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Bluetooth module? postage stamp size. Battery? rather bigger - one kilometre range!

TDC has launched a Bluetooth(TM) module with an open-field range of one kilometre using only its internal antenna, which (it claims) is the longest range of any Bluetooth module. The range can be further extended by adding high gain directional antenna.

"The EZURiO BTM402 BISM II module from TDC is a fully qualified Bluetooth version 2.0 solution with a range of up to 1km, that gives developers a drop-in communications solution requiring minimal integration and no type approval," says today's announcement.

The release points out that Bluetooth devices normally have a range of just 10m, rising to 300m for high performance modules. This new EZURiO module "should allow many new applications to benefit from the use of this stable and well-recognised standard," the company said.

However, although the range is impressive, the joke about the battery is ironic: this is aimed at battery-powered applications.

The actual transmit power at 1 km is 65 mW "as a result of careful tuning of the power amplifier and the low noise amplifier to maximise the RF link budget and to match the internal high sensitivity, high gain antenna."

The module incorporates the CSR BlueCore 04 chipset.

Data on the TDC web site