{"id":10469,"date":"2021-12-03T11:07:47","date_gmt":"2021-12-03T09:07:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elainnovation.com\/bluetooth-vs-bluetooth-low-energy-whats-the-difference\/"},"modified":"2024-10-23T16:45:37","modified_gmt":"2024-10-23T14:45:37","slug":"bluetooth-vs-bluetooth-low-energy-whats-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elainnovation.com\/en\/bluetooth-vs-bluetooth-low-energy-whats-the-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"Difference between Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you know the difference between Bluetooth <\/strong>and Bluetooth Low Energy<\/strong>? <\/p>\n\n

Developed by Swedish manufacturer Ericsson in 1994, it was only 5 years later, in 1999, that the first Bluetooth specification (1.0) was released. Supported by the Special Interest Group (SIG)<\/strong>, made up of a number of major companies including IBM, Intel, Toshiba, Microsoft and Motorola, Bluetooth wireless communication technology<\/strong> became very popular in the early 2000s, as it was deployed on many everyday devices, starting with smartphones. However, it was not until 2010 that Bluetooth 4.0 appeared, incorporating the low-power Bluetooth<\/strong> variant known as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Bluetooth LE or Bluetooth Smart. <\/p>\n\n

In this article, you’ll find out more about the differences between Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), the advantages and disadvantages of each of these variants, and how they work. Here we go!<\/p>\n\n

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Definition of terms<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

What is Bluetooth?<\/h3>\n\n

Bluetooth, used in our daily lives to transfer data such as music, photos and videos, is defined as a short-range wireless connection<\/strong> technology for linking digital devices together. It can be used with a variety of devices, including telephones, computers and wireless headphones. This wireless communication protocol is designed to connect devices automatically, quickly and without cables<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

Bluetooth has enabled considerable technological progress. In fact, mobile phones have undergone major developments in terms of their ability to interact with each other, as well as with various accessories. This wireless technology has literally transformed the way<\/strong> we use our phones, and has contributed to the explosion of connected objects<\/strong> in the home in recent years. <\/p>\n\n

Manufacturers were quick to see the potential of this technology, but technical developments were needed before Bluetooth could really be used in industrial environments, so it was not until version 4.0 that widespread deployment was possible. And so Bluetooth Low Energy<\/strong> was born. <\/p>\n\n

What is Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Bluetooth Low Energy<\/a><\/strong> or Bluetooth smart<\/strong> is a variant of \u2018classic\u2019 Bluetooth that enables small amounts of data to be sent<\/strong>. The main difference between Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy is the latter’s low energy consumption<\/strong>. Hence the name \u2018Low Energy\u2019<\/em>. Among other things, this technical specificity means that connected objects can run considerably longer by reducing their activity time. Because of the way it works, Bluetooth Low Energy seems to be better suited to industrial use<\/strong>. The majority of industrial applications do not require too high a frequency of transmission, or the transmission of a large amount of information. <\/p>\n\n

Bluetooth Low Energy is therefore perfectly suited to transmitting data such as temperature, luminosity, a movement threshold, an identifier or a time. What’s more, unlike conventional Bluetooth, BLE does not require master\/slave pairing to operate<\/strong>, making it considerably easier to use on a large scale. <\/p>\n\n

Bluetooth 5.0 and Bluetooth LE Audio<\/h3>\n\n

Since the introduction of Bluetooth 5.0<\/strong> in 2016, BLE has benefited from significant improvements, even more so with Bluetooth 5.1 and Bluetooth 5.2. Among other things, these new specifications have made it possible to improve transmission speed and range<\/strong>, as well as enabling Bluetooth to be used as a location technology<\/strong> by adding angle-of-arrival detection<\/strong> for traditional Bluetooth and the ability to determine the direction of the signal <\/strong>for BLE… These advances open up new applications, such as precise location in indoor environments (Indoor Positioning System, IPS), using BLE beacons. <\/p>\n\n

Bluetooth LE Audio (2019)<\/strong> introduces new capabilities for low-power audio devices. The Bluetooth SIG is working on the possibility of creating audio profiles in BLE, which until now have been reserved for traditional Bluetooth. <\/p>\n\n

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Technical operation: difference between Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy<\/h2>\n\n

To enable devices to communicate, Bluetooth and BLE operate using UHF (Ultra High Frequency) radio waves<\/strong> on frequencies between 2.4 GHz and 2.483 GHz<\/strong>, in the same way as WIFI and other systems such as Zigbee.<\/p>\n\n

The Bluetooth standard (including BLE) uses the FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum) technique<\/strong>, which consists of dividing the frequency band<\/em> into 39 channels each 1MHz wide<\/strong>. It then transmits the information using a combination of channels. By changing channels up to 1,600 times per second, the Bluetooth standard avoids interference<\/strong> with signals from other radio modules, which can be very useful in industrial environments. <\/p>\n\n

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How does Bluetooth work?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Let’s take a closer look at the technical operation of Bluetooth. As we mentioned earlier, the Bluetooth standard is based on a master\/slave mode of operation<\/strong> requiring pairing, which can take varying amounts of time. For example, if you want to send music from your smartphone to a connected speaker, in this configuration the smartphone is the \u2018master\u2019 and the connected speaker is the \u2018slave\u2019. <\/p>\n\n

The master will pick up the presence of peripherals <\/strong>around him. This forms what is known as a \u2018pico network\u2019<\/em>. A master can be connected to just one active device at a time, but will switch very quickly before establishing the connection to give the illusion of a simultaneous connection to several devices. <\/p>\n\n

Establishing a connection between two devices involves a number of steps <\/strong>to ensure a certain level of security:<\/p>\n\n