Bluetooth Interference Suppression in IEEE 802.11b

We study the coexistence of IEEE 802.11b and Bluetooth, and more specifically the performance gains obtained using a frequency domain Bluetooth interference suppression scheme at the IEEE 802.11b physical layer. Focus is on the reduction of packet error rates in heavily interfered environments. The frequency domain structure of the signals is utilised to separate multiple interferers, thereby simplifying the frequency domain suppression. We develop a minimum mean square optimal suppression method for batch-wise processing of baseband data, and a reduced complexity sub-optimal implementation. The latter turns out to be equivalent to a Wiener smoother based on estimated signal energies. Simulations indicate that the Wiener based smoother drastically reduces the packet error rate in interfered transmissions, especially for the lower transmission rates. The gains are substantial for single as well as multiple interferers.