The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the organisation responsible for overseeing Bluetooth technology, has announced the launch of Bluetooth Channel Sounding, a new feature designed to provide secure and accurate distance measurement.
This innovation is set to enhance the convenience, safety, and security of billions of Bluetooth-connected devices by introducing true distance awareness, unlocking a wealth of new possibilities for developers and users alike.
“Bluetooth technology has become an ingredient of everyday life,” commented Neville Meijers, CEO, Bluetooth Special Interest Group. “When connected devices are distance-aware, a range of new possibilities emerge. Adding true distance awareness to Bluetooth technology exemplifies the ongoing commitment of the Bluetooth SIG community to continuously enhance our connection with our devices, one another, and the world around us.”
The potential applications for this feature are transformative across various industries.
Bluetooth ‘Find My’ Solutions
In addition to Bluetooth tags used to track personal items such as keys, wallets, and luggage, an increasing number of Bluetooth devices now incorporate ‘Find My’ functionality. This creates the opportunity for any Bluetooth device to serve as a ‘Find My’ device. With Bluetooth Channel Sounding, developers will soon be able to add true distance awareness to these devices, significantly improving their accuracy and user experience, making it easier and quicker for people to locate lost items.
Bluetooth Digital Key Solutions
Bluetooth technology is increasingly being used to enable keyless access for cars, doors, gates, safes, and bikes, providing a more secure locking mechanism. Bluetooth Channel Sounding enhances the security of digital key solutions by ensuring that locks only open when the authorised device is within a specified distance.
“We look forward to adding this new feature to our upcoming Bluetooth Digital Key specification,” said Feng, Yunsheng, Chief Secretary of the Intelligent Car Connectivity Open Alliance (ICCOA). “The adoption of Bluetooth Channel Sounding will help the ICCOA continue to deliver greater convenience, performance, and security to drivers and passengers worldwide.”
“The ICCE is committed to developing industry standards and fostering cross-industry collaboration to enable seamless intelligent in-car services,” said Chief Secretary Mr. Ren Feng of the Intelligent Car Connectivity Industry Ecosystem Alliance (ICCE). “We are therefore studying the addition of Bluetooth Channel Sounding technology as one of the ranging methods in the ICCE car key standard and we look forward to integrating it.”
Beyond ‘Find My’ and digital key solutions, Bluetooth Channel Sounding holds the potential to revolutionise a broad range of applications, changing how we interact with our connected devices.
A new era for Bluetooth Technology
“Bluetooth Channel Sounding will apply to consumer, enterprise, and industrial settings alike,” said Andrew Zignani, Senior Research Director, ABI Research. “Imagine Bluetooth mice, keyboards, and game controllers that can automatically switch between active and inactive states based on their distance from a laptop. In industrial settings, distance aware Bluetooth Human-Machine Interface (HMI) solutions can increase personnel safety by only allowing usage from a safe distance.
“Meanwhile, Bluetooth device networks, such as those used for networked lighting control, can more easily self-configure to enhance system performance using this innovative technology. With well over 5 billion Bluetooth enabled devices forecasted to ship in 2024 alone, the opportunities are significant.”
Key benefits of Bluetooth Channel Sounding
Bluetooth Channel Sounding offers developers three key advantages when integrating fine-ranging capabilities into connected devices:
- Accuracy: Using phase-based ranging (PBR), Bluetooth Channel Sounding enables precise distance measurement, achieving centimetre-level accuracy over considerable distances. This allows even basic devices to incorporate true distance awareness
- Security: As connected devices proliferate, maintaining secure connections is critical. Bluetooth Channel Sounding includes robust multi-layer security, incorporating a secondary ranging method, round-trip time (RTT) distance bounding, to defend against sophisticated attacks, such as man-in-the-middle (MITM) relay attacks
- Ubiquity: Bluetooth technology is already embedded in all major consumer platforms, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Bluetooth Channel Sounding allows developers to add distance awareness to connected devices without the need for additional radio technology
“Bluetooth Channel Sounding is poised to bring true distance awareness to a vast array of Bluetooth devices, unlocking new possibilities for distance-aware applications across various industries,” said Joonsuk Kim, Executive Vice President of the System LSI Connectivity Team at Samsung Electronics. “With Bluetooth Channel Sounding, we’re able to elevate the performance of ‘Find My’ applications by delivering centimetre-level accuracy, helping our customers find important items with greater ease.
“Additionally, Bluetooth Channel Sounding enhances the security of digital key solutions, providing an extra layer of protection for keyless entry users. These are just a few examples of the transformative potential of Bluetooth Channel Sounding, with many more possibilities waiting to be realised.”
Bluetooth Channel Sounding is one of the key features included in the recently adopted Bluetooth Core Specification Version 6.0, marking a significant advancement in Bluetooth’s capabilities.
There’s plenty of other editorial on our sister site, Electronic Specifier! Or you can always join in the conversation by commenting below or visiting our LinkedIn page.
