Throughput and Energy Efficiency of Bluetooth v2 + EDR in Fading Channels

In this paper, we present a mathematical framework that permits an accurate performance analysis, both in terms of average throughput and energy efficiency, of Bluetooth link performance in fading channels. Conversely to most part of the literature concerning Bluetooth performance, this analysis takes into consideration the microscopic level power-saving mechanisms introduced in Bluetooth specifications to reduce the energy consumption during active mode. The analysis makes use of a two-state Markov chain to distinguish the transmission of useful and duplicate packets by the master. Then, the average energy spent, the amount of data exchanged and the time elapsed for each transition of the Markov chain, are derived. Hence, we apply the renewal reward theory to derive the average throughput and energy efficiency of the data link for different data packet formats and transmission rates, both in AWGN and fading channels. A proof of concept is provided by applying the mathematical framework to a Bluetooth v2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate data link. The analysis permits to appreciate the advantage, in terms of throughput and energy efficiency, of the enhanced data rate packet formats over the basic rate.