it becomes possible to grasp detailed location information from beacons, it will be useful when reporting.

In recent years, beacons have also been used for monitoring services for children, the elderly, and pets. This is a service that tracks location information by having users carry beacons and receive their radio waves with receivers installed in local shops and facilities.

Recently, Bluetooth is also used to detect contact with people infected with the new coronavirus. Countries that use Bluetooth as a contact tracing method include India, Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan.

smart city

Applying the above-mentioned various mechanisms to the city will make it possible to realize a smart city by improving administrative work efficiency, energy conservation, effective use of resources and budgets, and improving the convenience of public transportation. In addition, by analyzing the acquired data, it will be possible to support the proposal, decision, and implementation of policies.

Development examples using Bluetooth

Here, we introduce development examples in which Monster Lab and its employees were involved.

DOAC/LIXIL

The electric door opener system “DOAC” developed by LIXIL can be retrofitted to the entrance doors of various manufacturers, making it a new barrier-free product that anyone can easily use. Monster Lab was in charge of each process from defining the requirements for the “DOAC” dedicated application to technical research, UX/UI design, and product development.

If you use the app linked to the product, you can easily operate it with Bluetooth connection. The app was released as the world’s first voice-operated entrance door automatic opening/closing system.

Contact confirmation app “Mamoriai Japan” / Code for Japan

“Mamoriai Japan” is a new coronavirus contact confirmation application independently developed by Code for Japan, a general incorporated association. Twelve employees from Monster Lab participated in the project, mainly involved in backend development.

The “Mamoriai Japan” app uses the Bluetooth installed in your smartphone to notify you of the possibility of close contact with a person infected with the new coronavirus. You can see the development process, results, and knowledge sharing by the employees who participated in the project from the following.

Summary: Bluetooth that supports DX promotion

By building a network in combination with high-speed mobile communication systems such as 5G, Bluetooth supports IoT and serves as the foundation for promoting DX. Please refer to the characteristics and use cases unique to Bluetooth and use them to develop new services.

For managers and company personnel who are worried about DX promotion efforts

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