Part of the IoTMark benchmarking suite, it is called IoTMark-BLE benchmark.

IoTMark-BLE models a node consisting of an I²C sensor and a BLE – radio through sleep, advertise, and connected-mode operation.

At its centre is the IoTConnect framework – a benchmarking harness used by multiple EEMBC benchmarks – which provides an external sensor emulator (the IO Manager), a BLE gateway (the radio manager), and an Energy Monitor. The host system controls this framework, runs the benchmark, and verifies that the device-under-test performed the benchmark correctly.

“IoTMark-BLE’s IoTConnect framework supports microcontrollers and radio modules from any vendor, and it is compatible with any embedded operating system, software stack, or OEM hardware,” according to the organisation.

Users can set a number of parameters, including connection interval, I²C speed and BLE transmission power, and default values are provided for direct comparison between different devices.

“With many IoT edge node platforms being deployed in environments without grid power and with limited opportunity to change batteries, power consumption is a primary concern in their design,” said EEMBC CTO Peter Torelli. “Built on the foundation of our ULPMark benchmark for low-power microcontrollers, IoTMark takes the next step for edge nodes by including the energy consumption of their sensor interface and communications hardware. For devices utilizing BLE radios, the IoTMark-BLE benchmark will be instrumental in helping designers choose the best microcontroller, RF components, and communications protocol to extend battery life in their applications.”

IoTMark for Bluetooth Low Energy edge nodes is available for licensing now.