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BlueHoc: Bluetooth Performance Evaluation Tool


Recent Updates

  • Bluehoc2.0: New release for ns-2.1b8a
  • Bluetooth tutorial
  • Presentation on Bluetooth capacity

About Bluehoc

BlueHoc simulator provides a Bluetooth extension for Network Simulator (ver 2.1b8a). BlueHoc is available for download under IBM Public License (IPL) from IBM developerWorks. It requires ns-2.1b8a which can be obtained from Network Simulator site.

Bluetooth technology

Bluetooth*TM technology provides a low cost, low power and low complexity solution for ad-hoc wireless connectivity. The technology is capable of connecting a wide variety of devices like Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), mobile and cordless phones, headsets, desktops and notebook PCs, digital cameras, home appliances etc. The applications include eliminating cables/wires between devices like PCs, printers, modems, projectors, self synchronization between PDAs and PCs, wirelessly connecting to local area networks (LANs) through access points and internet through mobile phones, providing home networking solutions etc. Bluetooth devices can detect, connect and discover services offered by other devices in the vicinity all without the user being aware of it. The tremendous potential of the technology has led to its universal acceptance by the industry. At present there are 9 promoter and over 2000 adopter members of Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). The Bluetooth Specification is available royalty free to encourage Bluetooth products.

The Bluetooth project team in IBM Research has been an active participant of the Bluetooth SIG since its inception in early 1998 and it has led IBM's involvement in the technical activities of the SIG. IBM has helped in translating the tremendous interest in the technology into products by offering BlueDrekar**TM protocol driver its new middleware based on Bluetooth specifications allowing Bluetooth wireless devices - from phones to household appliances - to reliably communicate with each other. The BlueDrekar protocol driver can be used with various HCI transport layers. IBM's reference implementation of the HCI UART transport driver can be downloaded at IBM's developerWorks site under GNU public license.

BlueHoc simulator

BlueHoc is IBMs new Bluetooth offering in the open-source zone. Released under IBM public license it allows users to evaluate how Bluetooth performs under various ad-hoc networking scenarios. You can download BlueHoc from the BlueHoc project page . The key issues addressed by the simulator are:

  • Device Discovery performance of Bluetooth.
  • Connection Establishment and QoS negotiation.
  • Medium access control scheduling schemes.
  • Radio characteristics of Bluetooth system.
  • Statistical modeling of the indoor wireless channel.
  • Performance of TCP/IP based applications over Bluetooth.

Bluetooth operates in the license free 2.4 GHz ISM band. The Bluetooth physical channel is defined by a sequence of hopping frequencies to which the devices of a single network, piconet, are 'tuned' to. Devices in the same piconet share this channel on a time division basis. BlueHoc provides an accurate simulation of the basic features of Bluetooth baseband like frequency hopping, device discovery and channel control.

The following Bluetooth layers have been simulated:
  • Bluetooth radio.
  • Bluetooth baseband.
  • Link Manager Protocol.
  • Logical Link Control and Adapatation Protocol (L2CAP).

BlueHoc is based on the open source simulator Network simulator(ns) and provides a Bluetooth extension to ns. BlueHoc uses the TCP/IP simulations of network simulator to provide a complete simulation model for Bluetooth performance evaluation. It also provides a simulation platform for testing performance of various routing and service disovery protocols over ad-hoc networks.

Though the simulation model of BlueHoc closely approximates Bluetooth protocols, it can be used as a platform to evaluate performance of proposed improvements to the technology. BlueHoc project is open to contributions in the form of ideas or new modules for future releases. The mailing list bluehoc-discussion will serve the purpose of starting a discussion group on Bluetooth and other wireless technologies. You can subscribe to the mailing list on the project page.



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BlueHoc is supported by India Research Lab
Apurva Kumar IBM Corporation kapurva@in.ibm.com

* Bluetooth is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc, U.S.A

** BlueDrekar is a trademark of International Business Machine Co.