Wireless Protocols for Embedded Systems

1. Introduction

Wireless communication protocols are essential for enabling devices in robotics and embedded systems to communicate without physical connections. This lesson covers important protocols, their applications, and implementation strategies.

2. Key Concepts

• Wireless Communication: Transmission of data over a distance without physical connections.
• Embedded Systems: Specialized computing systems that perform dedicated functions within larger systems.
• Protocol: A set of rules governing the exchange of data between devices.

3. Popular Wireless Protocols

• Wi-Fi: High-speed internet protocol suitable for high data rates.
• Bluetooth: Short-range communication protocol ideal for low power applications.
• Zigbee: Low-power, low-data-rate protocol for sensor networks.
• LoRaWAN: Long-range protocol designed for low-power wide-area networks (LPWAN).
• NB-IoT: Cellular technology designed for IoT applications with low bandwidth requirements.

4. Protocol Selection

Selecting the right wireless protocol depends on various factors:

5. Implementation

Here's a basic example of implementing a Bluetooth connection between an embedded device and a smartphone.

import bluetooth

# Create a socket
server_socket = bluetooth.BluetoothSocket(bluetooth.RFCOMM)

# Bind to port 1
server_socket.bind(("", bluetooth.PORT_ANY))
server_socket.listen(1)

# Start advertising
bluetooth.advertise_service(server_socket, "SampleServer",
                             service_classes=[bluetooth.SERIAL_PORT_CLASS],
                             profiles=[bluetooth.SERIAL_PORT_PROFILE])

print("Waiting for connection...")
client_socket, client_info = server_socket.accept()
print("Accepted connection from", client_info)

try:
    while True:
        data = client_socket.recv(1024)
        if not data:
            break
        print("Received:", data)
finally:
    client_socket.close()
    server_socket.close()

6. FAQ