The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has released Bluetooth Channel Sounding, a secure, fine-ranging feature that promises to enhance the convenience, safety and security of Bluetooth connected devices.

By enabling true distance awareness in billions of everyday devices, Channel Sounding opens possibilities for developers and users alike.

“Bluetooth technology has become an ingredient of everyday life,” said Neville Meijers, CEO of the Bluetooth SIG. “When connected devices are distance-aware, a range of new possibilities emerges. Adding true distance awareness to Bluetooth technology exemplifies the ongoing commitment of the Bluetooth SIG community to continuously enhance our connection with our devices, one another and the world around us.”

In addition to Bluetooth tags that can be attached to personal items such as keys, wallets, backpacks or luggage, a rapidly increasing number of Bluetooth devices now embed find-my capabilities, introducing the possibility of any Bluetooth connected device becoming a find-my device. Using Channel Sounding, developers can add true distance awareness to a find-my device, improving the accuracy and user experience, and making it easier and quicker for users to locate lost items.

Everything from cars, doors, gates, safes and bikes are turning to Bluetooth technology to enable keyless access and provide a more secure locking mechanism. Developers can use Channel Sounding to enhance the security and user experience of digital keys, ensuring a lock only opens when the authorised device is within a certain distance.

“The ICCE is committed to developing industry standards and fostering cross-industry collaboration to enable seamless intelligent in-car services,” said Ren Feng chief secretary of the Intelligent Car Connectivity Industry Ecosystem (ICCE) alliance. “We are therefore studying the addition of Bluetooth Channel Sounding technology as one of the ranging methods in the ICCE car key standard, and we look forward to integrating it.”

Channel Sounding also has the potential to bring benefits to additional applications, transforming the way people interact with the connected world.

“Channel Sounding will apply to consumer, enterprise and industrial settings alike,” said Andrew Zignani, senior research director at ABI Research. “Imagine Bluetooth mice, keyboards and game controllers that can automatically switch between active and inactive states based on their distance from a laptop. In industrial settings, distance aware Bluetooth human-machine interfaces [HMIs] can increase personnel safety by only allowing usage from a safe distance. Meanwhile, Bluetooth device networks, such as those used for networked lighting control, can more easily self-configure to enhance system performance using this innovative technology. With well over five billion Bluetooth enabled devices forecasted to ship in 2024 alone, the opportunities are significant.”

Channel Sounding leverages phase-based ranging (PBR) to enable highly accurate distance measurement between Bluetooth connected devices and achieve centimetre-level accuracy over considerable distances, meeting the needs of the vast majority of applications and allowing even the simplest connected devices to take advantage of true distance awareness.

As the number of connected devices grows, so does the importance of maintaining the integrity of those connections. Channel Sounding deploys robust, multi-layer security that includes a secondary ranging method, round-trip time (RTT) based distance bounding, to add an extra layer of protection to counter man-in-the-middle (MITM) relay attacks.

Bluetooth technology is already embedded in all major consumer platform devices, including smartphones, tablets and laptops. With Channel Sounding, developers can add true distance awareness to Bluetooth connected devices without having to design in an additional radio technology.

“Channel Sounding is poised to bring true distance awareness to a vast array of Bluetooth devices, unlocking new possibilities for distance-aware applications across various industries,” said Joonsuk Kim, executive vice president at Samsung Electronics. “With Channel Sounding, we’re able to elevate the performance of find-my applications by delivering centimetre-level accuracy, helping our customers find important items with greater ease. Additionally, Channel Sounding enhances the security of digital keys, providing an extra layer of protection for keyless entry users. These are just a few examples of the transformative potential of Channel Sounding, with many more possibilities waiting to be realised.”

Channel Sounding is one of the new features included in the recently adopted Bluetooth Core Specification Version 6.0. For more information about Channel Sounding, see bluetooth.com/channelsounding.

An early supporter of Channel Sounding is Silicon Labs (www.silabs.com). Ross Sabolcik, the firm’s senior vice president, said: “In a world where location awareness is critical, Bluetooth Channel Sounding revolutionises proximity and location capabilities, propelling Bluetooth technology into a new era. With a legacy of empowering developers with the full potential of Bluetooth technology, Silicon Labs’ latest hardware and software create an accelerated path to groundbreaking Bluetooth products equipped with Bluetooth Channel Sounding.”

Formed in 1998, the Bluetooth SIG (www.bluetooth.com) is the not-for-profit membership organisation that oversees Bluetooth technology. The SIG is a blend of an international standards development organisation, product certification body, patent and trademark licence administrator, and industry trade association. It has more than 40,000 member companies.