New Bluetooth Sensors Mesh Well with Many Applications
Chuck Ross
With wireless lighting controls becoming a bigger part of the market, electrical contractors now have a range of options that don’t require any wiring when it comes to devices like vacancy and occupancy sensors. However, while cabling might not be involved, there can be differences in how these cord-free products connect to a network. Wi-Fi is certainly an option but could mean a return trip in renovation and new-construction projects if routers aren’t operating during installation. A number of newer offerings support an updated Bluetooth protocol that could help to address this issue along with some others.
Bluetooth 5.0 mesh was released several years ago, but products compatible with the technology are just now coming onto the market. It’s an extension of the same Bluetooth approach you might use every day with your smart phone and wireless ear buds or for hands-free phone operation while driving. And, as with those applications, pairing new Bluetooth 5.0 mesh devices with each other and their controlled lighting fixtures can be easily accomplished with a smartphone or tablet, with no Wi-Fi network required. And, going forward, owners can easily add new devices to their system as needs evolve, over time.
Plus, the addition of mesh capabilities to standard Bluetooth can enable larger networks and help the network remain up and running if one of the connected devices goes down. A typical Wi-Fi network uses routers as a central point of communication. Mesh devices, however, are all essentially transmitters and receivers, with no central router required. This makes it easier to extend networks outward and it allows communications to go around disabled devices rather than break down, completely.
Bluetooth 5.0 mesh was released several years ago, but products compatible with the technology are just now coming onto the market. It’s an extension of the same Bluetooth approach you might use every day with your smart phone and wireless ear buds or for hands-free phone operation while driving. And, as with those applications, pairing new Bluetooth 5.0 mesh devices with each other and their controlled lighting fixtures can be easily accomplished with a smartphone or tablet, with no Wi-Fi network required. And, going forward, owners can easily add new devices to their system as needs evolve, over time.
Plus, the addition of mesh capabilities to standard Bluetooth can enable larger networks and help the network remain up and running if one of the connected devices goes down. A typical Wi-Fi network uses routers as a central point of communication. Mesh devices, however, are all essentially transmitters and receivers, with no central router required. This makes it easier to extend networks outward and it allows communications to go around disabled devices rather than break down, completely.
Photo courtesy of Intermatic
