Bluetooth mesh networks could give the Industrial IoT a boost

network bandwith vs range

This story was delivered to BI Intelligence IoT Briefing subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.

Bluetooth networks now support mesh network standards, thanks to a recent decision by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the governing body that oversees the networking standard, according to ZDNet.

Mesh networks are decentralized networks that rely on several routers that connect to each other and create a network that usually has a longer range, making it ideal for many enterprise settings. Google Wi-Fi, for instance, is a mesh network designed for use in the home to cover areas that may have had spotty coverage with traditional Wi-Fi. It's worth noting that the Bluetooth SIG has been aiming to integrate mesh network standards for some time now — back in 2015 it formed a special working group aimed at deciding how to best integrate the standard.

Bluetooth mesh networks could be particularly well suited for the industrial IoT (IIoT). Unlike IoT solutions in the utilities and supply chain, devices deployed in the IIoT, such as robots and connected machinery that's outfitted with sensors all over, produce more data than can be transmitted over low-power standards and protocols like LoRaWan or Narrowband-IoT. But Bluetooth can handle more data than these low-power protocols, and now that it can be extended through mesh standards, it could be good for connecting machinery on a factory floor. And that could allow manufacturers to connect equipment they previously had been unable to, boosting spending in the long run — BI Intelligence estimates that global manufacturers will spend $70 billion annually on IoT solutions in 2021.

BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, expects that more than 24 billion IoT devices will be installed globally in 2020, and the vast majority of these will fall into the small, low-power category.

So networks that are better suited to connect these low-power IoT devices — notably, Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANs) — are being developed. These networks can connect devices over large geographic areas because of their long range, but use less battery power on the devices they connect and offer cheaper data subscriptions than traditional cellular networks. Interest in LPWANs among IoT providers and end users is growing in response to the opportunities these benefits present.

BI Intelligence has compiled a detailed report on LPWANs that:

Details the broad need for low-cost, low-power internet connectivity for IoT devices that LPWANs will help meet.
Forecasts the growth of the LPWAN market including new networking providers and traditional mobile carriers that are launching their own LPWANs.
Examines how LPWANs will be adopted by different industries that are launching IoT projects.
Compares the distinct characteristics and advantages of different standards for LPWANs.
Explains how the LPWAN market will develop over the coming years in regards to different standards and competitors.
Examines what the future of internet network connectivity for IoT devices will look like, including LPWANs and the coming of 5G mobile networks.

To get the full report, subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND more than 250 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> Learn More Now

You can also purchase and download the full report immediately from our research store.

Join the conversation about this story »