Chapter 5

Bluetooth Connectivity

Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology used for exchanging data between devices over short distances. The Bluetooth standard is designed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG). Design challenges for Bluetooth systems include PHY, MAC, network, and application layer considerations.

Bluetooth standards specify two PHY modes: basic rate (BR) and enhanced data rate (EDR). In addition, the latest Bluetooth low energy (BLE) standard focuses on novel applications such as for the healthcare, fitness, security, and home entertainment industries.

Bluetooth designers need to also tackle use cases and challenges including BLE channel selection and classic Bluetooth frequency-hopping algorithms, BLE device connection procedures, and positioning operations with angle-of-departure (AoD) and angle-of-arrival (AoA) estimation.

Since Bluetooth operates in the same frequency ranges as Wi-Fi systems, designers need also to study the coexistence of these two systems. A Bluetooth system can coexist with a WLAN system by using the adaptive frequency hopping method.