Bluetooth EDR Apps Get Giant Range Boost From Tiny Power Amplifier

摘要

Bluetooth is a great short-range wireless technology for cell phones, laptops, PDAs, headsets, peripherals, and other devices. But it quickly runs out of steam when the range goes beyond 10 m. It's particularly troublesome with enhanced data rate (EDR) Bluetooth applications that use the full-bore 3-Mbit/s rate. SiGe Semiconductor's SE2425U power amplifier (PA) may have the solution (Fig. 1). The Bluetooth specifications include three classes of power amplification. Class 3 is standard 1 dBm. The SE2425U supports classes 1 and 2 with 20-dBm and 4-dBm power output, respectively. With class 1 power, a Bluetooth EDR device can reach up to 100 m, depending, of course, on the environment.