WO2023011917A1

WO2023011917A1 - A wireless control system comprising a dual-mode node

Info

Publication number: WO2023011917A1
Application number: PCT/EP2022/070276
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robin MICHIELSEN; Gerhardus Engbertus Mekenkamp; Bas Driesen
Original assignee: Signify Holding B.V.
Priority date: 2021-08-03
Filing date: 2022-07-19
Publication date: 2023-02-09

Abstract

A node (200) for use in a wireless control system (100), the wireless control system (100) comprising the node (200) and at least one further node (300) in a mesh network and a mobile device (400), the node (200) comprises a radio unit capable to operate in a first mode according to a first communication protocol to support the mesh network, or a second mode according to a second communication protocol to support a point-to-point connection; wherein the radio unit is configured to transmit in the second mode an advertisement message comprising connectivity information of the node (200) when operating in the first mode, and the advertisement message is used to assist the mobile device (400) in either deciding whether to select the node (200) for accessing the at least one further node (300) in the mesh network, or diagnosing a connectivity problem of the node (200) in the mesh network; wherein the node (200) is configured to switch the radio unit between the first mode and the second mode according to a predetermined criterion or a trigger event.

Description

A wireless control system comprising a dual-mode node

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of wireless control systems. More particularly, various methods, apparatus, systems, and computer-readable media are disclosed herein related to a wireless control system comprising one or more dual-mode nodes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There is an ongoing trend in the professional lighting market to move more and more towards connected lighting systems, which enable all kinds of new features like (remote) scheduling, energy monitoring, sensor-based lighting control and asset management. In many cases these systems are installed in existing buildings, in which cases a wireless network is preferred to avoid having to deploy new cables (for lighting control) through the ceiling. Examples of such wireless network protocols which are widely used are open standards like Zigbee, Thread, BLE, BLE mesh, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct, and various proprietary network implementations built on top of the IEEE 802.15.4, IEEE 802.15.1, or IEEE 802.11 standards.

To allow a plurality of devices to be connected directly, dynamically, and non- hierarchically, it is preferable to employ a mesh topology for the inter-connection among these devices. Such a standalone mesh network has great advantages for many applications, because of its scalability and flexibility. However, since there is no fixed gateway in such a standalone mesh network, a smartphone generally cannot reach the devices in the mesh network on its own, the smartphone needs to select a node as a proxy node to access the mesh network. The proxy node supports a dual mode and is capable of communicating with both the smartphone and the devices in the mesh network. Although the mesh network may comprise multiple dual-mode devices, the smartphone may simply pick up one randomly, which may not be an ideal candidate to carry out the role of a proxy node.

US2016269486A1 is about wireless communication systems and methods related to the discovery and selection of relay devices by internet of everything (loE) devices.

W02020058476A1 relates to a method and apparatus for device establishing redundant relay nodes in a mesh network. EP3157207A1 relates to an application server with dynamic edge router functionality in cellular networks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above, the present disclosure is directed to methods, apparatus, systems, computer program and computer-readable media for providing a mechanism to allow a mobile device that cannot access a mesh network directly to have more information about the connectivity in the mesh network. Thus, the mobile device may make an informed decision and select a proxy device by taking relevant connectivity information into account. Alternatively, or in parallel, the mobile device may also be able to diagnose a connectivity problem in the mesh network without accessing the mesh network directly. More particularly, the goal of this invention is achieved by a node for use in a wireless control system as claimed in claim 1, by a wireless control system as claimed in claims 7 and 8, by a method of a node as claimed in claim 9, and by a computer program of the node as claimed in claim 10.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention a node for use in a wireless control system is provided. A node for use in a wireless control system, the wireless control system comprising the node and at least one further node in a mesh network and a mobile device, the node comprises a radio unit capable to operate in a first mode according to a first communication protocol to support the mesh network, or a second mode to support a point- to-point connection; wherein the radio unit is configured to transmit in the second mode according to a second communication protocol an advertisement message comprising connectivity information of the node when operating in the first mode, and the advertisement message is used to assist the mobile device in either deciding whether to select the node for accessing the at least one further node in the mesh network, or diagnosing a connectivity problem of the node in the mesh network; wherein the node is configured to switch the radio unit between the first mode and the second mode according to a predetermined criterion or a trigger event.

A conventional wireless control system may be a one-to-many network with a central controller or a gateway device and a plurality of nodes to be controlled. The control commands distributed on the network may come from the central controller locally or from the cloud via the gateway device. The central controller or the gateway device is to send out control commands in a centralized manner to the network.

In contrast, the wireless control system of the present invention comprises a fully distributed mesh network without a central controller or a gateway. Since no infrastructure needs to be deployed beforehand, such a standalone mesh network can be formed with a high flexibility and scalability. The setup and configuration of the mesh network and devices in the mesh network may be carried out via an application running on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or a tablet.

The node is an electronic device in the wireless control system, which may also be called a network node or a network device. The radio unit of the node is capable of supporting both a first communication mode for use in a mesh network and a second communication mode for use as a point-to-point connection with another device, such as the mobile device. The radio unit can be a combo radio that supports both modes/protocols, or a unit comprising two single mode radios, with each single mode radio supporting only one mode or one communication protocol. When both single mode radios operate in an overlapping spectrum, it is beneficial to access the medium in a time-interleaved manner to schedule the radio unit operating according to the first or the second mode.

Note that the point-to-point connection according to the second mode can also be a point-to-multipoint connection. And then, one or more nodes with a dual-mode operation capability may be used as an interface between the mesh network and the mobile device.

To allow the mobile device operating in the second mode to acquire information related to the mesh network, the node is configured to send an advertisement message in the second mode, which comprises connectivity information of the node when operating in the first mode.

The advertisement message may be sent periodically or when the connectivity information is updated. The advertisement message may also be sent upon invitation/request from the mobile device.

Beneficially, the connectivity information comprises at least one indicator related to one out of: a number of active routing table entries, a number of active neighbour table entries, and a number of neighbours from which a received signal strength is above a certain threshold.

The connectivity information describes the connection between the node and other nodes of the mesh network, which may comprise one or more indicators. For example, a routing table comprises information related to routes from the node to different destination nodes. Each entry in the routing table may comprise a destination address, a corresponding next-hop address, and a status of the route indicating if it is active or not. The number of active entries in the routing table represents the number of active routes maintained by the node. Similarly, the number of active neighbour table entries indicates the number of neighbouring nodes in a direct communication range of the node. The larger the number of active routing table entries or the number of active neighbour table entries, the better the connectivity of the node in the mesh network.

A neighbour may be defined as within a direct communication range of the node, such that a received signal strength is above a sensitivity level of the radio unit of the node. By defining different thresholds of a received signal strength (RS SI), each being above the sensitivity level, a subset of close neighbours may be identified. The number of these close neighbours may provide a better insight of the local topology around the node.

Advantageously, the connectivity information comprises an additional parameter besides the at least one indicator, and the additional parameter is related to an attribute of the node and/or a link quality performance.

In addition to the one or more indicators, further parameters may be used to enrich the connectivity information. The additional parameter may be an average of RSSI values of received messages, the percentage of messages with errors, or the message buffer size of the node, thereby providing a further indication of the ability of the node to perform a certain task.

In another example, the connectivity information is a generic capability score derived from a combination of: more than one indicator; or at least one indicator and at least one additional parameter.

It is also possible to combine the indicators and/or additional parameters into a generic proxy capability score. The generic proxy capability score may be an average of selected indicators and/or additional parameters. The generic proxy capability score may also be calculated according to a weighted linear combination approach, such that different indicators and/or additional parameters are assigned a corresponding weight depending on an individual importance.

The generic proxy capability score may be normalized to an integer between 0 and a maximum value. The maximum value may be defined according to the length of information field, such as 7(3-bit), 15 (4-bit), or more. By combining different factors into a single generic proxy capability score improves the efficiency on communication, which also gives the mobile device a more straightforward indication on the connectivity performance of the node.

Preferably, the connectivity information is updated either periodically, or when the node detects a change to an active routing table or an active neighbour table. Depending on the routing algorithms implemented in the mesh network, the routing table may be updated periodically, such as according to a proactive routing protocol. And then, corresponding to the periodic update of the routing table and/or neighbour table, the connectivity information is also updated in one or more subsequent advertisement messages.

In order to avoid periodic route-updating messages flooding the mesh network according to the proactive routing protocol, it may also be possible that a reactive routing protocol is implemented, which is also known as on-demand routing protocol. According to the reactive routing protocol, a route discovery procedure to determine a route to the destination is executed only when a source node requires a path to the destination node. Once a route has been discovered, the route is maintained until the destination becomes inaccessible or the route is no longer needed. The update on an active routing table or an active neighbour table may be triggered by the route discovery procedure according to an on- demand routing protocol.

Typically, a network with a large number of nodes or where the nodes are of a high mobility, reactive routing is used. In contrast, for a network with a relatively small number of nodes or where the nodes are of a low mobility, the proactive routing is more efficient.

Accordingly, the connectivity information may be updated either periodically or upon a change to a relevant indicator or parameter comprised in the connectivity information.

In a preferred setup, the first communication protocol is a Zigbee protocol.

Zigbee standard is widely adopted in home automation and lighting control applications. The Zigbee network layer natively supports both star and tree networks, and generic mesh networking. This versatility provides great flexibility in a control system, especially for reaching destination nodes that are far away from a source node with direct link.

In a preferred setup, the second communication protocol is a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol, and the advertisement message is a BLE advertisement.

Since a BLE communication interface is supported by most of the smartphones and tablets, it is thus beneficial that the node operates in the second mode according to a BLE standard.

Furthermore, a BLE standard allows easy setup of point-to-point or point-to- multipoint connection. Devices using point-to-point communication may operate in a piconet. Point-to-point piconet define one-to-one device communication links, which are typically used as links between PCs or mobile phones and peripherals such as headsets, printers, and fitness trackers. Point-to-multipoint piconets define one to more than one device communication links, which are commonly used for indoor navigation and asset tracking.

A BLE link layer protocol defines that a device may send an advertisement message, and another device may listen for the advertisement message to obtain relevant information. In general advertisement messages can be split into two categories. The first type advertisement messages allow setting up a bi-directional connection and thus allow for complex information exchange. The second type advertisement messages do not allow a connection, but only broadcasts information.

By sending a BLE advertisement message comprising connectivity information related to the mesh network, such as a Zigbee mesh network, the node provides the mobile device operating in a BLE mode with more insights about the mesh network.

Beneficially, the connectivity information is comprised in the BLE advertisement either as Manufacturer Specific Data or as part of Service Data.

In a preferred setup, the node is further configured to act as a proxy node to assist the mobile device operating according to the second communication protocol to access the at least one further node in the mesh network.

Since the mobile device does not support the first communication protocol used in the mesh network, in order to assist the mobile device to access the at least one further node in the mesh network the node may act as a proxy node between heterogeneous devices, the mobile device and one or more further nodes in the mesh network. In that sense, the mobile device may configure and control the devices in the mesh network via the proxy node, and also obtain feedback or sensing information from the devices in the mesh network via the proxy node.

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention a wireless control system is provided. A wireless control system comprises one or more nodes according to the present invention; a mobile device configured to operate according to the second communication protocol to receive one or more advertisement messages from the one or more nodes in the wireless control system; select one node from the one or more nodes as a proxy node based on connectivity information comprised in the received one or more advertisement messages; and access a further node in the mesh network via the proxy node.

It may also be possible that the system further comprises some other nodes that do not have connectivity information available. The disclosed invention still works in such a hybrid system by leveraging the nodes according to the present invention to assist the mobile device in selecting a proxy node.

A mobile device is provided for use in a wireless control system, the wireless control system comprising a node and at least one further node in a mesh network and the mobile device, the mobile device is configured to operate according to a second communication protocol to support a point-to-point connection; to receive in the second mode an advertisement message comprising connectivity information from the node related to the mesh network; to decide whether to select the node for accessing the at least one further node in the mesh network according to the connectivity information in the advertisement message, wherein the connectivity information comprises at least one indicator related to one out of: a number of active routing table entries, a number of active neighbour table entries, and a number of neighbours from which a received signal strength is above a certain threshold.

The mobile device may decide to select a dual-mode node for accessing the at least one further node in the mesh network by comparing the connectivity information received from that node against a certain selection criterion, such as an indicator being larger than a predefined threshold.

There may also be more than one dual-mode node around the mobile device. Each of the more than one dual-mode node sends an advertisement message with connectivity information. And then, the mobile device may also select, among the more than one candidate, a dual-mode node that has a better connectivity in the mesh network for assessing a further node in the mesh network.

Referring to a further example of the wireless control system, the wireless control system comprises one or more nodes according to the present invention; a mobile device configured to operate according to the second communication protocol to receive one or more advertisement messages from the one or more nodes in the wireless control system; diagnose a connectivity problem, when present, for the one or more nodes based on the connectivity information comprised in the one or more advertisement messages received from the one or more nodes.

The connectivity information may also be used by the mobile device for diagnostic purposes. And then, the mobile device may pro-actively detect weak spots of the mesh network, where a node has a few or no neighbours. This may allow a service engineer to detect potential issues with the mesh network. In accordance with a third aspect of the invention a method is provided. A method of a node for use in a wireless control system, the wireless control system comprising the node and at least one further node in a mesh network and a mobile device, the method comprises the node performing the steps of: operating in a first mode according to a first communication protocol to support the mesh network, or a second mode according to a second communication protocol to support a point-to-point connection; transmitting in the second mode an advertisement message comprising connectivity information of the node when operating in the first mode, wherein the advertisement message is used to assist the mobile device in either deciding whether to select the node for accessing the at least one further node in the mesh network, or diagnosing a connectivity problem of the node in the mesh network; switching between the first mode and the second mode according to a predetermined criterion or a trigger event.

The invention may further be embodied in a computer program comprising code means which, when the program is executed by a node comprising processing means, cause the processing means to perform the method according to the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same parts throughout the different figures. Also, the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 demonstrates a wireless control system with a node and at least a further node in a mesh network and a mobile device;

FIG. 2 schematically depicts basic components of a node for use in a wireless control system; and

FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram of a method of a node.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments set forth below represent information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure. FIG. 1 demonstrates a wireless control system 100 with a node 200 and at least a further node 300 in a mesh network and a mobile device 400. In a lighting context, the node 200 may be comprised in a lighting device, a luminaire, a sensor, an actuator, such as a switch to serve for the communication function of the lighting device, the luminaire, the sensor, or the switch. The node 200 may also be comprised in a HVAC system, a smart refrigerator, a smart oven, other smart white goods, or a remote controller in a broader building/home automation context. The node 200 is capable to support two different operation modes or two different communication protocols, such as a combo node or a dualmode node.

Depending on the deployment of the wireless control system 100, the wireless mesh network may be a heterogeneous network that comprises one or more dual-mode nodes 200 and at least one further node 300. The at least one further node 300 may be a single mode node that is only capable to operate according to the first mode in a mesh network. It may also be an option that the wireless mesh network is a homogeneous network comprising a plurality of dual-mode nodes or combo nodes 200. In that sense, the further node 300 may have the second mode disabled or only switch to the second mode occasionally, and mainly operate in the mesh network according to the first mode.

Considering that the wireless control system 100 may comprise a large number of nodes, most of the nodes may have more than one neighbour node in a one-hop direct communication range. The solid lines indicates that a direct communication link can be established between two devices in the mesh network according to the first operation mode.

The first mode or the first wireless communication protocol is mainly to implement large scale information distribution and collection in a wireless control system with a plurality of nodes, whereas the control system can be used for lighting control and/or building automation. It is important that the first wireless communication protocol supports multi-hop routing, which can be Zigbee, Thread, Bluetooth Mesh, Wi-Fi mesh, WirelessHART, SmartRF, CityTouch, IP500, Z-wave, or any other mesh or tree-based technology.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless control system 100 of the present invention comprises a fully distributed mesh network without a central controller or a gateway. Requiring no infrastructure to be deployed beforehand, a standalone mesh network can be formed with a high flexibility and scalability. The setup and configuration of the mesh network and devices in the mesh network may be carried out via an application running on a mobile device 400, such as a smartphone or a tablet. The mobile device 400 is capable to operate according to the second mode but not the first mode. Thus, the interface between the mesh network and the mobile device is established via a dual-mode node or a combo node 200. It is preferred that the second mode or the second wireless communication protocol is in accordance with a Bluetooth low energy, BLE, standard. It can also be Wi-Fi direct, Zigbee Inter-PAN, Zigbee Touchlink, or another wireless communication standard that favours an easy setup for point-to-point connection and is also supported by the mobile device 400.

According to one example, the node 200 is a BLE/Zigbee combo device, the combo device may comprise one or more of the following elements in its connectable or non- connectable Bluetooth advertisement: a number of active Zigbee routing table entries, a number of active Zigbee neighbour table entries, and a number of strong Zigbee neighbours.

In a standalone Zigbee network without a gateway, there is no fixed/single entry into the Zigbee network from which the Smartphone could reach all other nodes. Instead, a standalone Zigbee network may comprise multiple Zigbee/BLE proxies, to which the smartphone may randomly connect with the intention to connect to other nodes on the mesh network via a proxy node. This invention also holds when there is a gateway in the Zigbee network but the gateway is not in reach of the Smartphone, or the Smartphone would like to access the further nodes via a proxy node rather than the gateway. Depending on the topology of the mesh network, some proxy nodes may be more suitable to connect to than others. For example, a proxy node that knows most routes to other Zigbee nodes in the mesh network will require less route discovery procedures when the smartphone needs to reach other nodes via the selected proxy. Reducing the number of ad-hoc route discoveries helps to reduce the latency to control a device on the mesh network, and thus increases the user experience. Furthermore, this also helps to reduce the traffic load in the Zigbee network spent on route discovery.

The connectivity information comprised in the Bluetooth advertisement may be updated either periodically or whenever there is a change to the node’s Zigbee routing table or neighbour table. The connectivity information may be included either in the Bluetooth advertisement’s Manufacturer Specific Data or as part of the Service Data.

Furthermore, it is also possible to add additional parameters to further assist the mobile device or an application running in the mobile device to decide whether to select a node 200 as a proxy device for accessing the at least one further node 300 in the mesh network. Examples of the additional parameters are the average of RS SI values of received messages, the percentage of messages with errors, or the message buffer size of the node. It is also possible to combine multiple of these indicators into a generic proxy capability score. For example, based on the number of routing table entries, neighbour table entries, and the average received RSSI, a number from 0 to 15 could be provided in the advertisement.

In one setup, the smartphone app that is used for a gateway-less network scans for Bluetooth advertisements sent by BLE/Zigbee combo devices to look for a suitable proxy node to which it can connect via Bluetooth. It extracts the information listed above from the advertisements and then selects and connects to a nearby proxy node that has a highest number of active Zigbee routing table entries or a highest proxy capability score, which is likely to be the best performing proxy node in the smartphone’s proximity. It may also be possible that the smartphone detects one or more advertisement messages from a single combo node. And then, the decision to select the node as a proxy device may be made by comparing the connectivity information again a predefined selection criterion.

Alternative or in parallel to the selection of a proxy device, the connectivity information comprised in the advertisement message may be also used by the mobile device for performance analysis and diagnostics of a Zigbee network, such that a smartphone app may be used that continuously scans for and captures the Bluetooth advertisements from the BLE/Zigbee combo nodes. This routing and neighbour information in the Bluetooth advertisement may help the mobile device or smartphone to detect weak spots in the mesh topology of the Zigbee network in a pro-active manner. The analysis can be improved by including a node’s number of close neighbours in the Bluetooth advertisement, which are the neighbours with a link quality indication above a certain threshold. A network service engineer can walk around the area where the Zigbee network has been deployed to capture the Bluetooth advertisements from all the combo nodes in the network. The smartphone app may extract the information listed above from the advertisements and visualize it on a floorplan. This allows the service engineer to detect potential issues in the Zigbee network, such as to spot one or more nodes with a few or no neighbours.

FIG. 2 schematically depicts basic components of a node 200 in a wireless control system 100. The node 200 comprises a radio unit 210, which is capable to operate in dual modes. When the node 200 operates in a first mode, it supports a mesh or tree network with multi-hop routing. When the node 200 operates in the second mode, it supports a star network with a point-to-point or point-to-multipoint connection. The radio unit 210 may be a combo device to support both the first and the second modes and operate in a time- interleaved manner according to either one of the two modes. The radio unit 210 may comprise two separate single mode transceivers, and each supports one mode or one communication protocol.

Optionally, the node 200 may further comprise an application controller and/or an actuator, as indicated by 220 in FIG. 2. The application controller or the actuator may be related to the control functionality of the node either in a lighting context or a broader building automation context. The application controller and/or an actuator may execute the control commands received by the node. And the status information is provided by the application controller and/or the actuator as a feedback to the control system.

In another option, the node 200 may further comprise a sensor, as indicated by 230 in FIG. 2. The sensor 230 may be configured to detect presence and/or environmental information, such as temperature, humidity, etc. The sensing data may be collected in addition to or independent from the status information of the node, or the application controller and/or the actuator.

FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram of a method 600 of the node 200. The method 600 comprising the node 200 performing: in stepS601, operating in a first mode to support the mesh network, or a second mode to support a point-to-point connection; in step S602, transmitting in the second mode an advertisement message comprising connectivity information of the node 200 when operating in the first mode, wherein the advertisement message is used to assist the mobile device 400 in either deciding whether to select the node 200 for accessing the at least one further node 300 in the mesh network, or diagnosing a connectivity problem of the node 200 in the mesh network; switching, in step S603, between the first mode and the second mode according to a predetermined criterion or a trigger event.

The method according to the present invention may be implemented on a computer as a computer implemented method, or in dedicated hardware, or in a combination of both.

Executable code for a method according to the invention may be stored on computer/machine readable storage means. Examples of computer/machine readable storage means include non-volatile memory devices, optical storage medium/devices, solid-state media, integrated circuits, servers, etc. Preferably, the computer program product comprises non-transitory program code means stored on a computer readable medium for performing a method according to the invention when said program product is executed on a computer or a processing means comprised in a node or a network or a commissioning device as disclosed in the above-described embodiments. Methods, systems, and computer-readable media (transitory and non- transitory) may also be provided to implement selected aspects of the above-described embodiments.

The term “network” as used herein refers to any interconnection of two or more devices (including controllers or processors) that facilitates the transport of information (e.g. for device control, data storage, data exchange, etc.) between any two or more devices and/or among multiple devices coupled to the network.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A node (200) for use in a wireless control system (100), the wireless control system (100) comprising the node (200) and at least one further node (300) in a mesh network and a mobile device (400), the node (200) comprising: a radio unit (210) capable to operate in

• a first mode according to a first communication protocol to support the mesh network, or

• a second mode according to a second communication protocol to support a point-to-point connection; wherein the radio unit (210) is configured to transmit in the second mode an advertisement message comprising connectivity information of the node (200) when operating in the first mode, and the advertisement message is used to assist the mobile device (400) in either

• deciding whether to select the node (200) for accessing the at least one further node (300) in the mesh network, or

• diagnosing a connectivity problem of the node (200) in the mesh network; wherein the node (200) is configured to switch the radio unit (210) between the first mode and the second mode according to a predetermined criterion or a trigger event; wherein the connectivity information is a generic capability score derived from a combination of: more than one indicator; or at least one indicator and at least one additional parameter; wherein an indicator is related to one out of: a number of active routing table entries, a number of active neighbour table entries, and a number of neighbours from which a received signal strength is above a certain threshold; and an additional parameter is related to an attribute of the node (200) and/or a link quality performance.

2. The node (200) according to claim 1, wherein the connectivity information is updated either: periodically, or when the node (200) detects a change to an active routing table or an active neighbour table.

3. The node (200) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first communication protocol is a Zigbee protocol.

4. The node (200) according to any one of previous claims, wherein the second communication protocol is a Bluetooth Low Energy, BLE, protocol, and the advertisement message is a BLE advertisement.

5. The node (200) according to claim 4, wherein the connectivity information is comprised in the BLE advertisement either as Manufacturer Specific Data or as part of Service Data.

6. The node (200) according to any one of previous claims, the node (200) is further configured to act as a proxy node to assist the mobile device (400) operating according to the second communication protocol to access the at least one further node (300) in the mesh network.

7. A wireless control system (100) comprising: one or more nodes (200) according to claim 1 ; the mobile device (400) configured to: o operate according to the second communication protocol to receive one or more advertisement messages from the one or more nodes (200) in the wireless control system (100); o select one node (200) from the one or more nodes (200) as a proxy node based on connectivity information comprised in the received one or more advertisement messages; and o access a further node (300) in the mesh network via the proxy node.

8. A wireless control system (100) comprising: 16 one or more nodes (200) according to claim 1; a mobile device (400) configured to: o operate according to the second communication protocol to receive one or more advertisement messages from the one or more nodes in the wireless control system (100); o diagnose a connectivity problem, when present, for the one or more nodes based on the connectivity information comprised in the one or more advertisement messages received from the one or more nodes (200).

9. A method (600) of a node (200) for use in a wireless control system (100), the wireless control system (100) comprising the node (200) and at least one further node (300) in a mesh network and a mobile device (400), the method (600) comprising the node (200) performing the steps of operating (S601) in

• a second mode according to a second communication protocol to support a point-to-point connection; transmitting (S602) in the second mode an advertisement message comprising connectivity information of the node (200) when operating in the first mode, wherein the advertisement message is used to assist the mobile device (400) in either

• diagnosing a connectivity problem of the node (200) in the mesh network; switching (S603) between the first mode and the second mode according to a predetermined criterion or a trigger event; wherein the connectivity information is a generic capability score derived from a combination of more than one indicator; or at least one indicator and at least one additional parameter; wherein an indicator is related to one out of a number of active routing table entries, a number of active neighbour table entries, and 17 a number of neighbours from which a received signal strength is above a certain threshold; and an additional parameter is related to an attribute of the node (200) and/or a link quality performance.

10. A computing program comprising code means which, when the program is executed by a node (200) according to any one of claims 1-6, cause the node (200) to execute the steps of the method (600) according claim 9.