A proposal for a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) autoconfigurable mesh network routing protocol based on proactive source routing

The Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is an attractive solution for implementing low-cost, low power consumption, short-range wireless transmission technology and high flexibility wireless products, which working on standard coin-cell batteries for years. The original design of BLE is restricted to star topology networking, which limits network coverage and scalability. In contrast, other competing technologies like Wi-Fi and ZigBee overcome those constraints by supporting different topologies such as the tree and mesh network topologies. This paper presents a part of the researchers’ efforts in designing solutions to enable BLE mesh networks and implements a tree network topology which is not supported in the standard BLE specifications. In addition, it discusses the advantages and drawbacks of the existing BLE network solutions. During analyzing the existing solutions, we highlight currently open issues such as flooding-based and routing-based solutions to allow end-to-end data transmission in a BLE mesh network and connecting BLE devices to the internet to support the Internet of Things (IoT). The approach proposed in this paper combines the default BLE star topology with the flooding based mesh topology to create a new hybrid network topology. The proposed approach can extend the network coverage without using any routing protocol.

The year 2005 witnesses the third occasion that the Wireless Personal Area and Ad-hoc Networks minitrack is part of the annual HICSS conference. This year there was a substantial increase in submissions (thus a substantial decrease in the acceptance rate), indicating the growing importance of research in this area. The minitrack is also focused on fundamental challenges and issues arising in wireless sensor networks and their applications. Wireless sensor networks differ from other wireless networks in the need for unattended and very low-energy operation, in the possibility of collaboration and distributed sensor calibration, and in the mission oriented nature of most sensor networks. Thus our mini track looks at two very important streams of research. After a strict review process nine papers were selected to be included in the program of the minitrack. The first paper is titled “BT-Crowds: Crowds-style Anonymity with Bluetooth and Java,” presenting an interesting idea on how anonymity can be achieved when sending messages in WPAN environments. Our second paper revisits scatternet formation issues of Bluetooth based ad hoc networks thus the title: “A Dynamic and Distributed Scatternet Formation Protocol for Real-life Bluetooth Scatternets.” The third paper is titled “Secure Dynamic Source Routing” and presents a new variant of the DSR routing protocol with special emphasis on security. In the fourth paper, the discussion concerns “Routing Based Feedback towards Applications in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks,” where routing notifications are relayed via event channels. “A Location Service Mechanism for Position-Based Multicasting in Wireless Mobile Ad hoc Networks” is the title of the fifth paper in the minitrack. It presents some innovative ideas on how location information can be managed for multicast communications in ad-hoc networks. In the sixth paper, “Sliding Window Protocol for Secure Group Communication in Ad Hoc Networks,” the authors propose a sliding window protocol for determining multiple routes in a multi-communications environment. In the seventh paper titled “Ad Hoc Routing Protocol Avoiding Route Breaks Based on AODV,” the authors propose improvements to the well-known AODV ad hoc routing protocol The eight paper, “Joint Scheduling and Routing Algorithm for Ad Hoc Wireless,” presents an innovative and interesting idea wrapped around an iterative algorithm on power control. In the final paper of the minitrack, “Performance Issues of Ad Hoc Routing Protocols in a Network Scenario used for VideoPhone Applications,” the authors present a simulation based performance analysis of different ad hoc routing protocols using the application pointed to in the title. These papers highlight some of the issues and work towards solutions in Personal Area and ad hoc networks which are among the most active research fields in wireless networking. We believe that the papers will provide opportunities for researchers to come together and discuss and debate the results of the interesting experiments that are described in the papers. We are confident that the minitrack will achieve its goal of bringing together leading researchers, to present new results and discuss synergies between the two areas. We also take this opportunity to thank all the reviewers for their valuable and professional work as well as all the authors who submitted papers and thus helped us to create such a strong minitrack. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to the conference organizers for their hard work and help.

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is a widely adopted wireless communication technology in the Internet of Things (IoT). BLE offers secure communication through a set of pairing strategies. However, these pairing strategies are obsolete in the context of IoT. The security of BLE based devices relies on physical security, but a BLE enabled IoT device may be deployed in a public environment without physical security. Attackers who can physically access a BLE-based device will be able to pair with it and may control it thereafter. Therefore, manufacturers may implement extra authentication mechanisms at the application layer to address this issue. In this paper, we design and implement a BLE Security Scan (BLESS) framework to identify those BLE apps that do not implement encryption or authentication at the application layer. Taint analysis is used to track if BLE apps use nonces and cryptographic keys, which are critical to cryptographic protocols. We scan 1073 BLE apps and find that 93% of them are not secure. To mitigate this problem, we propose and implement an application-level defense with a low-cost $0.55 crypto co-processor using public key cryptography.

Wireless Mesh Networks (WMN) are becoming inevitable in this world of high technology as it provides low cost access to broadband services. Moreover, the technologists are doing research to make WMN more reliable and secure. Subsequently, among wireless ad-hoc networking technologies, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is gaining high degree of importance among researchers due to its easy availability in the gadgets and low power consumption. BLE started its journey from version 4.0 and announced the latest version 5 with mesh support capability. BLE being a low power and mesh supported technology is nowadays among the hot research topics for the researchers. Many of the researchers are working on BLE mesh technology to make it more efficient and smart. Apart from other variables of efficiency, like all communication networks, mesh network security is also of a great concern. In view of the aforesaid, this paper provides a comprehensive review on several works associated to the security in WMN and BLE mesh networks and the research related to the BLE security protocols. Moreover, after the detailed research on related works, this paper has discussed the pros and cons of the present developed mesh security mechanisms. Also, at the end after extracting the curx from the present research on WMN and BLE mesh security, this research study has devised some solutions as how to mitigate the BLE mesh network security lapses.

Chapter 13 - WoX: Model-Driven Development of Web of Things Applications

Integrating Teams of Mobile Robots in Wireless Ad-Hoc Networks

Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks are vital for the Internet of Things. However, Bluetooth is based in Master/Slave connections. Literature shows work on mesh networks with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), but none dynamic address allocation and topology mapping for BLE. We propose a new BLE auto-configuring and topology mapping scheme that any BLE routing protocol can utilize.

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networks provide flexible and reliable communication among low-power sensor-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) devices, enabling them to communicate in a flexible and robust manner. Nonetheless, the majority of existing BLE-based mesh protocols operate as flooding-based piconet or scatternet overlays on top of existing Bluetooth star topologies. In contrast, the Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV) protocol used primarily in wireless ad hoc networks (WAHNs) is forwarding-based and therefore more efficient, with lower overheads. However, the packet delivery ratio (PDR) and link recovery time for AODV performs worse compared to flooding-based BLE protocols when encountering link disruptions. We propose the Multipath Optimized AODV (M-O-AODV) protocol to address these issues, with improved PDR and link robustness compared with other forwarding-based protocols. In addition, M-O-AODV achieved a PDR of 88%, comparable to the PDR of 92% for flooding-based BLE, unlike protocols such as Reverse-AODV (R-AODV). Also, M-O-AODV was able to perform link recovery within 3700 ms in the case of node failures, compared with other forwarding-based protocols that require 4800 ms to 6000 ms. Consequently, M-O-AODV-based BLE mesh networks are more efficient for wireless sensor-enabled IoT environments.

Internet of Things (IoT) extends the connectivity of internet connected devices like laptops, smartphones with internet-enabled embedded devices using wireless communication technology and sensing devices to interact with the external world. IoT based devices mainly use wireless technology like WiFi, Zigbee, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for communication. Due to the large number of IoT devices and limited spectrum in the Radio Frequency band the system suffers from bandwidth crunch. Hence, the high bandwidth capacity of visible light provides the solution to the spectral crisis. So, the visible light based new wireless technology opens up a new domain of integrated communication system with sensors using lights. The LED beams transmit information from the transmitter's side to the photo-detector on the receiver's side. But, the photo-detector is affected by fluctuations in the brightness of ambient light and also by the variations in the distance between transmitter and receiver.

Internet of Things (IoT) applications can offer a great potential of benefits to end users. We are moving towards an Internet of People, Things and Services (IoPTS) and a future world of ambient intelligence, where users can seamlessly interact with IoT devices and get information about the services they offer. Interaction can take place directly or through dedicated mobile apps that are built to acquire data from sensors or clusters of IoT devices. The article presents a user-centric cluster framework, taking into account the resource-constrained nature of the IoT devices. As part of the framework, the authors propose a Mobility Aware Clustering Scheme (MACS), which organizes the IoT devices in clusters using a fitness function for each node, and a Profile Aware Proactive Cluster Discovery (PAPCD) mechanism using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons for service advertisement. The authors also propose an IoT service filtering and ranking algorithm to match the users' preferences and requirements

Beacons turn the physical world into a new digital channel. They bring digital content and engagement closer to the point of purchase. Beacon technology transmits small packets of data using Bluetooth Low Energy. When a customer’s phone “hears” the beacon it knows how close it is and we can then send a message, a notice, a piece of media or other information. Beacons are low-power transmitters equipped with Bluetooth Low Energy or BLE. Bluetooth Low Energy help mobile devices to detect Proximity and determine micro-location. Advantages of Bluetooth low energy devices are it works up to 100 meters, doesn’t drain the phone battery.In this paper problems with beacon are described and path navigation using Bluetooth Low Keywords: Beacon , Internet of Things – Beacons The New Revolution, Bluetooth Low Energy, Path Navigation, Background Monitoring, Ranging Beacons, Proximity, Tracking

The rapid growth of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) has led to a proliferation of low-power wireless technologies. A major challenge in designing an IoT network is to achieve coexistence between different wireless technologies sharing the unlicensed 2.4 GHz ISM spectrum. Although there is significant literature on coexistence between IEEE 802.15.4 and IEEE 802.11, the coexistence of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) with other technologies remains understudied. In this work, we examine coexistence between IEEE 802.15.4, BLE and IEEE 802.11, which are widely used in residential and industrial wireless applications. We perform a mathematical analysis of the effect of cross-technology interference on the reliability of the affected wireless network in the physical (PHY) layer. We also set up and perform PHY layer experiments to verify the analytical results. Finally, we extend the study to the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. Our findings show that, even though the MAC layer mechanisms of IEEE 802.15.4 and BLE improve reliability, cooperative solutions are required to achieve coexistence.

Bluetooth low energy (BLE) is a promising candidate technology for use in the Internet of Things (IoT) because of its ultra-low-power communication. Although BLE devices are designed to run on a small battery for a few years, several attempts have been made to extend BLE lifetime through various techniques. In particular, emerging approaches such as artificial intelligence (AI) can be utilized to further improve the BLE energy efficiency. For this purpose, this article proposes a Q-learning-based scheduling algorithm for BLE. The proposed scheduling algorithm dynamically adjusts the key parameters that govern the operation of the BLE transmission scheme. These key parameters, namely, the length of connection interval and the number of packets to transmit during the interval, have a profound effect on energy efficiency and the quality of service (QoS) specified in terms of maximum latency. According to the framework of reinforcement learning, our Q-learning-based scheduling algorithm is appropriately constructed to simultaneously provide a longer network lifetime and satisfy the QoS requirement. The numerical results show that the proposed Q-learning-based approach significantly increases the network lifetime compared to alternative methods while meeting QoS requirements.

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) based Wireless Indoor Localization System (WILS) with high localization accuracy and high localization precision is a key requirement in enabling the Internet of Things (IoT) in today’s applications. In this paper, we investigated the effect of BLE signal variations on indoor localization caused by the change in BLE transmission power levels. This issue is not often discussed as most of the works on localization algorithms use the highest power levels but has important practical implications for energy efficiency, e.g., if a designer would like to trade-off localization performance and node lifetime. To analyze the impact, we used the established trilateration based localization model with two methods i.e., Centroid Approximation (CA) and Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE). We observed that trilateration based localization with MMSE method outperforms the CA method. We further investigated the use of two filters i.e., Low Pass Filter (LPF) and Kalman Filter (KF) and evaluated their effects in terms of mitigating the random variations from BLE signal. In comparison to non-filter based approach, we observed a great improvement in localization accuracy and localization precision with a filter-based approach. Furthermore, in comparison to LPF based trilateration localization with CA, the performance of a KF based trilateration localization with MMSE is far better. An average of 1 m improvement in localization accuracy and approximately 50% improvement in localization precision is observed by using KF in trilateration based localization model with the MMSE method. In conclusion, with KF in trilateration based localization model with MMSE method effectively eliminates random variations in BLE RSS with multiple transmission power levels and thus results in a BLE based WILS with high accuracy and high precision.

Slowing of alpha rhythm in thinner sniffers : H. Miyake, S. Iijima and Y. Hishikawa (Yokosuka and Osaka, Japan)