Interference modeling and performance of Bluetooth MAC protocol

The emergence of Bluetooth as a default radio interface has allowed handheld electronic devices to be instantly interconnected as ad hoc networks. These short-range ad hoc wireless networks, called piconets, operate in the unlicensed 2.4-GHz ISM (Industrial-Scientific-Medical) band where devices may be used to configure single or overlapping piconets, known as scatternet. As all piconets operate in the same frequency band, the presence of multiple piconets in the vicinity may create interference on signal reception. This paper employs a signal capture model to study the piconet MAC performance, taking inter-piconet interference into consideration. This model leads to several important mathematical relationships for Bluetooth networks, including successful packet transmission probability. Furthermore, our model and anticipated throughput are validated using extensive simulation. These results indicate that Bluetooth throughput is affected by multiple piconet interference. Definitely, our model can be considered to provide a solid foundation for future interference aware Bluetooth protocols.