Investigating IoT Wireless Signals (Part II)

Figure 1: This screen capture depicts frequency demodulation
and subsequent Manchester decoding of the bit stream

Internet of Things (IoT) devices must communicate with their peers--other IoT devices--as well as with the host system that governs their activities. In our previous post, we examined how to perform amplitude and frequency demodulation of RF bursts, such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertising bursts. We'll continue with other methods of analyzing RF signals.

Investigating IoT Wireless Signals

Figure 1: Many IoT devices accept
wireless antennas using U.FL
connectors

Many IoT devices use wireless methods to communicate with other devices or with host systems. Just as with DC power-rail signals, probing of RF signals should be done with as little noise and as non-invasively as possible and with the best possible signal fidelity. Effective probing opens the door to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signal analysis with RF demodulation, vector signal analysis, and spectrum analysis.

Are You Ready for Bluetooth 5?

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group, which is the body that oversees the protocol's specification, doesn't stand still but rather continues to develop and improve Bluetooth technology. With an eye toward building an accessible and interoperable Internet of Things (IoT), the next version of the Bluetooth specification—Bluetooth 5—is slated to appear by early in 2017 and as soon as this fall.