Blecon Innovates Pairing-Free BLE Connectivity

Bluetooth has an enviable track record in consumer electronics markets, and it’s hard to imagine a world without its short-range point-to-point connectivity. According to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the organization responsible for the ongoing development of Bluetooth, 7.5 billion Bluetooth-enabled devices are forecast to ship annually by 2028, a compound growth of 8% from the 5.4 billion devices estimated to ship in 2024. Of these, 97% of all Bluetooth device shipments are expected to include Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

BLE faces some challenges

Despite BLE’s low power attributes, capabilities and robustness, which make it an ideal choice for industrial IoT deployments, it presents several challenges. The need for device pairing and the requirement to relay data to the cloud through a custom app or gateway are among several limiting factors that hinder the widespread adoption of this popular wireless protocol.

At this year’s Hardware Pioneers Max, Blecon (Cambridge, U.K.) announced the launch of a technology that overcomes the obstacles to using BLE for widespread IoT deployments. With its approach, Blecon believes it is time the industry starts to look at BLE as a viable cloud IoT connectivity protocol rather than the point-to-point approach used in consumer electronics. Founded in 2021, Blecon sees itself democratizing BLE as a practical and straightforward approach to IoT connectivity and has launched products and a network service ready for design integration. With its approach, Blecon aims to provide the deployment model of Wi-Fi and the cellular network model based on BLE’s low-cost, low-power capabilities.

BLE: opportunities beyond point-to-point connections

At the event, EE Times Europe asked Simon Ford, founder and CEO of Blecon, about the market potential of the company’s technology. He explained, “Bluetooth has been widely used in mobile phones, creating a vast ecosystem of silicon vendors producing low-cost chips for this portable area network model. It’s integrated into every phone and laptop, with numerous silicon vendors competing for the market and billions of chips sold annually. This is an enviable position for any radio standard. However, we see a growing number of companies exploring other use cases for Bluetooth. We believe that if we can make BLE accessible for these use cases, it would open up a significant market opportunity.”

The last decade has seen a rise in other wireless protocols competing to establish themselves as viable IoT connectivity methods. EE Times Europe wondered about Blecon’s focus on BLE. Ford said, “I’m sure if you went back to the beginning, you could design [Bluetooth] slightly better, slightly differently, but if you look at how it has evolved, one of its strengths is that it has been quite evolutionary. It has consistently evolved, not just in the technology but also in the ecosystem and use cases.”

Secure BLE cloud connectivity without pairing

Blecon’s approach exploits BLE’s advertising capability and builds on the standard by incorporating a robust architecture and advanced security measures. Blecon also uses Bluetooth’s ability to quickly establish connections and tear them down. A Blecon device uses an automatically generated universal unique identifier (UUID) for identification along with a public/private key pair to establish a secure cloud connection without pairing. Available technology includes Blecon modem firmware and libraries that provide standard BLE wireless microcontrollers with trusted identity, robust security and reliable network communication capabilities. For a simple and efficient approach to deployment, Blecon hotspots are dedicated hardware devices and mobile apps that provide coverage where needed without the need for configuration or pairing. Completing the Blecon offering is a managed cloud network infrastructure providing bi-directional communication, geolocation, identity security and time services.

Ecosystem partners crucial

Commenting on the role of the ecosystems surrounding Bluetooth, Ford told EE Times Europe, “The whole ecosystem around Bluetooth is so healthy, from the chips to the people who know how to build with the chips. We can leverage and continue to build on this, making the most of the existing ecosystem. We are focused on building the IoT connectivity products but are working with partner companies that are a good fit. An example is Memfault, with whom we work for advanced observability tools.”

EE Times Europe asked Ford about Blecon’s design partners, “Our design partners really understand the customer’s problem, and they understand what we can do. They know how to build it and make it work. That’s great for us because we don’t have to be in the details of every individual design; we can focus on being a product company. We know that if it goes well, there’ll be another design and another. Our technology and design partnership ecosystems are fundamental to how we’ve built the product,” he said.

Continued education

With Bluetooth’s continued evolutions over the years, EE Times Europe wondered whether engineering teams are keeping up to date or if more education is needed. Ford responded, stating, “I’d say a large number of engineers understand what Bluetooth is capable of, which is good for us going into the market. We already have companies with budgeted projects trying to build things. They understand this is what they want to do, so it’s more about telling companies we exist. However, some engineers might know that Bluetooth Low Energy is distinct from Bluetooth Classic. Other engineers might not need that level of detail, while for the rest, the selection of a wireless protocol isn’t something that concerns them. However, as far as I can tell, there is a massive opportunity, and it feels like a very healthy step to take.”

Evolution continues

Speaking with Ford, it’s clear that Bluetooth continues to evolve and that Blecon is part of that process. He observed, “Bluetooth has features other protocols do not have, allowing us to do things other technologies can’t deliver. The fact that I can advertise my existence and receive location data, which is how I can establish a connection and close it incredibly quickly, using minimal power, shows what it is capable of. There are a load of tricks Bluetooth has up its sleeve. The fact that Bluetooth has them and other [wireless] technologies don’t, or they weren’t designed that way, we are definitely exploiting some of the clever features that Bluetooth technology has.”

---

Read also:

EE TIMES EUROPE, INDUSTRIAL, IOT