Bluetooth 5.0 vs 4.0

Unveiling the Next Level: Bluetooth 5.0 vs 4.0 – What’s the Difference?

Unveiling the Next Level: Bluetooth 5.0 vs 4.0 – What’s the Difference? - Table of contents:

Bluetooth 5.0 is an advanced wireless technology that allows for seamless and secure data transfer between devices located within close proximity. With its superior range and speed, Bluetooth technology ensures that you can share files, media, and other types of data with ease without the constraints of wires and cables.

Thanks to Bluetooth-enabled devices, you can easily connect and communicate with other users, boosting your productivity and collaboration. Whether you need to transfer important documents or stay connected with other devices, Bluetooth technology offers a simple and fast solution to your needs.

However, it is essential to note that Bluetooth pairing is an integral part of secure information transfer, and the process may vary depending on the device in question. Nonetheless, with Bluetooth technology, you’re sure to experience greater efficiency and flexibility in your daily communication and data transfer activities.

Bluetooth 5.0 vs 4.0

Bluetooth 5.0 – how it all began

Bluetooth was invented by an electrical engineer Jaap Haartsen in 1994, while working for Ericsson in Sweden, as an alternative to the RS-232 cable standard for connecting PCs to computer peripherals.

Four years later, Haartsen played a crucial role in setting up the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), comprising 35,000+ member companies in various sectors such as computing, telecommunications, and consumer electronics.

Today, the body controls technology development, protects trademarks, and runs a management qualification program to ensure all manufacturers comply with their standards to sell a Bluetooth device.

So far, Bluetooth has released 12 versions, most of which are stemming from the same series:

Bluetooth 5.0 vs 4.0

What Devices are Compatible?

Now that Bluetooth 5.0 has been out for a few years, most devices are able to support it, such as mobile phone, laptops, wall mounted android tablet.

As a rule of thumb, when a new update is released, typically, only flagship smartphones are fully compatible with the newest features until other tech companies are able to follow suit.

The good news is that Bluetooth 5 is backward compatible with Bluetooth 4, 4.1, and 4.2. This means that if you get the newest android tablet and connect it to a Bluetooth 4.2 speaker, it will still function properly.

Keep in mind that you will only experience the older version’s benefits, so you won’t get the increased range and speed associated with Bluetooth 5.

Bluetooth 5.0 vs 4.0

Here are 7 comparisons to help you decide what works best for your device.

Speed

Bluetooth 5 is faster than Bluetooth 4 with the former having 2Mbps, twice the speed of the Bluetooth 4 of about 1Mbps making Bluetooth 5 able to meet one of the IoT requirements. This is thanks to the 5Mbps bandwidth of Bluetooth 5 in comparison to the 2.1Mbps of Bluetooth 4.

Range

Bluetooth 4 supports 50m in the outdoor range and 10m in the indoor range making it so low whilst Bluetooth 5 supports 200m in the Line Of Sight path in the outdoor environment and 40m in the indoor environment. Therefore if you want to listen to your music with your wireless headsets while moving around the house or the courtyard, then Bluetooth 5 will work best.

Power requirement

Bluetooth 5 has been formulated to use less power on your device compared to Bluetooth 4. That means you can keep your Bluetooth switched on for a longer period of time and do much more compared to Bluetooth 4 which consumes more power than its newer counterpart.

Message capacity

The Bluetooth 4 has a small message capacity of about 31bytes which gives just 17 to 20 bytes for actual data payload while the Bluetooth 5 with a large capacity of 255bytes gives more bytes for actual data payload.

Bluetooth beacon

With Bluetooth 5, beacons have become more popular due to the speed and range increase while with Bluetooth 4, they are less popular due to the less speed and range as well as low message capacity of 31bytes.

Support for IoT devices

Bluetooth 5 easily meets the requirements for IoT devices with its good range and increase in speed while Bluetooth 4 does not due to its low speed and short working range. That means IoT devices will work well with Bluetooth 5 and utilize all its features properly.

Compatibility

Bluetooth 4 works best with devices that are compatible with version 4 series but will not work with devices that have Bluetooth 5 while Bluetooth 5 is backward compatible with v1, v2, v3, v4, v4.1, and version 4.2 but will not utilize all the features of Bluetooth 5.

Bluetooth 5.0 devices can work with devices that only support older versions of Bluetooth — though you’ll be limited to the older device’s specifications when doing so. So, if you have a phone that supports Bluetooth 5.0 but a headset that supports Bluetooth 4.2, you’ll be limited to the 10 meter, or 33 foot, distance of Bluetooth 4.2.
Bluetooth 5.0 is likely to become increasingly common as time goes on, but for now there’s a limited number of devices that support it. Most new flagship phones support Bluetooth 5.0
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