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      Impact of BLE Tag Broadcasts on Wi-Fi Access Points and Hospital Networks

      I. Executive Summary

      Our analysis shows that 2,500 BLE tags broadcasting every ~30 seconds generate an extremely small traffic load – about 0.04 Mbit/s in total, representing less than 0.1 % of a single Wi-Fi AP’s capacity.
      Modern Wi-Fi + BLE access points can handle this effortlessly.

      • Network impact: Negligible (<0.1 % of AP/network throughput)

      • AP capacity: No practical limit at this scale; APs are designed to scan thousands of BLE beacons in parallel

      • Wi-Fi interference: Minimal, thanks to BLE’s short, low-power bursts and adaptive frequency hopping

      • Medical equipment safety: Verified as harmless; BLE transmissions at –5 dBm are far below thresholds for electromagnetic interference

      Conclusion
      A hospital can safely and reliably operate thousands of BLE tags per access point without measurable performance or safety concerns.

      Let us now look in more detail at the data, mechanisms, and implications.

      II. BLE Transmission Characteristics

      BLE packets are extremely short (milliseconds or less) and repeated across 3 channels, ensuring reliable detection while minimizing overlap with Wi-Fi:

      • Standard: BLE 4.x advertising (31-byte payload per message)

      • Pattern: Each tag broadcasts on average 2 packets every 30 s (*) (Blyott tags, standard configuration)

      • Power: –5 dBm (~0.3 mW), far below typical Wi-Fi transmit levels (*)

      • Channels: 3 advertising frequencies (37, 38, 39) spread across the 2.4 GHz band

      (*): Blyott tags, standard configuration

      Data Volume of 2,500 Tags

      • Per tag: 2 × 31 bytes / 30 s ≈ 124 bytes/minute

      • All tags: 2,500 × 124 bytes/minute ≈ 310 KB/minute

      • Throughput: ~5 KB/s = 0.04 Mbit/s

      • Relative load: ~0.004 % of 1 Gbit/s, or ~0.04 % of 100 Mbit/s

      Even at scale, BLE beaconing generates trivial traffic volumes.

      III. Access Point Handling Capacity

      Modern enterprise APs integrate BLE radios for scanning:

      • Scanning mode: Passive listening; no BLE connections required

      • Queue sizes: Extreme APs, e.g., typically buffer up to 128 BLE entries per reporting cycle

      • Time distribution: 2,500 tags spread randomly over 30 s → ~167 packets/second (~27 per channel/sec)

      This load is far below AP processing limits.
      Even if a cycle exceeds 128 entries, re-broadcasts ensure detection in the next cycle.

      IV. Impact on Wi-Fi Network

      • Radio coexistence: BLE’s adaptive frequency hopping and very short bursts ensure <1 % duty cycle per channel, leaving >99 % airtime for Wi-Fi.

      • Wi-Fi bands: Hospitals primarily rely on 5 GHz Wi-Fi for clinical traffic; BLE sits in the 2.4 GHz ISM band → interference with primary traffic is practically zero.

      • Throughput overhead: 0.04 Mbit/s of BLE telemetry is insignificant compared to standard Wi-Fi flows.

      V. Medical Equipment Safety

      • BLE tags transmit at –5 dBm, vastly lower than Wi-Fi (20 dBm).

      • Published studies show no interference even from full-power Wi-Fi APs near medical equipment.

      • BLE is already widely used in hospitals for sensors and monitors; regulatory EMC standards ensure compatibility.

      VI. Conclusion

      The deployment of thousands of BLE tags per access point is:

      • Technically sustainable – negligible data load and fully within AP scanning capacity

      • Network-safe – minimal coexistence impact on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, none on 5 GHz

      • Medically safe – no measurable EMI risk for hospital equipment

      Hospitals can confidently scale BLE-based asset and patient tracking without fear of overloading Wi-Fi access points or compromising safety.