Bluetooth Low Energy Proximity Tag – Reference Design

Complete reference design for Bluetooth Low Energy proximity tag

You will never have to search  for your smartphone again. You will never forget your smartphone in the pub. Just locate your key fob by using your smartphone easily. Use your smartphone to locate your wallet. Get security by automatically locking your laptop by distance to your tag.

Functionality of the Bluetooth Low Energy proximity tag

• Out-of range alert
• Find tag with mobile phone
• Find mobile phone with tag
• Send battery status to mobile phone
• Locking your laptop automatically, by high distance to tag

On CR2032 coin cell battery offers years of battery life

• < 15 mA peak
• < 20 µA connected mode average
• < 200 µA advertise mode average
• 0.5 µA Idle mode

Bluetooth Low Energy Proximity block schematic diagram

The application is based on a system on chip. Micro controller, memory, oscillators and the I/O channels are on the same integrated circuit. The certificated Bluetooth Low Energy Stack is running on the chip as well. There is just a button, a LED and a buzzer as human machine interface. The bill off material is less than 20 components.
Bluetooth Low Energy is using profiles. Such Bluetooth profiles takes care, that devices from different vendors can talk to each other. We know that already my using or mobile phones. You phone will quickly paired to your hands free kit. This you and me are doing daily automatic by starting the engine of the car. As soon the engine is one the phone is paired with the hands free kit. In Bluetooth Low Energy we have the same kind of algorithm.

The Bluetooth proximity tag is supporting

• Proximity reporter
• Find Me Locator
• Find Me Target
• Battery reporter

Bluetooth Low Energy FAQ

Is the tag only discoverable by the phone?

The tag will communicate with any Bluetooth Low Energy Master. A master cloud be a smartphone, tablet PC or laptop. I have seen the interaction with a laptop live. The screen saver started after to big distance to the laptop. The laptop was locked. The evaluation kit you will get will emulate the master. That means you can develop your device, test it, approve it and certificate it even we all waiting for the first smartphone that will supprt Bluetooth Low Energy. If the paired piece of hardware is something you developed, then it will communicate too as well.

Do you know if they are available in the US ?

It is available in country. By ordering with me I put my free of charge antenna designs, my long list of 2400 MHz antennas and my 25 years in radio communication on top.

When will be the next Bluetooth Low Energy Seminar?

I am not sure. Anyhow, you can get the copy of the Power Point Presentation of the most speakers at the seminar. List of topics at the seminar: http://www.gsm-modem.de/M2M/m2m-news/ibluetooth-low-energy-user-seminar/

Our speech was: Smart Home by Smart Phone – Bluetooth Low Energy product family µBlue and alternatives

Frequently Bluetooth Low Energy misunderstanding

Bluetooth Low Energy is not compatible to the old Bluetooth 2.1. Bluetooth is a quite other technology. It saves power because it is always off. It is pushing packages of 32 Byte only. Such a package contains the kind of profile that the used value. Example: Temperature profile and degree in Celsius or Fahrenheit. In Bluetooth Low Energy we have no audio video or data stream. We have star networks only and no meshed network. Bluetooth Low Energy is not using frequency hopping. The radio approvals are like with WIFI.

We would like to start the development of a Bluetooth Low Energy tag and apps. How can you help us ?

After ordering the evaluation kit you will get access to further information and documents. The experience of the last 25 years has shown that it is the best to select antenna and enclosure first. I will accept order for evaluation kits only, if I am 100% sure that your business idea will work well by using my recommended components.

Do you do design work?

Yes I do it with together with long term business partners. A new design start with a questionnaire of mine. Based on the answers I will come back with a recommendation for the hardware and software concept. In this early stage I will take care that you will be able to pass all certificates and world wide approvals. After that I will have a look how in my network has capacity for design left and how fits best to you. Developers with experience can do the job often faster and cheaper. After negotiation with the designer the first step is often a written specification and then a prototype. Two to five specification plus a quick prototype  are often much cheaper than 100 pages upfront. Most time the people forget to specify something. Developing and testing and then optimisation is often the cheapest and the fastest. To make a long story short: You can get from concept up to  approvals and certificates everything from one hand and have always the freedom to make parts of the projects yourself or with other parties. Hardware made and approvals made designer and software by customer is very common.

Do you have further questions and would like to start the development of your own Bluetooth Low Energy app right now?

We will be glad to share our more than 15 years in GSM and GPS plus 25 years in radio communication with you. Just send an e-mail to harald.naumann (at) gsm-modem.de