I’ve spared you my personal endeavors in past editions of my newsletter, but now I need to share a bit of context to set the stage for an exciting development.
Over the past few months, I’ve had numerous discussions about Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and its place in the evolving IoT landscape. These conversations stem from two things: 1. There are few BLE gateways on the market, and 2. Our latest technical advancement—the now-integrated support for multiple BLE sensors into our AKKR8 gateway.
What is AKKR8, and why does BLE matter?
AKKR8 is a cellular IoT gateway designed for LPWAN technologies like LTE-M and NB-IoT. We have developed and manufactured it in Sweden, our home market. It not only has built-in sensors but also reads external sensors, forwarding their data efficiently over mobile networks. With the latest and greatest update to date, the device can now scan for BLE sensors, dynamically detecting and reading data from predefined sensor identities/MAC addresses or specific brands such as Aguardio, Smart Sensor Devices, and ELA Innovation. This means that BLE sensors can be seamlessly added or removed without any manual configuration—an ideal solution for dynamic environments where assets are constantly changing.
Why BLE and not LoRaWAN—or something else?
This is a question I hear often. Every technology has its strengths and weaknesses, and BLE offers a compelling mix of advantages: low cost per sensor, widespread availability, long battery life, and compact form factors. Moreover, BLE-to-cellular LPWAN gateways are rare in today’s market, especially ones that can effortlessly handle multiple applications like presence detection, movement tracking, water leak monitoring, and air quality measurement—all in a single package.
BLE is a powerful tool
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is an optimized version of classic Bluetooth, designed specifically for energy efficiency and intermittent data transmission. Originally developed by Nokia as Wibree and later incorporated into the Bluetooth standard, BLE made its debut with Bluetooth 4.0. Since then, it has become a foundational technology for IoT applications, enabling sensors to transmit small packets of data while maintaining exceptional battery life—often lasting 10-20 years on a single battery with very regular updates. We are talking seconds, not minutes, hours, or days.
One of BLE’s key advantages is its adaptive frequency hopping across 40 channels in the 2.4 GHz band. This ensures robust performance in environments with heavy wireless traffic, making BLE particularly suited for smart buildings, asset tracking, and industrial monitoring. Unlike classic Bluetooth, which is optimized for continuous high-bandwidth tasks like audio streaming, BLE excels in scenarios where small amounts of data need to be sent intermittently.
BLE enhances IoT deployments
BLE operates efficiently in two primary modes: advertising (broadcasting data to nearby devices) and connected (establishing two-way communication). This flexibility allows it to be used in a variety of IoT applications, from passive environmental monitoring to real-time tracking and control. Because all modern smartphones support BLE, its deployment in consumer and industrial IoT solutions is seamless. Additionally, its security protocols ensure data privacy, making it a reliable choice for sensitive applications. Plus, BLE chips are manufactured in large quantities, and that reflects on the price.
That is why I do believe that with BLE support, our gateway becomes an even more powerful tool for IoT deployments, particularly in asset tracking, environmental monitoring, and smart buildings—and in the crossroads of these applications. There a numerous LoRaWAN gateways on the market, but smart BLE-gateways are unicorns. If you’re curious about how BLE could fit into your projects, I’d love to hear your thoughts!