It is estimated that by 2023, the annual shipment of Bluetooth intelligent building equipment will exceed 374 million. At that time, developers and engineers will face many opportunities to continue to participate in the transformation of Bluetooth mesh network. So, why on earth does mesh fascinate everyone?
The new Bluetooth mesh function supports many-to-many device communication and is optimized for the creation of large-scale device networks. Since its release in July 2017, Bluetooth mesh has become the preferred choice for large-scale device networks. At present, more than 200 products with mesh network function from leading chip, stack, component and terminal product suppliers have been certified.
There is a huge development momentum behind the Bluetooth mesh network function. Alibaba, Xiaomi and other large manufacturers in the smart home market have made strategic platform decisions to provide Bluetooth mesh network support for developers adopting their smart home platform.
Commercial and industrial environments need a perfect solution that can reliably and safely connect hundreds of thousands of devices in a stable and low-latency large-scale device network. In fact, the intelligent building protocol selected to realize the automation of the entire facility or the commercial wireless sensor network will determine the success or failure of the overall solution or product release.
reliability
The reliability of a mesh network is determined by its ability to transmit messages from one device to another. Bluetooth mesh is no exception. It uses two forms of message relay to ensure uninterrupted message delivery - peer-to-peer communications and multipath message relay. But what are the two methods and how do they work?
All nodes can communicate with each other directly through the peer-to-peer messaging of Bluetooth mesh. It does not have a centralized hub, that is, if a node fails, there will be no domino effect and no single point of network failure. Multipath messaging enables Bluetooth mesh to use managed flood message relay architecture, which can achieve reliable message delivery through self-healing. If the path is blocked, the message can be simply passed through its alternative path, so that the wireless installation can achieve the same fault-free performance and scalability as the wired system.
Security
As for the application of intelligent buildings, one of the most discussed issues is security. Does Bluetooth mesh network have a corresponding security architecture, and can it solve the problems that companies deploying large-scale wireless device networks are urgently concerned about? The answer is yes. In order to ensure that all mesh messages are encrypted and verified, all communications will be protected by AES-CCM with 128-bit key. This is essentially an encryption algorithm that requires security confidentiality and government-level authentication.
Don't think it's all on the same layer. The core of Bluetooth mesh security is three types of security keys - device key, application key and network key. These keys can provide security for Bluetooth mesh network in different aspects, and realize the key function of Bluetooth mesh network security - separation of concerns. When relaying messages at the network level, it is not necessary to read the contents; If you want to read content, you can only use another application key to eliminate protection, thus providing true end-to-end security.
Finally, all mesh packets are confused, making the message difficult to interpret, and any identification information in the message is removed. This can prevent other people from tracking mesh network devices, especially when network security becomes more and more important and the devices continue to be in a series of other networks.
Connectivity
Products owned by different suppliers and enterprises around the world need to achieve collaborative work. Bluetooth mesh provides multi-vendor interoperability, ensuring that the products you buy from one manufacturer can work perfectly with the products of other manufacturers. Connectivity is indispensable in all industries. Bluetooth mesh is an important step to achieve true multi-vendor interoperability.
Bluetooth mesh can enable thousands of devices to communicate with each other without compatibility problems, and can meet commercial and industrial performance requirements. Bluetooth mesh network can support industrial and commercial networks with thousands of nodes. High-density lighting and sensor deployment are common in these areas, and must be able to rapidly expand the network scale. Bluetooth mesh is tailored to these large-scale network needs.
All levels of Bluetooth technology are fully specified. Through the unique full-stack method, it defines everything from the bottom radio to the upper application. The so-called "immutability" means that the model and nodes used in the network are always applicable to the standard. For example, if you bought an electric light switch this year, you can still use it to control the bulbs purchased after 30 years.
The expansion of Bluetooth technology
The function of Bluetooth technology is far beyond the mesh network itself. It can also bring significant added value to your products. If you want to add Bluetooth mesh network support, you can use the Bluetooth chip itself as a Beacon to provide localized information, asset tracking and navigation services.
The solutions for location services are generally divided into two categories: proximity solutions and location systems. Proximity solutions include item tracking solutions (such as personal property labels) and landmark information solutions (such as proximity awareness Beacon); The positioning system includes real-time positioning system (RTLS) for asset tracking and indoor positioning system (IPS) for indoor navigation. These value-added functions beyond mesh itself make Bluetooth a technology provider capable of providing richer intelligent building solutions.
In January this year, the Bluetooth Technology Alliance released a new direction-finding function, enabling Bluetooth devices to determine the direction of Bluetooth signals. This new function includes a Bluetooth proximity solution that can identify the direction of the device, and a Bluetooth positioning system with centimeter-level position accuracy, so that Bluetooth can meet all kinds of positioning use cases, and further make Bluetooth the preferred protocol in the field of intelligent buildings.
Today, as a leading low-power wireless connection technology, Bluetooth can be used to transmit audio, data or broadcast information between devices.
Now, with the introduction of mesh network functions and further support for Bluetooth positioning services, Bluetooth will further promote the application of industrial automation, interconnected lighting, smart city, and other industrial Internet of Things and advanced intelligent building solutions.
