Design and Development of a Novel Bluetooth Based Vehicle Scanner : Perspective based on new MCUs with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Effective traffic management and smooth traffic flow are core requirements of the smart city. Low-cost, easyto-install, and easy-to-maintain sensors for capturing traffic data on them in real-time are required to realize the dream of a smart city. With the increasing number of mobile users and the number of Bluetooth modules in automobiles, Bluetoothbased vehicle scanners are attractive. This paper offers various perspectives on the fabrication of Bluetooth-based vehicle scanners. It demonstrates the fabrication and use of a Bluetooth-based vehicle scanner based on the selection of discrete components. In light of the launch of various integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth development boards during 2016-2020, the development of Bluetooth vehicle scanners based on these development boards is explored for the first time in the literature. This manuscript highlights that even though there appears to be a visible reduction in hardware, the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth coexistence for field deployment can be challenging. The various development boards appear promising, yet their utility can be ascertained only after thorough field testing. Few are ruled out because they do not support simultaneous Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. In contrast, the discrete component-based Bluetooth vehicle scanner has worked satisfactorily and can be further developed into a field deployable commercial-grade sensor.