Lecture Objectives

Wireless Networks and Mobile Systems
Lecture 2
802.11 and Bluetooth technology
● Discuss the operation of IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth
WLANs/WPANs
● Summarize standardization efforts and
recommendations by IEEE 802.15 group
● Discuss interference issues between IEEE 802.11 and
BT and some suggested interference mitigation/
coexistence techniques

802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 2

Agenda
IEEE 802.11b
● IEEE 802.11b
■ Characteristics
■ Channel layout (US)
● Bluetooth ● Characteristics
■ Characteristics
● Channel assignment
■ Piconets and scatternets
■ Comparison with 802.11
● IEEE 802.15
● Coexistence between BT and IEEE 802.11b
■ Types of coexistence
■ Examples of coexistence mechanisms

802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 3

Characteristics Center Frequencies

● Higher-speed physical layer extension of 802.11 in
the 2.4 GHz band Channel Freq. US / Eur. Japan Channel Freq. US / Eur. Japan
(MHz) Can Can
■ Same MAC functions
1 2412 ● ● ● 8 2447 ● ● ●
● Offers data rates of 11, 5.5, 2 and 1 Mbps
2 2417 ● ● ● 9 2452 ● ● ●
■ In practice, maximum achievable user data rate around 6-7
Mbps
3 2422 ● ● ● 10 2457 ● ● ●
● DSSS
4 2427 ● ● ● 11 2462 ● ● ●
5 2432 ● ● ● 12 2467 ● ●
● 1 and 2 Mbps use 11-bit Barker sequence and DBPSK
and DQPSK, respectively (as in 802.11)
6 2437 ● ● ● 13 2472 ● ●
7 2442 ● ● ● 14 2484 ●
● Higher data rates use 8-chip complementary code
keying (CCK)

802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 5 802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 6

1
 Channel Layout Wi-Fi
● Wireless fidelity
U.S. and Canada ● The Wi-Fi Alliance certifies interoperability of 802.11-
based products
■ Non-profit organization founded in 1999
channel 1 channel 6 channel 11
■ Over 200 members

f [MHz]

2412 2437 2462

22 MHz

802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 7 802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 8

Introduction to Medium Access

Arbitration Bluetooth
● Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance
(CSMA/CA)
● Station that desires to transmit senses the medium
● If busy, backoff for a random period of time after the
● Characteristics
medium becomes idle
● If idle, transmit after a mandatory minimum ● Piconets and scatternets
interframe spacing ● Comparison with 802.11
● No explicit collision detection, but if frame is not
ACK’d, station assumes a collision has occurred and
retransmits
● Optionally, can reserve the channel through the
exchange of RTS/CTS frames
■ More on that in a later lecture…

802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 9

Characteristics Piconets
● Operates in the 2.4 GHz range, using FHSS ● Nodes can assume the role of master or slave
● Short range ■ One or more slaves can connect to a master, forming a
piconet
■ Up to 10 m
■ The master sets the hopping pattern for the piconet, and all
● Asynchronous (data) and synchronous (voice) slaves must synchronize to that pattern
service available ■ Maximum of 7 slaves controlled by a master (3-bit addresses
● Around 700 kbps used)
● No need for infra-structure (ad hoc) ● Other operational states
● Low power consumption ■ Parked: device does not participate in the piconet, but is
known to the master and can be quickly reactivated
■ Standby: device does not participate in the piconet

802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 11 802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 12

2
 Operational States Forming a Piconet (1)
Operational States A piconet ● Initially, devices know only about themselves
■ No synchronization
SB
Master S ■ Everyone monitors in standby mode
SB
■ All devices have the capability of serving as master or slave
Slave

Parked* M P N
F H
S D
Standby* G P
O
* Low power states S E A
SB
J B M
L
I K Q
S C

802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 13 802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 14

Forming a Piconet (2) Inquiry

● Unit establishing the piconet automatically becomes Note that a device can
be “Undiscoverable”
the master
■ It sends an inquiry to discover what other devices are out D
F N
there H
G M
● Addressing
■ Active devices are assigned a 3-bit active member address
(AMA) A
B P
■ Parked devices are assigned an 8-bit parked member O
address (PMA) E
K
■ Standby devices do not need an address J L
I Q
C
10 meters

802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 15 802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 16

States Connecting to a Piconet

● Device in standby listens
periodically
standby disconnected ● If a device wants to establish
standby
a piconet, it sends an inquiry,
detach
inquiry page connecting broadcast over all wake-up
carriers inquiry page

■ It will become the master of the

Transmit Connected active piconet Transmit Connected
AMA AMA
AMA AMA ■ If inquiry was successful, device
enters page mode
● Devices in standby may Park Hold Sniff
PMA AMA AMA
Park Hold Sniff
low power respond to the inquiry with its
PMA AMA AMA
device address
■ It will become a slave to that
master
802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 17 802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 18

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 Page and Connect States Low Power States
● After receiving a response ● Sniff state
from devices, the master can ■ Slaves listen to the piconet at a
connect to each device standby
reduced rate standby
individually ■ Master designates certain slots to
■ An AMA is assigned transmit to slaves in sniff state
inquiry page inquiry page
■ Slaves synchronize to the ● Hold state
hopping sequence established by ■ Slave stops ACL transmission,
Transmit Connected Transmit Connected
the master AMA AMA but can exchange SCO packets AMA AMA

● In active state, master and ● Park state

slaves listen, transmit and Park Hold Sniff ■ Slave releases its AMA Park Hold Sniff
PMA AMA AMA PMA AMA AMA
receive ■ Still FH synchronized and wakes
■ A disconnect procedure allows up periodically to listen to beacon
devices to return to standby
mode
802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 19 802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 20

Scatternets (1) Scatternets (2)

● Piconets with overlapping coverage use different
hopping sequences
■ Collisions may occur when multiple piconets use the same D
F H
carrier frequency at the same time G M N
● Devices can participate in multiple piconets
simultaneously, creating a scatternet
■ A device can only be the master of one piconet at a time A
B
■ A device may serve as master in one piconet and slave in O P
another E K
■ A device may serve as slave in multiple piconets J L
I
C Q

802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 21 802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 22

Protocol stack Comparison with 802.11a/b

Characteristic Bluetooth IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11a

Spectrum 2.4 GHz 2.4 GHz 5 GHz

Max Transmit 725 kbps 11 Mbps 54 Mbps

Rate
Frequency FHSS DSSS OFDM
selection
Medium Master CSMA/CA CSMA/CA
access centralized
Typical 100 mW 0.05/0.25/1W 1/2.5/100 mW
transmit power
Source: Bluetooth Protocol Architecture v.1, white paper available at
www.bluetooth.org
802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 23 802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 24

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 IEEE 802.15 Working Group
IEEE 802.15
● Goal: development of consensus standards for PANs
and short distance wireless networks
● Publishes standards and recommended practices
● Overview of WPAN efforts ● Deals with issues of coexistence and interoperability
underway at IEEE with other wireless and wireline technologies
● URL: http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/15/

Task Group 1: WPAN/Bluetooth

Task Group 2: Coexistence
Task Group 3: WPAN High Rate
Task Group 4: WPAN Low Rate

802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 26

IEEE 802.15 Task Groups

Coexistence between Bluetooth
● IEEE 802.15.1 - Developed a standard based on, and
compatible with Bluetooth 1.1 and IEEE 802.11
■ Licensed technology from Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
● IEEE 802.15.2 – Considering coexistence mechanism
● Types of coexistence
proposals
● IEEE 802.15.3 – Chartered to develop a high data rate ● Example of coexistence mechanisms
(200 Mbps) WPAN standard
■ Application: low cost, low power imaging and multimedia
● IEEE 802.15.4 – Investigates a low data rate WPAN
solution with very low complexity to allow multi-
month to multi-year battery life
■ Application: sensors, interactive toys, remote controls,
badges

802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 27

Overlapping Frequency Bands Who interferes with whom?

● Bluetooth interferes with 802.11b
■ 802.11b frames collide with Bluetooth packets (longer
frames have a higher probability of collision)
■ Retransmissions increase delay
■ Impact can be severe, depending on the distance from the
node equipped with 802.11b to the access point and to the
Bluetooth nodes
● 802.11b also interferes with Bluetooth
■ High power 802.11b transmitter can saturate the Bluetooth
receiver
■ Can also cause increased errors if the bands are overlapping
■ Impact can be severe, depending on the power of the
Source: Tim Godfrey, “802.11 and Bluetooth Coexistence Techniques,” 802.11b nodes and the distance to them
National Wireless Engineering Conference, 2002

802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 29 802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 30

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 Types of Coexistence Mechanisms Adaptive Frequency Hopping
● Collaborative ● Bluetooth radio can detect some frequencies as
■ Requires exchange of information among IEEE 802.11b and “undesirable” (due to interference) and not use them
Bluetooth devices in a hopping sequence
■ Best when both WPAN and WLAN devices embedded in the
● AFH in the process of standardization by the
same piece of equipment (e.g., a notebook with Bluetooth
and 802.11 cards) Bluetooth SIG
■ To be incorporated in Bluetooth 1.2
■ Examples: deterministic frequency nulling, TDMA of BT and
802.11 ● Clearly, not effective if the entire band is subject to
● Non-collaborative interference from 802.11
■ Can be adopted by 802.11b or Bluetooth devices without ● Non-collaborative
explicit collaboration
■ Examples: adaptive frequency hopping, power control

802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 31 802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 32

TDMA Approach Other Approaches

● Designate separate intervals for BT and 802.11
● Can be based on 802.11 beacon interval
● Clients and access points would need to be modified
to incorporate this type of approach
● Also, can be wasteful, since interference problem is
localized, but this solution would be applied to the
entire BSS
● Collaborative
● Power control
■ 802.11 and/or BT devices limit their transmit powers to the
lowest power needed to achieve the desired rate
● Fragmentation
■ May attempt to reduce collision probability by reducing the
size of 802.11 frames
● Scheduling
■ BT devices schedule packet transmissions during hops that
are outside the band of frequencies currently used by the
WLAN and avoid transmitting while in-band

802.11 BT 802.11 BT time

802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 33 802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 34

Summary
● IEEE 802.11b achieves transmission rates of up to 11
Mbps in the 2.4 GHz ISM band using DSSS
● Bluetooth also operates in the 2.4 GHz ISM band,
using FHSS
■ Master/slave architecture, where piconets are formed
between one master and up to 7 slaves
● Coexistence is an issue, to prevent BT nodes from
acting (maybe unwittingly) as a rogue node in an
IEEE 802.11 WLAN
■ Adaptive frequency hopping is the leading proposal to
enable coexistence

802.11b, Bluetooth and Coexistence 35