Bluetooth® Low Energy starts to arrive in smartphones

Apple’s iPhone 4S is the first of a number of iOS and Android smartphones which are being shipped with the new Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) standard, as part of Bluetooth® v4.0. This standard is entirely different from the Bluetooth® wireless technology used to connect headsets to your mobile phone, and the like, but uses the same chip in the phone. BLE is a communication standard designed for sending and receiving short and infrequent messages from nearby devices such as temperature sensors, proximity sensors and medical devices such as heart monitors. If you haven’t heard of Bluetooth® Low Energy before, the Bluetooth SIG website has some good videos showing a number of potential applications of BLE technology in the automotive, smart energy, security, home entertainment, health and fitness fields.

We think that the real design advantage of Bluetooth® Low Energy is that, unlike standard Bluetooth®, the demands on the remote device can be very light in terms of battery usage. A number of manufacturers are making low cost remote devices for BLE including CSR, EM Microelectronic, Nordic, and TI. We’ve been taking a look at these along with ways of squeezing out maximum battery life and communications range. So what’s the verdict? Well, it’s pretty impressive so far, and ranges in excess of 200 metres, line of sight, look quite possible. Consequently, the range of applications for BLE are vast and we are enjoying getting our hands dirty as BLE becomes part of our electronic design portfolio for clients.

ASH | Creative Wireless Electronics