An analysis of Bluetooth scatternet topologies

Bluetooth "scatternets" are targeting wider geographical area applications in factories, warehouses, shopping malls and various sensor network applications. Though some earlier work has looked at scatternet formation and scheduling issues, less attention has been given to optimizing scatternet topologies. We consider in this paper topological design of scatternets, taking into consideration application traffic requirements. We study appropriate topologies, and size the network in terms of piconets. We develop a scatternet queuing model and use it to compare the delay-throughput characteristics of various topologies. We find that the best topology is application independent. The analytical model is also used to determine the optimal point to operate a scatternet, i.e., the traffic load that saturates the network. We validate all out analytical results by simulations.