Mesh Protocol Design and Implementation for Bluetooth 4.1 Devices

Abstract

Bluetooth low energy (BLE) is a promising solution for implementation of low power and cost effective communication mechanisms especially in home automation, wearable, healthcare and sensor technology. However, limited range of BLE devices makes home automation using BLE less efficient. In order to utilize BLE capabilities in an efficient manner there is a need of mesh protocol which can support multi-hop communication. In this dissertation, the mesh protocol for Bluetooth 4.1 device s has been proposed (ST’s BlueNRG-MS) devices. This implementation is a cost-effective solution for applications in home automation. The proposed algorithm works in two phases. In phase 1, Network is initialized forming a mesh. After network initialization, each node will have information about all other nodes in the network (up to 64 devices). This information will be used to dynamically determine the shortest path between two communicating devices. Also, simulation results shows that the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing solutions in terms of firmware size and reliability.