The new Bluetooth 5.4 features Periodic Advertising with Responses (PAwR) and Encrypted Advertising Data (EAD) can be used for one-to-many applications. One of these is the Electronic Shelf Labels (ESL) use case, where an Access Point (AP) needs to control thousands of low-power ESL tags. The new Bluetooth ESL Service and Profile specify the upper layers of logic to use PAwR and EAD in the ESL use case, bringing interoperability into this application.
The Bluetooth ESL Service and Profile can also be a good starting point for many other applications (e.g., asset tracking, inventory management, sensor networks, smart locks, classroom response systems, and restaurant paging systems).
Nordic provides implementation examples for Bluetooth ESL (both AP and ESL tags): customers can use this to build Bluetooth ESL tags or to inspire them to build other one-to-many applications using PAwR.
This guide provides the following items to learn more about Bluetooth 5.4 features (PAwR/EAD) and Bluetooth ESL and to get started: It is suggested to start from the Video and then go through the Nordic Bluetooth ESL Tutorial included in the Nordic Bluetooth ESL Getting Started Kit (Zip). Finally, the PAwR guide can be used to complement the knowledge of PAwR.
- Deep-dive training on PAwR/EAD and Bluetooth ESL (highly recommended)
This is a 3h full-immersion training - starting from high-level concepts, going into specification details, and showing the standard in action in 3x different demos.
Agenda:- 00:00:00 - Intro and agenda
- 00:01:42 - One to Many use case with Bluetooth LE
[This presents the use case requirements and why previous Bluetooth releases could not solve properly this use case] - 00:10:08 - PAwR: Periodic Advertising with Responses
[This explains what PAwR is and how it is different from standard PA. It presents one way to use it in one-to-many applications. It also includes an introduction to Bluetooth ESL use case] - 00:31:10 - Bluetooth ESL Service and Profile (Demo 1)
[This is a technical dive into the details of the Bluetooth ESL Service and Profile Spec, plus a section dedicated to system-level latency] - 02:07:35 - One to many with 60+ Thingy:52 (Demo 2)
[This shows how one access point can control many devices in a connection-less way and how Bluetooth ESL can be used for other applications without displays] - 02:12:44 - Nordic offering for PAwR and Bluetooth ESL
[This covers hardware and software support by Nordic] - 02:32:33 - Learning more and Getting started (Demo 3 and Tutorial)
[this describes which deliverables Nordic provides to get started quickly]
(the corresponding presentation is included as a pdf in the Nordic Bluetooth ESL Getting Started Kit - see next point)
- Nordic Bluetooth ESL Getting Started Kit (Zip file)
It includes the Nordic Bluetooth ESL Tutorial, the precompiled hex files for out-of-the-box demos (with and without logs), source code for Tag and AP and for the Bluetooth ESL Service, Python tools, and the pdf of the video/training mentioned above.
Download this kit (here) and start by reading the Nordic Bluetooth ESL Tutorial (included in the kit).
The Nordic Bluetooth ESL Tutorial is the best way to get started with the Bluetooth ESL implementation by Nordic. Indeed, it provides valuable content for the entire journey, from a simple demo (step-by-step using pre-compiled files) to building a Bluetooth ESL custom end product.
The tutorial also includes links to documentation and specifications, a section on adapting the code to your custom tag and learning more about display drivers, a section on performing current measurements, a section on enabling logs, and more.
Hardware requirements for getting started are listed in the Nordic Bluetooth ESL Tutorial in the kit.
Table of Contents of the Nordic Bluetooth ESL Tutorial:
About this document- Section 0: Learn the basics of PAwR and Bluetooth ESL
- Section 1: Getting started with ESL using pre-compiled hex and automatic onboarding
- Section 2: How to install SDK and build the hex files used in this tutorial
- Section 3: Manual onboarding, using a shell command to fully control the ESLs
- Section 4: Links to documentation, spec, and training material
- APPENDIX A: Flash DevKits using CLI (nrfjprog)
- APPENDIX B: Enabling logs
- APPENDIX C: Creating display images
- APPENDIX D: Adding new display drivers and creating your TAG application
- APPENDIX E: Alternative ways to transfer images from PC to AP
- APPENDIX F: Measuring current on nRF52833 DevKit with PPK2
- APPENDIX G: Flashing a nRF52-based custom board
- A General Guide to PAwR
This guide complements the Nordic Bluetooth ESL Getting Started Kit by giving a more technical look at the generic PAwR feature: Periodic Advertising with Responses (PAwR): A practical guide
