BLE Mesh Configuration and setup for 1000 nodes

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prpr_4759451
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Hi All,

We are working on a project, where multiple nodes (up to 1K) should be connected within a mutual network.  We need your help in the development. 

• All devices (nodes) are battery-powered only (except the coordinator/main controller)
• All devices will have the same functionality
• The network is closed and secured. No communication with devices that are outside of the family.
• The network should work in two modes:
    a) Devices preset - might be initiated once every few days
    b) Devices synchronization - will be initiated several times a day with the very short command; for this mode  

         the lag time should be as short as possible.
• No internet connection
• Messages will be transferred to all devices (nodes) simultaneously from the coordinator/initiator unit.
• Working space is a big hall
• The maximum distance between coordinator/initiator and farthest device (node) is ~40m
• The maximum number of nodes is up to 1000 devices.

1) Is it possible to develop a project with the above-mentioned scenario? 

2) We will have to make a decision about the final h/w structure, and I would appreciate any suggestion? please consider the following scenario

       • All devices (nodes) are battery-powered only (except the coordinator/main controller)

  • The maximum distance between coordinator/initiator and farthest device (node) is ~60m

3) what is the maximum number of nodes that would be acceptable (from your standpoint) with the above requirements?

 

Thanks & Regards

Pradeep

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DheerajPK_41
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750 replies posted 500 likes received 500 replies posted

Hi,

Please checkout this link to get to know everything (hardware, software, support, docs, etc.) about Bluetooth LE mesh.

https://www.cypress.com/products/bluetooth-low-energy-mesh 

1. Yes. It is possible.

Bluetooth Low Energy mesh will be an appropriate technology to implement this requirement.

2. Please check out the datasheet of each chip or module to get to know the power consumption values. Based on it you can decide the rating of battery to be used in the product as per the final requirement.

Bluetooth LE mesh is a networking specification built on top of Bluetooth LE stack. So the basic behavior and range, etc. are similar to the LE itself. So 60m distance can be achieved. For example, CYBT-213043-02 module's range as per the website is 75m (LOS).

3. So when we talk about maximum number of nodes in a network, there are various factors we should consider. The main factors would be :- 

  • Requirement of the network (What type of application, performance needed, number of messages, etc.)
  • Device RAM limitation per node. (for number of elements/models/subscriptions/publications per node).

Current mesh network works based on the flooding paradigm, meaning that each sent message by a node reaches every other node. We don't have exact number of nodes, but considering the time taken to receive/forward/drop a mesh packet, we guess a network with 10k nodes if 1 nodes sends one message per minute will work just fine. 

In our laboratory, we have tested with 150+ mesh light bulbs long back ago, and its just worked fine without any trouble.

Please checkout https://community.cypress.com/t5/WICED-Smart-Bluetooth/Max-number-of-GATT-Proxy-and-max-number-of-No... 

 

Also, please checkout the mesh spec from SIG: https://www.bluetooth.com/specifications/specs/ 

 

Thanks,

-Dheeraj

 

 

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1 Reply
DheerajPK_41
Moderator
Moderator
Moderator
750 replies posted 500 likes received 500 replies posted

Hi,

Please checkout this link to get to know everything (hardware, software, support, docs, etc.) about Bluetooth LE mesh.

https://www.cypress.com/products/bluetooth-low-energy-mesh 

1. Yes. It is possible.

Bluetooth Low Energy mesh will be an appropriate technology to implement this requirement.

2. Please check out the datasheet of each chip or module to get to know the power consumption values. Based on it you can decide the rating of battery to be used in the product as per the final requirement.

Bluetooth LE mesh is a networking specification built on top of Bluetooth LE stack. So the basic behavior and range, etc. are similar to the LE itself. So 60m distance can be achieved. For example, CYBT-213043-02 module's range as per the website is 75m (LOS).

3. So when we talk about maximum number of nodes in a network, there are various factors we should consider. The main factors would be :- 

  • Requirement of the network (What type of application, performance needed, number of messages, etc.)
  • Device RAM limitation per node. (for number of elements/models/subscriptions/publications per node).

Current mesh network works based on the flooding paradigm, meaning that each sent message by a node reaches every other node. We don't have exact number of nodes, but considering the time taken to receive/forward/drop a mesh packet, we guess a network with 10k nodes if 1 nodes sends one message per minute will work just fine. 

In our laboratory, we have tested with 150+ mesh light bulbs long back ago, and its just worked fine without any trouble.

Please checkout https://community.cypress.com/t5/WICED-Smart-Bluetooth/Max-number-of-GATT-Proxy-and-max-number-of-No... 

 

Also, please checkout the mesh spec from SIG: https://www.bluetooth.com/specifications/specs/ 

 

Thanks,

-Dheeraj

 

 

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