Wibree Technology

1.INTRODUCTION:

1.1.Objective:

Wib ree   i s   a   sho r t - r ange  w i r e l e s s   p ro toco l   op t im ized   fo r   l ow  power  consumpt ion .Deve loped  p r ima r i l y   by  Nok ia , t he   company  ha s submi t t ed  Wib ree a s   an  open s t anda rd   t o  promote adoption and interoperability.Wib ree   t e chno logy   complemen t s   c l o se   r ange   commun ica t i on  w i th Bluetoothlike performance within 0-10 m range and data rate of 1 Mbps. Wibree is optimized for applicationsrequiring extremely low power consumption, small size and low cost.Wibree is the first wireless technology to solve the following needs in a single solution.

Ultra low peak, average & idle mode power consumption

Ultra low cost & small size for accessories & human interface devices

Minimal cost & size addition to mobile phones & PCs

Global, intuitive & secure multi-vendor interoperability.1.2.Wibree Technology:Wibree is an innovative digital radio technology that can soon become a benchmark for the open wireless communication. Working almost equivalent to the Bluetooth technology, thismodern technology functions within an ISM band of 2.4 GHz and amid a physical layer bit rateof 1 Mbps.Widely used in may appliances like the wrist watches, wireless keyboards, toys andsports sensors due to its key feature of very low consumption of power within the prescribedranges o f 10 me te r s o r 30 f ee t u s ing t he l ow cos t t r ansce ive r m ic roch ip s , i t c an gene ra t e an output power ofm-6 dBm.Conce ived  by   t he  Nok ia  Company   i n   10 -03 -2006 ,   i t   i s   t oday   l i c ensed  and   fu r t he r   researched by some of the major corporates that includes Nordic Semiconductor, BroadcomCorporation, CSR, Epson, Suunto and Taiyo Yuden

 

 According to Bob lannucci, the head of Nokia s research centre, this

groundbreakingtechnology that is 10 times more capable than the Bluetooth technology will soon replace it.

 Wibree radio specification enables dual-mode implementations to reuse Bluetooth

RF part but also to guarantee ultra low power consumption for devices with embedded stand-aloneimplementation of the Wibree specification. Wibree operates in 2.4

GHz ISM band with physicallayer bit rate of 1 Mbps and provides link distance of 5-10 meters.Wibree link layer provides ultra low power idle mode operation, simple device

discoveryand   r e l i ab l e   po in t - t o -mu l t i po in t   da t a   t r ans f e r  w i th   advanced  power - save   and   enc ryp t i on functionalities. The link layer provides means to schedule Wibree traffic in between Bluetoothtransmissions.

1.3.Evolution of WIBREE:

I n   2 0 0 1 ,   N o k i a   r e s e a r c h e r s   d e t e r m i n e d   t h a t   t h e r e   w e r e  v a r i o u s   s c e n a r i o s   t h a t contemporary wireless technologies did not address.

To address the problem, Nokia ResearchCenter started the development of a wireless technology adapted from the Bluetooth

standardwh ich  wou ld  p rov ide   l ower  power  u sage   and  p r i c e  wh i l e  m in imiz ing  d i f f e r ence  be tween Bluetooth and the new technology. The results were

published in 2004 using the name BluetoothLow  End  Ex t ens ion .  Af t e r   f u r t he r   deve lopmen t  w i th  pa r t ne r s ,   e . g . ,  

w i t h in  EU  FP6  p ro j ec t MIMOSA, the technology was released to public in October 2006 with brand name Wibree.After negotiations with Bluetooth SIG members, in June 2007, an agreement was reached toinclude Wibree in future

Bluetooth specification as an Bluetooth ultra-low-power technology,now known as Bluetooth low energy

technology.B lue too th   enab l ed  dev i ce s  w i l l   bene f i t   f r om  a  dua l -mode   ch ip  so lu t i on ,   a l l owing Bluetooth users to connect with Wibree-enabled devices. The technology was announced on thethird of October, 2006. It is a digital radio technology, powered by button cells. It works over arange of ten meters.Wibree devices also make use of a standalone chip (for devices designed around theWibree standard alone). It is going to be a means of wireless communication between mobiledevices, between PCs and mobile

devices, and also between PCs and other wireless enabled PCdev i ce s   t ha t   i nco rpo ra t e   t he   t e chno logy .  These  dev i ce s  w i l l   p robab ly  i nc lude  p r i n t e r s ,   key  boards, and mice. Also included will be a range of other smaller devices such as watches, sensorsand toys. It is these smaller devices which make the Wibree unique, and therefore a technologyto watch. Nokia is aiming to have the technology available

commercially by the second quarter of next year. They have begun partnering with large companies such as Broadcom Corporation,CSR, Epson and Nordic Semiconductor.

They project that the devices for which the Wibree isdesigned will become high growth sectors because of the new features that the devices will exhibit, due to the

devices' ability to communicate with other devices

  

Wibree Technology2.SYSTEM OVERVIEW:

2.1.The Wibree standard:The Wibree is a wireless technology. It’s open standard based on the Bluetooth.

TheWibree technology must have the same debit (1Mb/s) than the Bluetooth technology. All thespecifications of Bluetooth and Wibree technologies are the same expect

the power consumptionof Wibree must be ten time inferior to the power consumption of Bluetooth. The frequency bandi s be tween 2 .4 GHz and 2 .4835 GHz . The channe l

bandwid th i s 2 MHz . The modu la t i on i sGFSK   (Gauss i an   f r equency   sh i f t   key ing ) .  Th i s   t e chno logy  doesn ’ t  

r ep l ace   t he  B lue too th technology. The Wibree will use in the new type of object like sport sensors or toys.

2.2.Wireless communication with wibree:Wireless has already transformed the things we carry and the way we work in the wider area,

most notably with our eager acceptance of the mobile phone, both as an extension of our   pe r sona l   commun ica t i on   and   a l so   a s   an  ob j ec t   o f   de s i r e .  The  ques t i on  i s  wh ich  w i r e l e s s t e c h n o l o g i e s   w i l l   a p p e a r   i n   t h e   p l e t h o r a   o f   e l e

c t r o n i c s   d e v i c e s   w e   c u r r e n t l y   b u y . There is no easy answer – despite the claims that their marketing machines may make, no onewireless technology is

the universal panacea – each has its specific niche within the brave new wireless world. Most have specific areas of excellence and many overlap. To choose which suitsyour

need, you need to consider carefully what you want to achieve and the environment inwhich you wish to deploy it. Every application has its own, unique requirements, but the

generallist of these remains constant across most wireless applications.•

Range•

Data Rate•

Battery Life•

Security•

Cost•

Quality of Service 

 Wibree Technology

•Interoperability

•Qualification and ApprovalThe first two, range and data rate generally provide the first selection points regardingwhich are the likely contenders. Although most radio standards are

capable of transmitting smallamounts of data, those that are designed for higher data rates are usually inefficient if  you onlyneed t o t r ans f e r a sma l l numbe r o f b i t s

o f i n fo rma t ion . Howeve r , i f you a l r e ady have an infrastructure for a higher data rate standard, it may be more cost effective to continue to use that for your local

M2M connections.2.3.Overview:

Many other technologies like WiMaX, Wireless USB, Radio Frequency Identificationetc. are also in race with Wibree. It will become the world’s fastest growing

technology.The recent announcement of the Wibree standard by Nokia seems to have caught theindustry unawares. The initial response of many analysts and much of the

media has been tocategorise it as yet another competitor in the 2.4 GHz space. One of the most important aspects

  

Wibree Technologyof Wibree is that it envisages dual-mode chips that can support both Bluetooth and Wibree.

Thissymbiotic existence is key to Wibree’s success. There will also be single-mode Wibree chips thatoffer low power operation, which will enable a wide range of devices to talk to these dual

modec h i p s .   T h e   b u l k   o f   B l u e t o o t h   c h i p s   s h i p p e d   b y   2 0 0 8   w i l l  i n c l u d e   W i b r e e   d u a l - m o d e func t i ona l i t y , e f f ec t i ve ly fo r f r e e , i t

means t ha t by t he end o f 2009 t he r e cou ld be ove r 100 million Wibree enabled handsets in existence

.I t i s a s t r a t egy t ha t means Wib ree w i l l r ede f i ne t he speed a t wh ich a new wi r e l e s s technology can be rolled out into the market. All existing records, both in consumer goods andwireless technologies are set to be overturned when Wibree leaves the

starting blocks . Becauseof the fact that it will be integrated inside Bluetooth chips, it is likely to reach that one millionshipment milestone in just one week.That combination of Wibree within a Bluetooth chip is vitally important in understandingits place and the role that it can fulfill . Because low power, personal Wibree devices will be ableto communicate with

handsets, it means that in time every mobile phone becomes a Wibreegateway to the mobile network. So every Wibree device can communicate with the internet, allowing

information to be sent backwards and forwards. And because the data rates are low, thecost of this data transfer will be a negligible portion of the user’s monthly phone contract.

That paradigm change will enable a wide range of additional services that today are just too expensivefor widespread deployment.A new short-range wireless technology, called Wibree, is designed to communicate withwrist watches, wireless keyboards, toys, and other devices that

have low power consumption.It’s been more than a decade since Bluetooth was developed and deployed, serving as awireless link between two compatible devices. But

has the short-range radio technology lived upto its potential or is it more-or-less limited to hands-free headsets for cell phones?Wibree was developed by Nokia as an alternative -- and later,

complimentary -- solutionto Bluetooth. Wibree is also a low-power, short-range wireless technology, but it promises to filla gap left by Bluetooth.“Wibree can be built into products

such as watches, toys, wireless keyboards, gaming,hea l t hca re   and   en t e r t a i nmen t   dev i ce s ,   and   spo r t s   s enso r s , ”   s ays  

Nok ia   spokesman  Cha r l e s Chopp. “These devices can then connect to host devices such as mobile phones and personal

  

Wibree Technologycomputers -- it is essentially the missing link between small devices and mobile

phones and personal computers.”Fo r sma l l and mid - s i z e bus ine s se s , t he adven t o f Wib ree pose s g r ea t po t en t i a l ,

f r omchang ing  how  employees   commun ica t e  w i th   e ach  o the r   i n s ide   t he  o f f i c e   t o   enab l i ng  more applications for low-cost voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) to

potentially allowing a businessto communicate to the wrist watches, gaming devices, or pedometers of potential customers.

2.4.Wibree Devices:Nordic Semiconductor is key player in Wibree:Pe rhaps   t he  mos t   s i gn i f i c an t   bu t   unhe ra lded  member  o f  Nok ia ' s   r e cen t l y  

p r emie red W i b r e e   i n i t i a t i v e   h a s   a   h i s t o r y   o f   b u i l d i n g   2 . 4   G H z   u l t r a -

l o w   p o w e r   t r a n s c e i v e r s   a n d   a geographic proximity to the Finnish cell phone maker to boot. Norway-based  Nord i c Semiconduc to r   ha s exp re s sed   l i t t l e

r e l uc t ance   t o   p rov ide   a timeframe for delivering Wibree chips—it will sample second half of 2007. It has licensedWibree technology in advance from Nokia. Nordic

already has a 2.4 GHz transceiver product line based on a proprietary architecturef o r m a n y o f t h e k e y a p p l i c a t i o n s t a r g e t e d b y W i b r e e . I t i s a l s o a m e m b e r o f t h e W i b r e e specification group where it has contributed its core expertise in ultra-low power RF design tothe technology.A description of Nordic's technology architecture can

be found atStreaming audio: How to optimize battery life and music quality.Wibree is the first open wireless technology

to specifically target connectivity betweenmobile devices such as smartphones or PCs and small, battery-powered devices such as watches,wireless keyboards, toys and sports sensors.The

Wibree technology was introduced earlier this week during at a Nokia press andanalysts briefing.  Nokia launches Bluetooth follow-on wireless LAN .At the briefing,

Nordic Semiconductor Product Manger Thomas Embla Bonnerud said: "The technical challenge is to ensure minimal power consumption under heavy, daily usage."Wibree is the first technology that combines interoperability and a lightweight protocolstack specifically designed

for ultra-low power implementation."This is a field in which Nordic Semiconductor is now generally regarded as a

globalleader and is why we as a company are a totally committed partner in enabling this new excitingmarket for wireless communication and to playing our part in making Wibree happen."

Key advantages:Wibree is said to be up to 10 times more energy-efficient than Bluetooth, but

can easily be integrated with the existing technology. In fact, in June 2007 the Bluetooth Special InterestGroup(SIG) announced that Nokia’s Wibree specification will be merged with the Bluetooth SIGand become part of the Bluetooth specification as an ultra lower power Bluetooth technology.“Because Wibree addresses devices with very low battery capacity and can be easilyintegrated with Bluetooth technology, it will round out Bluetooth

technology’s wireless PersonalArea Networking (PAN) offering and strengthen the technology’s ability to provide wirelessconnectivity for smaller devices,” explains Chopp.“You can t h ink o f Wib ree a s ba s i ca l l y l ow-power B lue too th , ”

con f i rms Ga ry Chen , senior analyst for Small and Medium Enterprise IT Infrastructure and Applications at the YankeeGroup , the Boston-based IT research house. “Because it’s

more power efficient, you'll getlonger battery life and it can be put into smaller devices, like a pen or watch.”Chopp says in many cases Wibree makes it possible to operate these

devices for morethan a year without recharging.“It also looks promising for healthcare,” adds Chen, “as it is able to send body sensor  information wirelessly to a monitoring

device.”Inherent challenges

T h e r e   a r e   l i k e l y   g o i n g   t o   b e   a d o p t i o n   c h a l l e n g e s   f o r   W i b r e e ,   a s  w i t h   m a n y   n e w technologies. Chen says it may be “very difficult.” “There are a lot of wireless standards and not-quite-standards already, however, acceptance by the Bluetooth SIG and inclusion in a futureBluetooth spec will help a lot,” says Chen.O the r s   a r e   op t im i s t i c   t ha t   bus ine s se s   and   consumer s  w i l l   embrace  Wib ree - enab l eddev i ce s because o f t he i r e a se o f u se . “The re i s a lways an adop t i on cu rve fo r new indus t ry  

 Wibree Technology

standards," Chopp says. He adds that this is  why Nokia and the Bluetooth SIG both agreed thatt he Wib ree s t anda rd wou ld be be s t s e rved unde r t he

ausp i ce s o f t he B lue too th S IG , wh icha l r eady  ha s   pa r t i c i pa t i on   and   suppo r t   f r om  more   t han  8 ,000  

compan i e s   t ha t   a r e   advanc ing Bluetooth wireless technology.To date, a handful of companies have contributed to the interoperability specification

of W i b r e e ,   s a y s   C h o p p ,   i n c l u d i n g   B r o a d c o m ,   C a s i o ,   C S R ,   E p s o n ,  I t o M ,   L o g i t e c h ,   N o r d i c Semiconductor, ST Microelectronics, Suunto, Taiyo

Yuden Co., Ltd. and Texas Instruments.“Several new companies -- including device, watch and access systems manufacturers -- will jointhe finalization of the specification, and once the specification is finalized, the technology will bemade broadly available to the industry via the

Bluetooth SIG,” Chopp says.Coming to a business near you

 Nokia expects the first commercial version of the Wibree/Bluetooth 

interoperabilityspecification to be available during the first half of 2008. According to internal estimates, Nokia believes they will begin to see the first stand-alone products from a

few vendors in the secondhalf of 2008. These are likely to be “small button cell battery powered devices,” says Chopp.Host devices and other dual-mode devices should

emerge in first half of 2009.On its initial adoption, Chopp cites an ABI Research report published in March 2007. Init, director Stuart Carlaw predicts Wibree to be a $432

million, 809 million device industry by2012.

  

Wibree Technology3.WIBREE:

3.1.Where wibree came from:In 2001 two industry groups put forward proposals for the form of this radio.

Nokiaheaded one of the groups and proposed a development that was handset centric. A major tenet

of t h e i r   d e s i g n   w a s   t h a t   “ i t   c a n   b e   d e p l o y e d   w i t h   m i n o r   e f f o r t   i n t o  d e v i c e s   a l r e a d y   h a v i n g Blue too th ,   e . g .   c e l l phones”  w i th   t he   added   r equ i r

emen t   t ha t   a   “ common  RF   sec t i on  w i th Bluetooth must be possible”. Their vision was also broader that that of the competing camp in tha t i t env i s aged a

wor ld o f a t r i l l i on w i r e l e s s , web connec t ed dev i ce s . A key s l i de shows m i l l i o n s   o f   c o n n e c t e d   l a p t o p s ,   b i l l i o n s   o f   m o b i l e   p h o n e s   a n d  

t r i l l i o n s   o f   w h a t   c o u l d   b e interpreted as Wibree enabled devices.In the event, the IEEE committee chose to adopt the alternative proposal for the 802.15.4standard. However,

Nokia didn’t stop work on their proposal. Over the intervening years it hasdeveloped and matured into what has now been announced to the world as

Wibree.The original proposals are still available for public viewing on the IEEE site.The name has also raised eyebrows. Like Bluetooth, it is a new word that tells us little of the

technology. The “Wi” is the now obligatory prefix for “wireless”, with Nokia claiming thatthe

“bree” comes from the Old English word for a ‘crossroad’. So we have “Wireless at theCrossroad”, Whichever takes your fancy; one thing is certain - Wibree will

certainly herald anew era of personal wireless connectivity. And the engagement of the major Bluetooth siliconvendors will ensure that it will quickly appear in hundreds of

millions of handsets. 

 Wibree Technology

3.2.Wibree device architecture:Wibree specification has been created by having two equally important

implementationalternatives in mind, namely dual-mode and stand-alone. In the dual mode implementation theWib ree func t i ona l i t y i s an add -on f ea tu r e i n s ide

B lue too th c i r cu i t r y sha r i ng a g r ea t dea l o f   existing functionality resulting in a minimal cost increase compared to existing products. Thedual modes are targeted at

mobile phones, multimedia computers and PCs. The stand alone implementations are power and cost optimized designs targeted at, for example, sport, wellness,and human HID product categories.example’s for dualmode implementation and device which is standalone

applicationWibree radio specification:

Band with physical layer bit rate of 1 Mbps and provides link distance of 5-10 meters.Wibree radio specification enables dual-mode implementations to reuse

Bluetooth RF part buta l s o   t o   g u a r a n t e e   u l t r a   l o w   p o w e r   c o n s u m p t i o n   f o r   d e v i c e s   w i t h  e m b e d d e d   s t a n d - a l o n e implementation of the Wibree specification. Wibree operates in

2.4 GHz ISM.Wibree link layer specification:

Wibree link layer provides ultra low power idle mode operation, simple device discoveryand   r e l i ab l e   po in t - t o -mu l t i po in t   da t a   t r ans f e r  w i th   advanced  

power - save   and   enc ryp t i on functionalities. The link layer provides means to schedule Wibree traffic in between Bluetoothtransmissions.

Wibree host & profile specifications:Wibree is adopting the principle of profiles to define its most common application areas.In its initial release, these cover the watch, sensors and Human Interface Devices (HID).

Thereceiving device doesn’t need to be static for this scenario. A feature of the short time required tocomplete a data transfer means this profile can be used with moving receivers. If we consider atransmitter with a 100 metre range, a vehicle moving at 100 km/hr will be

within range of thetransmitter for around 4 seconds – more than enough time to pick up traffic information from a beacon. An increasing number of vehicles already have a driver display that

is Bluetooth enabled – it’s called their satellite navigation system. There’s only a minimal incremental cost to Wibreeenable it to receive additional messages from roadside transmitters. It makes Wibree a veryinteresting proposition to those developing ITS

(Integrated Traffic System) applications.Wibree – wireless PAN with long battery life:

8th December 2006 - Chips for Wibree, the new short-range wireless data link proposed by  Nokia , will be available in sample volumes as soon as late 2007, according to low-power radio specialists    Nordic Semiconductor   . Nok i a announced t he

Wibree concep t i n l a t e 2006 , leading some industry observers to speculate that Wibree was intended to be competitive withBluetoothor ZigBee . It’s neither, says Nokia, but is intended to bring standardised wirelesscommunications to a particular niche and range of products where wireless connections are notcurrently used or, if they are used, they are proprietary solutions that do not have interoperability.Wibree is defined by very low power, with the objective that a device should run from a battery for, typically, over a year: the battery being an AA or AAA cell for high-duty-cycleoperation, and “coin” cell for low-duty-cycle applications. Applications centre on the personal- 

 Wibree Technology

area-network (PAN) space and include human-interface devices such as keyboards and mice,sensors, and wearable devices such as watches. One of Nokia’s objectives is that as a wireless-connected personal-product “ecosystem” emerges, the cellphone should be at its centre.

NordicSemiconduc to r a l r e ady supp l i e s p rop r i e t a ry r ad io ch ip s i n to t h i s ma rke t s ec to r , and ha s an interest in providing chips that meet a standardised

specification.3.3.Wibree chips:

Wibree chips will come in two main types – standalone and dual-mode. Standalone chipswill be for use in “slave” products (sensors, watches and the like) while the Wibree function indual-

mode will co-exist with Bluetooth and will be used in a host device such as a cellphone.The radio link has much in common with Bluetooth but the protocol is

simpler, and the power demand  much   sma l l e r .  A  dua l -mode   ch ip se t  w i l l   r e -u se

t he  B lue too th  RF   sec t i on  w i th  nochanges :   t he r e  w i l l   be   some   add i t i ona l  f unc t i ons   i n   t he  B lue too th  ba seband   s ec t i on ,   and   a separate protocol

stack.Therefore, the RF link will be at 2.4 GHz as, for Bluetooth: it will have the Bluetooth RF power level of 0 dBm, similar range of around 10m (Nokia says “5 to 15m”), and

modulationwill be GMSK (a small change from the Bluetooth case). While transmitting or receiving, thecurrent drawn by a slave single-chip solution will be under 15 mA. Nordic expects to supply that part in a 4x4 mm QFN package. Over-the-air data rate will be

1 Mbit/sec – in the interests of low power, Wibree will not use the more complex modulation that (in the same 1 MHz channel  bandwidth) extends the upgraded

Bluetooth’s data rate. While typical applications for Wibreewill send only small data payloads, Nordic says there are advantages in having a 1 Mbit/sec capacity: using

a very low duty cycle, the radio will turn on, send a short data burst then power-down again, reducing demands on battery power. The protocol is also simplified for the

samer e a s o n   –   c o m m u n i c a t i o n s   c a n   b e   p e e r - p e e r   b e t w e e n   s t a n d - a l o n e  d e v i c e s ,   o r   i n   a   s t a r   configuration with a host – there is no “piconet” facility as

Bluetooth has (which is hardly ever used) and no mesh networking as in ZigBee. As with Bluetooth, scenarios exist to support thehigher level parts of the protocol stack in

an on-chip microcontroller core – which would haveheadroom to also run simple

applications – or to divide the stack at HMI (host machine interface)level and run the top layers in a host processor. Nokia will not yet comment on how large theprotocol stack will be: for the present there will be just three profiles – sensor, HID and

watch.Ultimate cost objectives are that a stand-alone chip should be in the region of €1, while for adual-mode chip or chipset, adding Wibree should cost a cell-phone maker under

10 cents. Nordic and Nokia sketch out some possible use examples. The HID case (keyboards andmice) is obvious and Nordic says that battery life should be extended (over, say, a Bluetoothsolution) to a similar extent to that already offered in its proprietary solutions using chips fromits nRF24 range. Similarly, Nordic already sells chips into the sports-watch sector – sensors suchas heart-rate monitors and running-shoe step-counters communicate with a watch that computesand displays (human) performance data. With Wibree, the interface

could include the mobile phone. With your phone in your pocket, you can talk on a Bluetooth headset while controllingthe call on a WiBree watch – the dual-mode chipset will

interleave Bluetooth and Wibree traffic.Bluetooth watches already exist (for example, fromSony-Ericsson

 ) – Nord i c s ays t ha t w i th Wibree, it will do much better on battery life. In health-care, a

cardiac monitor might use Wibreeto talk to the cellphone, which could pass on real-time data to a central patient monitoring systemusing GPRS. It follows that Wibree will have to be secure:

AES128 encryption will be standard:devices will pair on either an open-discovery basis, or users will be able to set them to be hiddenuntil explicitly addressed.At present, Wibree has the

status of an industry initiative: Nokia has gathered a coregroup that comprises Nordic (for its very-low-power radio expertise),Epson ,  Suunto(maker

of sports watches),CSR   ,Broadcom, a n d   Ta i yo  Yuden ( w h o   w i l l   c o n t r i b u t e   t o   t e s t i n g   a n d certification, and ensuring a viable test specification). Nokia retains control of the specificationfor the time

being; in the second quarter of 2007 it plans to pass it to an independent industryforum at which point membership will be opened to any interested parties. Just another wirelessinterface standard? No, says a Nokia spokesman, “if we could have done this

with an existingstandard, we would have, but none of them achieve the power and performance profile we needto open up this market segment.”

  

Wibree TechnologyWhat Wibree does:

Wibree’s main application is to provide an ultra low power radio within the2.4GHz band.Low power is always determined in large part by the application the longer a device is active,and the more data it transmits, the shorter itsbattery life will be.W i b r e e   i s   a i m i n g   t o   p r o d u c e   a   r a d i o   t h a t   c a n   t r a n s m i t   a  s m a l l   p a c k e t   o f   d a t a app rox ima te ly eve ry s econd fo r a yea r u s ing a sma l l bu t t on ce l l , such a s aCR2430 , w i th a capacity of around 280mAH. If the duty cycle is reduced to onetransmission every 15 to 30seconds, then the battery life

effectively becomes the leakage life of the battery. This low power drain is achieved by designing a radio and protocol that lets the radio stay asleep for most of itslife. It can wake up quickly, when it will broadcast its requirement to transfer data on a number of advertising channels across the spectrum. The receiving device, which is likely to contain alarger battery as it will be on for more of the time, will acknowledge the message and tell thefirst device which channel to send its data on. It will then acknowledge receipt of this data, atwhich point both can go back to sleep.The whole process will take less than three or four milliseconds. Cost is a key advantagein Wibree existing within a Bluetooth chipset. But it’s not the only advantage of that symbioticexistence. Major concerns abut radio deployment in the 2.4GHz band is the growing level of  interference that is likely to exist. That’s already resulting in a resurgence of interest in Bluetoothfor industrial applications because of its resilience to interference. Wibree provides the answer.Because the conversation between devices allows the responding device to select theradio channel to use, it introduces the concept of frequency agility, where the two radios canmove t o und i s t u rbed pa r t s o f t he spec t rum fo r t he i r da t a t r ansmi s s ions . I n mos t c a se s , t h i s receiving device will be a mobile phone, which is acting as a gateway. The same Bluetooth chipthat contains the Wibree radio within the phone will be constantly scanning the radio spectrum as part of its adaptive frequency hopping requirement to see what spectrum is free. It makes perfectsense to share this information with the Wibree radio to give it the frequency agility that it needsto meet high reliability applications.In that sense it’s probably the same type of understatement that has haunted Bluetooth; although Bluetooth is normally referred to as a short range technology for less than ten meters,the reality is that it is successfully used for many applications over hundreds of meters. Looking 

 Wibree Technology

more closely at what we know about the parameters that will determine Wibree range, the first point is that it will share the radio and receiver of Bluetooth chips. The most

recent generation of Bluetooth chips have receive sensitivities around -85dBm and can directly output at transmit powers of around +4dBm. With careful RF design that gives an

open field range better than 200metres.Wibree - the marvelous world of wireless microdata: 

The announcement by the Bluetooth SIG that they are embracing Wibree as an additionalstrand of the Bluetooth family of wireless specifications is a major step in its evolution. At

itsannouncemen t ,   some   commen ta to r s   a sked  why  we  needed  ye t   ano the r  w i r e l e s s   s t anda rd ,  particularly as its key feature is low power. The argument being that we already have low power radio standards, such as 802.15.4, ZigBee and Z-Wave.Wibree offers

low power – as low as any of the other contenders, but it does it in a way that sets itself apart from them. Its unique feature is that it cohabits with a Bluetooth radio in anew

generation of wireless chips. To reduce cost it uses the same radio circuitry that’s alreadythere for Bluetooth and squeezes in a small, complementary protocol stack. These dual modechips will cost at most a few cents more than today’s Bluetooth only chips.

That means Wibreewill quickly achieve a high penetration in mobile phones because it

is riding on the back of anestablished technology.T h e r e   a r e   t w o   i m p o r t a n t   t h i n g s   t o   r e a l i s e   a b o u t   t h a t  

s y m b i o s i s :   f i r s t l y ,   W i b r e e deployment will happen quickly and happen in volume. Secondly, it means that every Wibreeenabled mobile phone becomes a

ready built, wide area gateway capable of transferring datafrom a peripheral Wibree device to a remote network or service. The sheer speed and scale of  Wibree

deployment in mobile phones in the next few years is the first step to its goal. It will  p r o v i d e   t h e   c r i t i c a l   m a s s   t h a t   p r o d u c t   d e s i g n e r s   n e e d   t o   j u s t i f y 

i n c o r p o r a t i n g   w i r e l e s s connectivity into a new generation of products.Low cost, Wibree only chips will find their way into a whole new range of accessories,such as

watches and lifestyle devices. Dual-mode Wibree + Bluetooth chips will give addedfunctionality to the phones themselves, which will become usable for location

specific datasearching and remote control. Most importantly, Wibree opens up a raft of new opportunities for

mobile network operators. As each Wibree equipped handset is a mobile gateway for Wibreedevices, operators will be able to offer new services, such as health monitoring. Such services provide a route to new revenue streams, as well as being a

powerful tool for operators to increasecustomer loyalty and reduce churn. The important point to understand about Wibree is that it isgoing to build upon the volumes of mobile phones.Un l ike o the r l ow power s t anda rds i t ’ s no t s t a r t i ng f rom sc r a t ch , bu t w i l l r i de on an indus t ry t ha t a l r e ady s e l l s a b i l l i on dev i ce s eve ry yea r . Wib ree ha s t he goa l o f enab l i ng amu l t i t ude o f p roduc t s t o connec t t o e ach and eve ry one o f t he se handse t s . Tha t adds up t o a  potential that is an order of magnitude greater than mobile phone sales. Unlike other short rangestandards, Wibree’s goal is not to ship mere

millions, but tens of billions.

  

Wibree Technology3.4.TECHNICAL INFORMATION:

Wibree is designed to work side-by-side with and complement Bluetooth. It operates in2.4 GHz ISM band with physical layer bit rate of 1 Mbit/s. Main

applications include devicess u c h   a s   w r i s t   w a t c h e s ,   w i r e l e s s   k e y b o a r d s ,   t o y s   a n d   s p o r t s  s e n s o r s   w h e r e   l o w   p o w e r   consumption is a key design requirement. The technology was announced on 3 October 2006 by Nokia. Partners that currently license the technology and

cooperate in defining the specificationare Nordic Semiconductor, Broadcom Corporation, CSR and Epson. Other contributors

areSuunto and Taiyo Yuden.Wibree is not designed to replace Bluetooth, but rather to complement the technology insupported devices. Wibree-enabled devices will be smaller and

more energy-efficient than their Bluetooth counterparts. This is especially important in devices such as wristwatches, whereBluetooth models may be too large and heavy to

be comfortable. Replacing Bluetooth withWibree will make the devices closer in dimensions and weight to current standard wristwatches.

POWER CONSUMPTION:Ch ip  manufac tu r e r s   do  no t   d i s c lo se  power   consumpt ion  da t a   on  da t a  

shee t s .  Th i s specification item depends on the operational duty cycles. Therefore the authentic data may beob t a ined   j u s t  w i th   expe r imen t a l   boa rd   s e t -

ups   and   r e spec t i ve   f i rmware   t e s t   env i ronmen t .Respec t i ve   t e s t   env i ronmen t  spec i f i c a t i ons   t o   no rma l i z e   and  d i r ec t l y   compa re   t he  o f f e r ed alternatives are

not available (2008-10-19).BLUETOOTH:

The name Bluetooth comes from the name of a king, King Harald Blatand (translatedHarold Bluetooth) of Denmark and Norway from 935-940 A.D. He is known for his unificationof previously warring tribes from Denmark (including Scania, present-day

Sweden, where theBluetooth technology was invented) and Norway. Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless protocol for exchanging data over short distances(using short length

radio waves) from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks(PANs) . I t was o r i g ina l l y conce ived a s a w i r e l e s s a l t e rna t i ve t o RS-232 da t a c ab l e s . I t

c an connect several devices, overcoming problems of synchronization.B lue too th  was   i n t ended   t o   un i fy  d i f f e r en t   t e chno log i e s   l i ke  

compu te r s   and  mob i l e  phones. The name is inspired by the historical King Bluetooth, who united the Scandinaviancountries. The Bluetooth logo merges the Nordic

runes analogous to the modern Latin H and B:(Haglaz) and (Berkanan).

ZIGBEE:ZigBee is a specification for a suite of high level communication protocols using small,low-

power digital radios based on the IEEE 802.15.4-2003 standard for wireless personal areanetworks (WPANs), such as wireless headphones connecting with cell phones via short-rangeradio. The technology defined by the ZigBee specification is

intended to be simpler and lessexpensive than other WPANs, such as Bluetooth. ZigBee is targeted at radio-frequency (RF)applications that require a low data rate, long battery life, and secure networking.The Z igBee A l l i ance i s a g roup o f compan i e s

t ha t ma in t a in and pub l i sh t he Z igBee standard. ZigBee is a low-cost, low-power, wireless mesh networking proprietary standard.

Thelow  cos t   a l l ows   t he   t e chno logy   t o   be  w ide ly  dep loyed   i n  w i r e l e s s  con t ro l   and  mon i to r i ngapp l i c a t i ons ,   t he   l ow  power -usage   a l l ows   l onge r  l i f e  w i th   sma l l e r   ba t t e r i e s ,   and   t he  mesh networking provides high reliability and

larger range.•

The ZigBee Alliance, the standards body that defines ZigBee, also publishes application profiles that allow multiple OEM vendors to create interoperable products

W i b r e e   h a r d w a r e   i n   a   w r i s t w a t c h   n o   l a r g e r   t h a n   a   s t a n d a r d   q u a r t z  w a t c h ,   w i t h   a c o m p a r a b l e   w e i g h t .   I n   c o n t r a s t ,   B l u e t o o t h   w a t c h e s   a r

e   h e a v y   a n d   b u l k y ,   m a k i n g   t h e m inappropriate and even uncomfortable for everyday use.

Differences between Zigbee, Wibree and Bluetooth:

3.5.WIBREE APPLICATIONS: •

Small scale•

Big opportunityWib ree   i s   a l l   abou t   sma l l   da t a   t r ans f e r s .  These   a r e t he   app l i c a t i ons   t ha t   s end   sma l l amounts of information occasionally. That might be a TV remote control, a glucose monitor, f l i gh t i n fo rma t ion a t an a i rpo r t o r a r oom the rmos t a t . A l l i n a l l , e ach app l i c a t i on may on ly  

 Wibree Technology

transfer a few tens or hundreds of bytes of data each day. It’s what I’ve termed microdata. It’snot a new concept, but prior to Wibree nothing has had the architecture to make

it simple or thecritical mass to make it happen. Instead most wireless technologies have been bogged down incomplexity by trying to be good at the difficult things,

such as meshes or video streaming or  concu r r en t aud io and da t a . Wib ree i s a l l abou t do ing t he l i t t l e t h ings s imp ly . Look ing a t i t anthropomorphically, Wibree’s not the technology for long term wireless relationships betweendevices, but rather the everyday

“hellos” “how are you”s, “how much is that” and ”I’ll have twoof t hose , p l e a se” . I n t e rms o f t he w i r e l e s s day , B lue too th and Wi -F i w i l l cove r t he

deep , meaningful conversations between loved devices; Wibree will be all of those other snippets of conversation that oil our everyday existence.

The Long and Short of it:Don’ t make t he mi s t ake o f t h ink ing t ha t l ow power and l ong ba t t e ry l i f e

mean t ha t Wibree will be limited to short range applications. Wibree can transmit at powers up to 100mW.In mobile phones, where it shares the same transmitter and receiver with the Bluetooth chip itreside in, Wibree will typically transmit at around 2mW with a receive sensitivity of better than-86dBm. If the RF circuitry is well designed, that will give it an open

field range in excess of 100metres with very low battery consumption. Sensor applications that add a power amplifier oughtto be able to exceed 1 km of open field range. While many

Wibree applications will extend nof u r t h e r   t h a n   t h e   r a n g e   o f   p e r s o n a l   t r a n s a c t i o n s   w i t h i n   a   r o o m ,  

t h e r e   w i l l   b e   n u m e r o u s applications that need to cover the house or office. The ability to deliver that range will helpWibree enable a very wide range of applications.

What’s microdata all about?The best way to understand its versatility is to look at some applications that Wibree canenable. The first of these to come to market will almost certainly be phone-centric, least becauseWibree

is being championed by Nokia and other phone vendors. These headline applicationsinclude sending caller information to your watch display and collecting data from health andlifestyle sensors. They’ll start to deliver the first stage of that

promise of tens of billions of d e v i c e s .   A n   i m p o r t a n t   p a r t   o f   t h e   d e s i g n   o f   t h e   W i b r e e   s t a n d a r d  

h a s   b e e n   i n   m a k i n g   i t inexpensive to manufacture and integrate – potentially half the cost of Bluetooth or a stand-aloneWibree chip. That low cost opens up a whole raft

of opportunities. It only needs a little thoughtto see how wide the potential from wireless microdata can be.

 Microdata means LocationH o w   m a n y   t i m e s   h a v e   y o u   g o n e   s o m e w h e r e   a n d   w a n t e d   s o m e  

b a s i c   p i e c e   o f   information? It might be the time and gate for your flight, where the goat’s cheese is in thesupe rmarke t , o r whe re t o f i nd you r mummy a t t he B r i t i sh Museum. Some o f t he se c an be answered by search engines and a mobile

data subscription. Wibree enables the concept of freelocal searches.The way it works is to install Wibree “servers” at each relevant location, with a simpleinformation database in each. That database is typically going to be small and local as it

onlyconcerns itself with information about its search location. At the train station it will be the timesand platforms of trains for that station and their destinations. In the

supermarket it will be theaisle in which goods are located. At the museum it will be details of where the exhibits are ondisplay.Each Wibree location server will

broadcast its presence, and any Wibree device with asuitable search application can choose to show all of the servers within range. It’s never likely to be a big list, but it will

be information relevant to where you are.The process doesn’t touch the mobile network, so there’s no charge. The phone onlyneeds to accept minimal data and display downloaded text, so it’s fast. The database in the server is small and simple to structure as it only has limited,

local information. Microdata means Health - The Ubiquitous Gateway

Caring for an ageing population with an increasing incidence of long-term, chronic healthissues is a problem facing most countries. There is a clear perception that electronic monitoringo f hea l t h i s a key pa r t o f any so lu t i on . Tha t ’ s been r ecogn i zed w i th in t he i ndus t ry w i th t he fo rma t ion o f spec i a l i s t g roups such a s t he B lue too th Med ica l Dev i ce s Group , t he Con t i nua Alliance and the IEEE 11073 standards group 

 Wibree Technology

Wibree is widely seen as a key enabler for these services. Where it scores over any other low power radio is in its unique ability to use the mobile phone as a gateway that can pass datafrom a personal medical device to a service provider. Some of the first Wibree devices

beingtalked about are sports accessories, such as simple pedometers built into sports footwear. Thetechnology will quickly migrate to personal health monitors, including

weighing scales, blood pressure monitors and glucosimeters. These aren’t devices that need to send large amounts of data, but their usage model requires low power so that they can be small, battery powered andwearable.The p rospec t o f o f f e r i ng hea l t h r e l a t ed s e rv i ce s i s an exc i t i ng p rospec t f o r ne twork  operators. It’s one

of the reasons that the GSM Association is welcoming Wibree as an evolutionof the existing Bluetooth standard. It’s not yet clear where the services will reside – with mobilenetworks,

insurers, national healthcare services, gyms or private medical companies. What isclear is that Wibree provides a wireless implementation with the accessibility that will enable

alarge- scale deployment of eHealth devices. Microdata means Control 

The concept of Home Automation has been around for over sixty years, yet still has nottaken off. There are many reasons for that, including proprietary systems that won’t work witheach other, cost and the fact that most of them are too complicated to set up.As Wibree appears in these devices, the scope for remote control of other devices willappear. Gateway devices will also open up the possibility of remote access. Whether a largenumber of people will ever want to control their heating or white goods remotely is open todebate, but Wibree will be sneaking into the infrastructure of household goods for other reasons.Increasing concerns about energy and resource usage will require smarter washing machines anddishwashers that can talk to each other about how and when they’re working. The driver is likelyto be flexible tariffs and government legislation, rather than consumer demand for the automatedhome. The day is coming when your utility company will decide when you can do your washing 

 Wibree TechnologyWibree and Bluetooth :

There is one area which Wibree will revolutionise more than any other, which is wirelesshealthcare. wireless devices will drive things like telemedicine, helping a global aging

populationstay fitter. That reflects a widespread understanding that healthcare needs to encompass remotemonitoring in order to service the aging population. Depending on the

application this goes by ava r i e t y   o f   names ,   i nc lud ing   eHea l t h ,   t e l e ca r e ,   a s s i s t ed   l i v ing   and  

w i r e l e s s  we l l be ing .   I t encompasses everything from personal fitness plans to disease control and dementia monitoring.

Advantages:1.Integrate with Blutooth Chips2. operates on 2.4Gh Band3. low power consumption4. Less cost5. packets are transmitted with differential length6. (M)Any device can contact with any

device.

 Applications:•

Sports:Many of us enjoy an active lifestyle. Wibree enabled products can provide a multitude

of appealing applications, ranging from the measurement and consequent optimization of a professional athlete’s performance during a work out session to the automatic selection of suitable music from your mp3 player to match your heart rate while bicycling to work.

•Healthcare

:A healthy living is important to all of us. Whether monitoring your heart  rate and blood pressure at home to improve your personal diet or being connected over-the-air to your  physician while rehabilitating out of hospital, Wibree makes being healthy easier.  

 Wibree Technology

•Entertainment

Kids l ove t oys , and so do many o f t he i r pa r en t s . S t ee r you r l i t t l e r a c ing ca r c l e a r o f   obstacles with your mobile phone, watch your little robot interact with that of your friendwhen they come close and tune up the volume to your favorite beat with

your tiny mp3 player remote control. Wibree enabled toys and gadgets take play to the next level.

•Office

A g rowing number o f u s u se a pe r sona l compu te r i n ou r da i l y work o r a t home , and expect the best performance and ergonomics from the devices we use to interact with thecomputer. Moreover, work often travels with us and so it is important that we can set up aconvenient working environment while on the move. Wibree ensures that your

wirelesskeyboard, mouse and digital pen will work when you work

4.CONCLUSION:Taking all of these factors together, Wibree has the potential to transform

consumer Devices. It will solve the technology and monitoring issues that are currently hindering

Theadop t i on  o f  w i r e l e s s   hea l t hca r e   s e rv i ce s   and   enab l e   a  who le  new  gene ra t i on  o f   l i f e s t y l e ,mon i to r i ng   and   s a f e ty p roduc t s .

By  mak ing   t he  mob i l e   handse t   t he ga t eway ,   i t   b r i ngs   t he network operators into the equation. And they have the resources to aggregate and enable service p rov i s i on . Today

Wib ree i s a Nok ia so lu t i on . Howeve r , i t i s be ing suppo r t ed by t he ma jo r  Bluetooth chip vendors including Cambridge Silicon Radio and Broadcom. That means it willreside within the chips in almost every brand of handset. It is unlikely that other phone vendorswi l l no t t ake advan t age o f i t s p r e sence , no t l e a s t because i t o f f e r s t he ne twork ope ra to r s an additional revenue stream. Its presence will make it very difficult for any other short range, low power wireless technology to gain traction in the

handset, ensuring that Wibree is placed to ownthe wireless healthcare market. It may not become the accepted acronym, but Wibree will enableC2M - “Consumer to Machine” or “Consumer to Middleware” applications at a price point thatmakes them mass market. M2M is only just

beginning to deliver against its promises. Wibreemay result in C2M delivering an even larger promise in a shorter timescale.By the end of 2007 EZURiO expects to be able

to provide the first modular products toallow developers to start work on Wibree designs for wireless healthcare. In the meantime wealso expect to see networks engage in

investigating the infrastructure requirements to provide thedata services to support these applications.

5.FUTURE SCOPE:With its energy smart feature and small size, it can extend the role mobile devices play inthe

consumers' lives, increasing revenue potential in the small devices market segments. WithBluetooth technology already having a following of more than 2,500 companies, Wibree's

stand-alone implementation will add to wider adoption in the small digital device space in India andworldwide. On the office and mobile accessories front, its

expanded battery life feature wills a t i s fy  B lue too th  u se r s .   I n   spo r t s   and  hea l t hca re   s egmen t ,   s enso r s  w i th  Wib ree   t e chno logy implanted in human body, shoes, and other fitness tools can collect data

and transmit informationto mobile phones or PCs. Wibree built into entertainment devices provides wireless interaction possibilities, offering enhanced user experience. Given its immense

utility in various segments,Wibree will benefit products that make the technology as in-built. And it has a great future.

6.BIBILOGRAPHY:1 . w w w . i e e e . o r

g 2 . w w w . e z u r i o . c o m 3 . w w w . w i k i p e d i a . c o m 4 . w w w . w i b r e e . c o m 5. w w w . i s a . o r g