Bluetooth Mesh is a new network technology that can establish communication with multiple nodes. Note: It is not a new wireless technology.
How does Bluetooth Mesh relate to Bluetooth?
Firstly, low-power Bluetooth as wireless communication technology can achieve reliable data transmission at ultra-low power consumption, which relies on the Bluetooth 2.4G frequency hopping technology behind it (Bluetooth has now evolved to version 5.2). To achieve mutual communication between nodes, Bluetooth Mesh uses Bluetooth’s broadcast scanning mechanism, which means that Bluetooth Mesh sends data in the form of broadcast. In contrast, other nodes receive data by scanning.
Advantages and disadvantages
Bluetooth Mesh uses the broadcast scanning mechanism for data transmission, so its disadvantages must be high power consumption, unreliable communication, and other problems.
Bluetooth Mesh Advantage: Transmission range beats Wi-Fi
Bluetooth Mesh can realize the data transmission of multiple nodes, the topology of Bluetooth Mesh belongs to Many to Many communication method, its communication reliability will be enhanced with the expansion of the network scale. Even if anyone node enters or exits, it has little effect on the other nodes in the Bluetooth Mesh network itself.
One of the major drawbacks of Wi-Fi is that it has a distance limitation. Traditional wireless networks, including one-to-one Bluetooth networks in the past, are limited by the distance between two devices. In the case of Wi-Fi, the effective transmission distance is 50 square meters (within, unless you install intermediate devices, your phone will be useless once you leave this area.
In addition, Wi-Fi also has a power consumption problem. Even if the phone screen is turned off, you still need to charge once daily. “Bluetooth Mesh” finds a clever solution. These devices connect to each other and pass signals to another device nearby, forming a network or grid of interconnected devices for metadata transmission. This means that messages are relayed from one device to another and then to the next.
A reliable network is formed through this relay transmission that does not require a lot of power consumption or a widespread of antennas. Bluetooth devices can “talk” to each other without using Wi-Fi networks. In other words, with this technology, smart devices can be connected within a limited range and controlled by a device such as a cell phone.
With the Bluetooth Mesh architecture, you don’t need another “Hub,” You can control everything with your smartphone. The Bluetooth devices in your home build their network, and your cell phone can control the whole family and monitor the status of these devices by contacting one of the Bluetooth devices.
In contrast to other smart home networking technologies such as ZigBee, Z-wave, or other manufacturers’ communication technologies, a gateway needs to be installed to ensure that various devices communicate without risk.
Application Scenarios
From the application scenario, Bluetooth Mesh is a new technology. Since the initial version of the protocol was released in 2017, Bluetooth Mesh has emerged in many areas. Firstly, in smart lighting, Bluetooth Mesh as a network technology can easily cover all the corners of the whole building with the help of a proper forwarding mechanism.
Bluetooth mesh networks as a wireless standard can provide a single point of failure-free and fully decentralized architecture suitable for creating control, monitoring and automation systems that enable hundreds of devices to communicate reliably and securely.
Bluetooth mesh protocol stack ESP-BLE-MESH is mainly used in smart home, smart lighting, smart industry, and other market segments.
Bluetooth mesh is suitable for commercial lighting, low-power electricians, and sensors with long transmission distances and low power consumption. Mesh solutions can be used for smart home appliances, smart lighting, smart speakers, voice robots, smart wearable devices, and other application areas.
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