What is the lowest cost way to add a Bluetooth integrated radio to an embedded system?
I am using a BlueGiga WT12 which works well. IIRC these are in the $20-$25 range. Are there comparable modules that are less expensive?
For example, I've also considered the Zigbee integrated radios (e.g. XBee). However, everything seems to be in the $20-$25 range.
Answer
Bluetooth is somewhat complex to implement, there's a whole protocol stack etc. $20 is probably the minimum you are going to pay at this point, the only way to go much cheaper is to mass produce (and I'm talking like tens of thousands of modules).
Do you really need Bluetooth? You could try using a slower, cheaper, RF radio, depending on your application. For example, the least expensive wireless mice and keyboards generally do not use bluetooth, they use custom RF which requires a separate USB dongle on your PC, but even with the separate piece it's cheaper for them to produce than bluetooth.
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