Scenario driven evaluation and interference mitigation proposals for Bluetooth and high data rate Bluetooth enabled consumer electronic devices

Previous research has focussed on residential coverage and achievable data rates using the Bluetooth personal area network (PAN) standard. To meet the bit rate needs of future consumer electronics devices, M-PSK modulation schemes have been proposed as likely candidates for high data rate extensions to Bluetooth. This paper investigates the effects of interference occurring between high data rate time-bounded and non-time-bounded Bluetooth enabled consumer electronic devices. Frequency hopping selection kernels for both the 79-hop and the 23-hop systems in Bluetooth were implemented in software. Using this model, collision statistics were obtained between a wanted Bluetooth user (in a piconet) and interferers (Bluetooth users in different piconets) operating under typical scenarios that were constructed within the test environment. These scenarios featured piconets operating in an office environment in both synchronous and asynchronous modes and with typical up and downlink loading factors. A detailed link level physical layer simulation was used to obtain packet error rate performance based on the collision statistics obtained. Finally, a state-of-the-art indoor space-time propagation modelling tool was used to analyse the data throughput performance capabilities for Bluetooth data medium (DM) rate and data high (DH) rate packets. Results highlight a clear need to mitigate interference by employing synchronous communication in future Bluetooth evolution networks.