What can you do with Bluetooth? ᛡᛒ

PMLN7851A

Bluetooth in MOTOTRBO radios allows other Bluetooth enabled devices to connect and use data and/or voice facilities. It also gives the dispatcher the ability  to accurately track the position of users where no GNSS (GPS) signal is present (e.g. indoors).

Location tracking using Bluetooth works best with the current “e” series radios (e.g. DP4801e) as they support Bluetooth 4.1, although location tracking is also possible using the previous “non-e” generation (e.g. DP4801) radios which supported Bluetooth 2.1.

Indoor positioning relies upon the placement of industry standard Bluetooth Beacons (known as iBeacons) every few meters. The radio is able to calculate its position relative to each beacon and sends this to the dispatch PC as a location update - in the same way as a GPS location update is sent. The Bluetooth Beacon positions are known (since they are mounted on a wall or rafter) and the position of the radio can therefore be displayed on a map of the building.

A device such as a barcode reader or biometric sensor can be connected to the radio via Bluetooth to send and receive data via the radio network using standard IP. Generally, such data is less than a few hundred bytes and "bursty" in nature. More technical details are described in my post on the CPS Radio Network settngs and the Radio ID.

There are a number of Bluetooth accessories available from Motorola which allow discrete operation with fast PTT - such as the recently launched EP900w (shown above). Alternatively, the radio can be paired with a regular hands-free car kit - though this will probably only provide receive audio and no PTT functionality.

The radio can be remotely controlled from a device that is capable of this (e.g. a tablet PC or phone with an app). A technician can also reprogram a radio without a programming cable or OTAP using the Bluetooth feature in the CPS.

When Bluetooth is turned on, the radios will consume a little bit more energy, so perhaps think about using a high capacity battery, especially if the Bluetooth peripheral will use the radio to send or receive data.

MOTOTRBO currently cannot support more than 1kbps throughput, so don’t propose it as a replacement/alternative to broadband.

Some Bluetooth accessories are not intrinsically safe and therefore must not be used with ATEX or UL radios. The user guide, supplied with the radio, will list approved accessories that can be used with your intrinsically safe radio.