In the 1990s, the world was on the cusp of a wireless revolution. The rise of mobile phones, laptops, and personal digital assistants (PDAs) had created a demand for a technology that could connect these devices without the need for cables. This was the genesis of Bluetooth, a wireless personal area network (PAN) technology that has since become ubiquitous in modern life. The Conceptual Phase (1994-1997) In 1994, a team of engineers at Intel, led by Dr. Jaap Haartsen, began exploring the concept of a wireless technology that could connect devices over short distances. They were joined by engineers from IBM, Toshiba, and Nokia, and together they formed the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). The name “Bluetooth” was chosen in honor of a 10th-century Danish king, Harald Blåtand, who united warring factions in Denmark – a fitting moniker for a technology that aimed to unite disparate devices. The First Specification (1998) In 1998, the Bluetooth SIG released the first public specification, version 1.0. This initial release defined the core principles of Bluetooth, including the use of radio frequency (RF) signals to transmit data between devices, and the concept of device discovery and pairing. The specification also outlined the various profiles, or use cases, that Bluetooth would support, such as headset and file transfer. Early Adoption (1999-2002) The first Bluetooth devices began appearing in 1999, with the introduction of Bluetooth-enabled headsets and adapters. However, early adoption was slow, due in part to the limited range and speed of the technology. It… Read more
Month: November 2022
Clock synchronisation in systems communication
Motive in systems communications, timing is very important just like when two people talk! time synchronisation is the key when it comes to nodes in a network how do we perceive/sense time naturally? — Aswin (@akrv1) July 21, 2018 Starting with that, Guide to implementing a Clock synchronisation algorithm on low power wireless sensor networks. following will be some pointers and papers to read before wandering in the wild to get things done and reinventing the wheel. Literature survey Message Time-stamping in Sensor Networks Flooding time synchronisation protocol [1] this protocol is very good in terms of single of time synchronisation it uses linear regression, get ready to do some compute on your MCU very good numbers and explanation in those slides [2] for multi-hop networks, this one is a good paper to read Optimal Clock Synchronization in Networks [3] Send fast synchronization pulses through the network to sync clock in networks pulseSync is the algorithm Temperature Compensated Time Sync [4] The only requirement on that time synchronization protocol is that it can calculate the current frequency error with respect to the reference node’s clock. Unlike other time synchronization protocols, TCTS also records the current temperature during a synchronization exchange. Both the temperature and frequency error at the end of the synchronization exchange is cached in a frequency vs. temperature table in memory. [5] Before attempting subsequent resynchronization, TCTS will measure the current temperature and consults its internal calibration table. If the current frequency error for the measured temperature is cached, TCTS… Read more
Making an iBeacon App
First things first Beacon technology provides location data much like GPS. But beacons are not a replacement for GPS technology. While the actual workings of the two technologies vary drastically, the end result is similar. The main selling point of beacons is their ability to provide a user’s location at a more granular level and in areas that GPS can’t reach. iBeacon apps actually benefit greatly from integrating GPS functionality, more on that later.I recently finished working on “The Manifest Experience”, an iBeacon app for the digital agency I work at. The app’s purpose centers around welcoming guests to our office. It also gives them access to location specific details about our space. We built the app as a way to explore the technology and become more familiar with it’s strengths and weaknesses. During the development process I was able to freely experiment with iBeacons. We experimented with new ways to utilize the technology and ended up providing a pretty unique end-user experience. You can find the app on the AppStore here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/manifest-experience-st.-louis/id929868569?mt=8 NOTE: I’m linking to provide additional context, no need to download it. The app isn’t useful to people that aren’t around our STL office. Quick Look into The Manifest Experience After downloading the app, the user enters some basic information, setting up a small profile of sorts. When a user walks into the office, the app detects the iBeacon at the entrance. The app then sends the users name and photo up to a web service. That web service… Read more