Determining the Impact of Perspex Obstacles on Bluetooth Transmission Paths Within a Simulated Office Environment for More Accurate Location Determination

ABSTRACT

Research on Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) for indoor environments establishes Bluetooth Low Energy as a promising technological low-cost solution for various environments. However, in indoor environments, there are numerous obstacles such as furniture, walls, partitions, etc. that will cause obstructions to Bluetooth signals. This research established the effect of Perspex on Bluetooth transmission in an indoor environment. This research extends on our previous research which evaluated RTLS technologies, RTLS constraints, and an energy efficient design model for sensor detection in indoor environments. Perspex was chosen for this research as it is used as a common shield used to minimize COVID transmission in an office environment. In general, the 3 mm and 5 mm Perspex did not have a significant impact on Bluetooth transmission. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.