Wireless Comparison

Bluetooth is the ideal technology for mobile phone based locking solutions. This white paper provides a comparison of Bluetooth against other wireless technologies in the market today.

 

Why Bluetooth?

Bluetooth is the ideal technology for a mobile phone locking solution because it is;

• Widely adopted and installed in mobile devices, (450 Million Bluetooth devices by the end of 2005 representing 39% of phone sales and growing, 5 times more than WiFi.).
• Low battery use
• High adoption rates, (see graph)
• Secure (128 bit encryption)
• Global standard (unlike Radio Frequency)
• No usage charges (unlike text based solutions through the major Telcos).
• Global backers through a Special Interest Group (SIG) of 1300 members.
• Location based services (1-100meters)
• One key for many locks (unlike RFID Tags)
• Many keys for one lock

Global Bluetooth Growth 2003-2008

Market summary

The following is a summary of the various wireless technologies available in the market today.

Technology	Description	Backers	Range	Purpose	Advantages	Disadvantages	In Mobile Phones
Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15.1)	Mobile component standard with some PC peripherals crossover	Bluetooth SIG including Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia, Honda	Across the room	Mobile headsets, in-vehicle hands-free control	Growing installation base, integrated in mobile phones, Global standard	Transfer speed	YES
Mobile (CDMA, UTMS, GPRS, etc)	Multiple generations of mobile infrastructure are currently culminating in 3G rollout	Mobile operators, Nokia, Ericsson	Everywhere	Voice calls, data transfer	Ubiquitous network	Charges per access through the major Telcos. Relies on Telco Network for access - not secure	YES
Infrared (IR)	Largely legacy line-of-sight connectivity; still dominant in remote controls	Few backers	Across the room	TV control, mobile synching	Large installed base	Old technology, being surpassed by other offers. Requires line of sight.	YES
Radio Frequency	Active and passive radio frequency transponders and receivers	Various	Across the room	Garage door openers, car alarms	Passive and active tags	Separate key for each lock, Different frequencies in different countries preventing global standardisation	X
Near Field Communications (NFC)	Passive, (very) short-range data transmission between adjacent objects	Nokia, Philips, Sony, Samsung	Across the room	Contactless ID cards		Standards, availability of readers and privacy concerns	X
UWB (ultra-wide band)	Supplement to wired home infrastructure; gives more freedom than cables - positioned as "wireless USB"	Freescale Semi-conductors, Intel, Texas Instruments	Across the room	CE/PC device connectivity	Fast	Standards war; no commercial products yet	X
ZigBee (IEEE 802.15.4)	Very-low-power wireless standard for networking of devices/appliances - both industrial and at home	Philips, Motorola	Household	Lighting and heating controls	Very-low-power	Low uptake	X
Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11)	Wireless IP-based networking that replaces wired Ethernet solutions	Intel, NetGear	Household	Home networking, hotspot access	High throughput	Security, quality of service, and a tricky con?guration, high power drain	X

Other emerging technologies competing with Mobile carriers includes Fixed WiMAX (IEEE 802.16d), Mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e), MobileFi (802.20).

Data Sources:

- Gartner November 2004 Market Focus: Bluetooth in Mobile Phones, Worldwide, 2004-2008
- Forrester: December 22, 2004 Charting The Future Of Tech Connections, How The Myriad Options For Consumer Technology Connectivity Stack Up
- Bluetooth SIG .www.bluetooth.org Press Releases 2003-2005