Bluetooth® 4.0 Low Energy

nBlue™ nano ampere network module

Bluetooth 4.0 low energy holds the promise of wireless connectivity everywhere, to everything.

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is an emerging open standard under development by the Bluetooth SIG that will offer state-of-the-art communication technology in the sports and fitness, medical, watch, home and office and other consumer markets. Bluetooth low energy technology will offer a low-cost, low-power interface to your cellular phone, laptop, or other Bluetooth enabled product. Though Bluetooth low energy is a separate standard from Bluetooth, it can be easily integrated into existing Bluetooth chipsets and is poised for extensive roll-out in cellular phones and Bluetooth-enabled devices in 2010.
Bluetooth Low Energy Factsheet (34KB)

Automated Connectivity for Mobile Devices in Sports and Fitness, Home Automation, and Healthcare.
Low Energy Bluetooth (or Bluetooth Low Energy – BLE) does not compete with existing Bluetooth nor does it extend existing Bluetooth directly. Instead it is a separate method of transmitting and receiving small amounts of data that can reside alongside existing Bluetooth software stacks on Bluetooth ICs and also share some key elements such as the Bluetooth radio and antenna to provide a new range of services.

BLE’s advantages are twofold. The possibility of integrating Low Energy Bluetooth into all new Bluetooth ICs at little or no increased cost seeds the market for BLE devices. In addition, by allowing mobile handsets to act as gateways to the WAN/Internet, Low Energy Bluetooth supports a new generation of real-time online applications for low-power personal devices.

As the leader in OEM RF module solutions, BlueRadios is pleased to be an active contributor to the emerging Bluetooth 4.0 low energy industry. The nBlue BR-LE4.0-S2 which is the first operational single-mode, system-on-chip module to support Bluetooth low energy, is currently sampling to selected customers and will be available for the mass market Q3/2010.

nBlue BR-LE4.0-S2 is a standalone solution and requires no firmware. Custom client applications can be written directly onto the nBlue, which supports both analog and digital peripherals, eliminating the need for a second costly microprocessor. Alternately, the BR-LE4.0-S2 can be integrated into an existing design as a HCI network processor device, with a host processor running the core application and the BR-LE4.0-S2 providing Bluetooth low energy communication.

Why Bluetooth low energy from BlueRadios?

BlueRadios provides both dual-mode and single-mode module solutions with or without antennas.
BlueRadios has demonstrated the world’s first SOC module (controller, host, and application on one device) single-mode Bluetooth low energy turnkey module.
BlueRadios provides a total module solution: RF ICs, protocol stacks, profile software, application examples, development kits, integrated antenna, plus end certifications.
BlueRadios provides a $99 single-mode Bluetooth low energy module development kit and a royalty-free protocol stack with integrated application.
Taking advantage of this Bluetooth dual-mode infrastructure, single-mode Bluetooth devices like BlueRadios BR-LE4.0-S2 offer a low-cost, low-power solution that easily integrates into existing or new products.

Why Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE):

Compared to classic Bluetooth-enabled products, Bluetooth low energy enables the use of coin cells and energy harvesting solutions where applications can operate more than a year on a tiny button cell battery without recharging.
Dual-mode devices enable connectivity to cell phones as Bluetooth low energy is easily integrated with traditional Bluetooth technology.
Single-mode devices only support Bluetooth low energy and is optimized for low-power, low-cost solutions.
Multi-vendor interoperability
Enhanced range

nBlue S2 BLE module with U.FL test connector

Breakout board for BlueRadios family of modules (pictured with nBlue S2 BLE module). Sensor key fob pictured to the right.

USB Evaluation Dongle for BlueRadios family of module products (pictured with S2 BLE module).


Includes plastic housing with external push button, and breakout pads on top of PCB..

Technical Details

Data Transfers – Bluetooth low energy technology supports very short data packets (8 octet minimum up to 27 octets maximum) that are transferred at 1 Mbps. All connections use advanced sniff-subrating to achieve ultra low duty cycles.

Frequency Hopping – Bluetooth low energy technology uses the adaptive frequency hopping common to all versions of Bluetooth technology to minimize interference from other technologies in the 2.4 GHz ISM Band. Efficient multi-path benefits increase the link budgets and range.

Host Control – Bluetooth low energy technology places a significant amount of intelligence in the controller, which allows the host to sleep for longer periods of time and be woken up by the controller only when the host needs to perform some action. This allows for the greatest current savings since the host is assumed to consume more power than the controller.

Latency – Bluetooth low energy technology can support connection setup and data transfer as low as 3ms, allowing an application to form a connection and then transfer authenticated data in few milliseconds for a short communication burst before quickly tearing down the connection.

Range – Increased modulation index provides a possible range for Bluetooth low energy technology of over 100 meters.

Robustness – Bluetooth low energy technology uses a strong 24 bit CRC on all packets ensuring the maximum robustness against interference.

Strong Security – Full AES-128 encryption using CCM to provide strong encryption and authentication of data packets.

Topology – Bluetooth low energy technology uses a 32 bit access address on every packet for each slave, allowing billions of devices to be connected. The technology is optimized for one-to-one connections while allowing one-to-many connections using a star topology. With the use of quick connections and disconnections, data can move in a mesh-like topology without the complexities of maintaining a mesh network.

nBlue BR-LE4.0-S2 features and benefits:

Integrated module solution
        - Lower cost
        - Smaller physical size
Flash-based
        - Flexibility for developers
        - Device firmware can be updated in the field if necessary
        - Persistent data and custom applications can be stored on-module
Complete solution
        - BlueRadios provides module, protocol stack, basic profile software and applications support
Excellent RF performance
        - Excellent link budget provides for long range
        - Excellent selectivity provides for good coexistence with other 2.4-GHz devices
Ultra-low power consumption
        - Very long battery life
        - Can use coin cells or alkaline batteries, no need for rechargeable batteries
Pin-compatible with legacy Bluetooth 1.1, 1.2, and 2.0 BlueRadios modules
        - IEEE 802.15.4 (ZigBee®, RF4CE, 6LoWPAN) systems can use the same PCBs as Bluetooth low           energy and proprietary 2.4-GHz systems
        - Investments in hardware and software development can cross protocol boundaries

Benefits of BLE over traditional Bluetooth

IP aware, automatically interacts directly with the web application, phone PC, STB, or gateway is a pass through no special applications required on the Gateway which is a transparent pipe from device to an IP address.

Broadcast support
Connectionless always off technology
Proximity and out of range detection
3 msec. connect time and low data latency
First low power wireless technology standard

APPLICATIONS

A single 3.0 volt coin battery can support 1 second connection intervals for over a year. BLE is not recommended for data streaming applications over the standard defined profiles like GAP & GATT.

Telemedicine / Telehealth	Health Care and Medical
Medical Patient Monitoring	Smart Grid
Human Interface Devices	Automated Meter Reading (AMR)
Sports and leisure equipment	Home and Building Automation
Mobile phone accessories	Machine-to-Machine (M2M)
Consumer Electronics	Wireless Sensor Networks
Proximity	Wireless Alarms and Security
Remote monitoring and control	Lighting and HVAC control

Bluetooth low energy single mode is not compatiable with legacy Bluetooth only dual mode devices are. Single mode is ideal for end devices and dual mode is for gateway type devices.

Early adopter notification by emailing to sales@blueradios.com and include full contact information.

Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy Evaluation Kit>>>