Bluetooth is a frequency-hopping radio technology that transmits data packets within the 2.4 GHz band.
These packets exchange through one of 79 designated Bluetooth channels (each of which is 1 MHz in bandwidth). Bluetooth was originally designed for continuously streaming data applications. As such, people enjoyed exchanging a lot of data at a close range.
Bluetooth immediately became a good fit for consumer products including M2M (machine to machine) and Internet of Things uses, such as:
- Wireless headsets
- File transfers between devices
- Wireless keyboards and printers
- Hands-free calling in the car
- Wireless speakers
These original classic versions of Bluetooth gave way to Bluetooth Low Energy (LE). Similar to Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE operates in the 2.4 GHz band. The hidden difference is that Bluetooth Low Energy remains in sleep mode unless a connection initiates.
The actual connection times only last a few milliseconds, unlike Bluetooth, which connects for a few seconds or a few hours at a time. These short connections are necessary because data rates are significantly higher (1 Mb per second).
Bluetooth Low Energy is used for applications that do not need to exchange large amounts of data and can run on battery power for years at a cheaper cost. Devices that use Bluetooth LE, include:
- Blood pressure monitoring
- Fitbit devices
- Industrial monitoring sensors
- Geography-based, targeted promotions
- Public transportation apps
BLE continued to evolve to the point where the latest version, BLE 5.2, has revolutionized Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) audio. This LE audio has capabilities way beyond what classic Bluetooth audio offered. For example, Bluetooth Low Energy audio introduces a new high quality, low-power audio codec called the Low Complexity Communications Coded (LC3).
Want to learn more? Tonex offers Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy Training Bootcamp, a 3-day Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth LE (BLE) Training Bootcamp with workshops, and exercises. This is a practical Classic Bluetooth and BLE Training with hands-on activities. Learn about Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless technology standards.
Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy Training Bootcamp is a course intended for engineers, software developers, hardware engineers, V&V professionals, project managers, and other related job functions.
For more information, questions, comments, contact us.