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Bluetooth ® ClassicĬompared to Bluetooth Classic, Bluetooth LE, introduced in Bluetooth version 4.0, is more prominent in applications where power consumption is crucial (such as battery-powered devices) and where small amounts of data are transferred infrequently (such as in sensor applications). All of this just means that Bluetooth LE has a major advantage in a more personal space context (think mobile computers, mobile phones, and handheld devices). In other words, it focuses on sending smaller bits of data when needed, then it puts the connection to sleep during periods of non-use, whereas with the previous versions of Bluetooth, users had to shut down their hardware when critical data was not being transferred in order to save power. As such, it’s more suitable for small chunks of data rather than for file transfer. While it has a similar range to Bluetooth Classic, it sees a much reduced power consumption. Using the standard Bluetooth 4.2 core specification, Bluetooth LE has a range of 50-150 m with a 1 Mbps data rate. Compared to previous generations of Bluetooth, it also offers improved connectivity and security, additional packet capacity (almost 10 times that of the 4.1 version), and increased data range by 2.5 times, all of which enhance device-to-device communications with more efficient uploads of sensor data logs to a smartphone, the cloud, or an intermediate location on an ISP provider’s servers. It enables short-burst wireless connections and uses multiple network topologies, including point-to-point (P2P), broadcast, and mesh. The Bluetooth ® LE Differenceīluetooth Low Energy - which used to be known as Bluetooth Smart - is a significant foundation for IoT applications. This new technology is known as Bluetooth Low Energy.īecause Bluetooth Classic can handle a lot of data, but consumes battery life quickly and costs a lot more, Bluetooth LE is optimal for applications that do not need to exchange large amounts of data and can therefore run on long battery power at a cheaper cost. On the other hand, a lower-power Bluetooth radio, which was first introduced in the Bluetooth 4.0 standard, has 40 channels and a maximum data rate of 2 Mhz with the LE 2M PHY specified in the Bluetooth 5.0 standard. The maximum data rate supported by Bluetooth Classic is 3 Mb/s with the EDR PHY. Standard Bluetooth Classic technology uses radio waves in the 2.4 GHz ISM frequency band and is sent in the form of packets to one of 79 channels.
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Mainly used to enable wireless audio streaming, Bluetooth Classic supports point-to-point device communication and has become the standard radio protocol behind wireless speakers, wearables, and in-car entertainment systems. The Bluetooth Classic radio is a low-power radio that streams data over 79 channels in the 2.4 GHz unlicensed industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) frequency band. Below, we show you the difference that you can experience with Bluetooth LE. Bluetooth ® Low Energy (LE) is a milestone of Bluetooth technology’s evolution and offers many advantages when compared to Bluetooth ® Classic for many IoT applications. Because the focus is on long battery life without compromising on range, low-power protocols have a low data rate, essentially exchanging data rate for battery life.īecause lower-power protocols are used to connect devices for the purpose of sharing sensor data, data rate tends to already be low, compared to uses like internet surfing or watching videos. These protocols can achieve long battery life and an ideally sufficient range. Power consumption has constantly been a problem in IoT, but now, low-power standards offer a reprieve. Three factors determine the performance of a device over a network: range, data rate, and power consumption. Version 4.0 and beyond offer reduced power consumption without compromising on range. Bluetooth ® has evolved through many versions.
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