Comparison of Bluetooth Different Versions

Comparison of Bluetooth Different Versions 

There are multiple versions of Bluetooth, and not all Bluetooth specifications are the same, so you might want to make sure your two chosen devices will work with each other. All of the newer Bluetooth versions are backward-compatible, however, so as long as you're using the more basic Bluetooth features, you won't have much to worry about. Wistao Technology summaried the versions different as below. Fewer products currently worked on Bluetooth version 1.1 or 1.2, which offers such basic features as voice dialing, call mute, and last-number redial.

In 2003, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, a body that oversees the technology's development, released version 1.2 and rolled out version 2.0 a year later. Bluetooth 1.2 introduced new features to eliminate radio frequency interference through frequency hopping and added greater security to protect against snooping and tracking.

Bluetooth 2.0 brought higher connection speeds (as much as three times faster, in some cases), improved performance, and less power consumption. The SIG then introduced Bluetooth 2.1 version, which improved pairing without the need for a PIN, requires even lower power consumption, and offers more security. Created in 2009, Bluetooth 3.0 added the ability to use a Wi-Fi connection to increase data transmission speeds but didn't enjoy much adoption by manufacturers. Most recent is the new Bluetooth 4.0 spec which major feature is Bluetooth Low Energy, essentially strong power management skills. Check out the various profiles and their features in the chart below.

Comparison of Bluetooth Different Versions 

   
And the transmission rate of Bluetooth different versions as below.

 Transmission rate of Bluetooth different versions

Aside from these different versions of Bluetooth specifications, there are also quite a number of different Bluetooth profiles. A Bluetooth profile is an interface or a behavior through which different Bluetooth devices can communicate with each other. Both devices must support the same profile to communicate with one other in that way. The most common Bluetooth profile in cell phones is the Headset profile which supports the use of standard mono headsets for making calls. Here's a list of the more frequently used Bluetooth profiles in cell phones, as described by the Bluetooth SIG: 

Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)
Also widely known as the stereo Bluetooth headset profile, A2DP allows for a dual-channel audio stream through a stereo headset. A2DP is an especially popular concept with MP3 and music phones because it lets users listen to music wirelessly. It also can be used to make calls, and users can switch between music and calls at the touch of a button.

Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP)
AVRCP provides a standard interface to control TVs, hi-fi equipment, and so forth. This profile is used to allow a single remote control (or other device) to control all the AV equipment to which a user has access. AVRCP defines how to control characteristics of streaming media. This includes pausing, stopping, and starting playback and volume control as well as other types of remote control operations.

Dial-up Networking Profile (DUN)
DUN enables access to the Internet and other dial-up services over Bluetooth wireless technology. The most common scenario is surfing the Web from a laptop by dialing up via a mobile phone, wirelessly.

Hands-Free Profile (HFP)
HFP lets you use a gateway device to place and receive calls for a hand-free device. A typical configuration is in an automobile using a mobile phone as a gateway device. In the car, the stereo is used for the phone's audio and a microphone is installed in the car for sending outgoing audio of the conversation. HFP is also used for a personal computer to act as a speakerphone for a mobile phone in a home or office environment.

Synchronization Profile (SYNC)
The SYNC profile is used in conjunction with GOEP (Generic Object Exchange Profile) to enable synchronization of calendar and address information (personal information manager items) between Bluetooth-enabled devices. A common application of this profile is the exchange of data between a PDA and computer.

Object Exchange (OBEX) Protocol
OBEX is a transfer protocol that defines data objects and a communication protocol that two devices can use to exchange those objects. For Bluetooth enabled devices, only connection-oriented OBEX is supported.

SIM Access Profile (SAP)
SAP allows devices such as car phones with built-in GSM transceivers to connect to a SIM card in a Bluetooth-enabled phone. Therefore, the car phone itself does not require a separate SIM card.

Wistao technology  also provide you Bluetooth products based on Bluetooth 2.1 to 4.0 version such as Bluetooth speakers, 2.0 & 2.1 Large power Bluetooth Speakers, HIFI Digital Bluetooth Audio Amplifier, HIFI Bluetooth Earphone, and so on.You can find the links and get more details.

• Portable Bluetooth Speaker with Indooe or Outdoor, or Rainfree
•  2.0 & 2.1 Large power Bluetooth Speakers range from 2 x 20 W to 2 X 40 W
• Bluetooth Speaker with Bluetooth 4.0 version
• HIFI Digital Bluetooth Audio Amplifier from 2 X 25w to 2 X160W
• HIFI Bluetooth Earphone
• HIFI Bluetooth Receiver with Bluetooth2.1 or 4.0
• HIFI Tube Bluetooth Acoustics 
• Car Bluetooth Kits
• Bluetooth 4.0 Modules based on CSR8645 Rom version, support apt-x technology

Portable Bluetooth Speaker CSR BC5 chip Support TF Card Super Bass Bluetooth 2.1 EDR Stereo 

2.1 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Stereo Wooden Cabinet Large Power Output 2 X10W Plus 20W Bluetooth 2.1 EDR Multimedia Speaker

Wooden Cabinet Bluetooth Speaker Bluetooth 2.1 plus EDR Steoro Large Power Output Supper Bass Brown

HIFI Bluetooth Music Amplifier NE5532 Preamp 2SA1941 and 2SC5198 Power Stage Bluetooth 2.1 EDR 2X100W Transistor Amp Support AUX

HIFI Bluetooth 4.0 Tube Headphone Amplifier 2x2.5W 16 to 600ohms 6N3 tubes Pre-amp RCA Input HIFI Desktop Amp

2x160W HIFI Bluetooth Digital Amplifier TDA7498E Bluetooth4.0 CSR Chip Bass Tremble Adjustable

HIFI Bluetooth Audio Receiver Bluetooth 3.0 support apt-x decoding and fibre-optical output 

Bluetooth 4.0 Car Kits Hand free Dialing Sun Visor Clip Auto Pickup Voice Control Connect 2 Cell Phones

HIFI Bluetooth digital power amplifier PAM2021 2 x 25W Bluetooth 2.1 EDR RCA Aluminum Case

HIFI Bluetooth Earphone Stereo Headset 3.5mm AUX Input Bluetooth 2.1 CVC TTS DSP Clear Noise Reduction Effect

CSR8645 ROM Bluetooth Module Bluetooth4.0 Mulitiport Output Support APT-X Decoding With Key Board DIY RoHS High Quality

Now, Bluetooth SIG have been released Bluetooth 4.1 version.The details as below.

Bluetooth 4.1

Bluetooth Core Specification 4.1 is an important evolutionary update to the Bluetooth core specification which rolls up adopted Bluetooth Core Specification Addenda (CSA 1, 2, 3 & 4) while adding new features and benefits. Version 4.1 improves consumer usability, empowers innovation for product developers and extends the technology's foundation as an essential link for the Internet of Things.

• Improving Usability—extends the brand promise to consumers with a "just works" experience. This spec is engineered with several new features to make it work seamlessly with popular cell technologies like LTE, maintain connections with less frequent manual reconnection, and deliver more efficient data exchange.
• Empowering Developer Innovation—provides developers with greater flexibility to create innovative Bluetooth products and solutions through dual-mode topology and link-layer topology software features.
• Enabling the Internet of Things—lays the groundwork for IP-based connections by allowing devices to setup a dedicated communication channel in the future thereby extending the central position for Bluetooth technology in the Internet of Things.

     
Bluetooth 4.2

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) officially adopted version 4.2 of the Bluetooth core specification in Jan, 2015. 

Key updates in 4.2 improve privacy and increase speed, and a soon-to-be ratified profile will enable IP connectivity.

Privacy and Security

Bluetooth 4.2 introduces industry-leading privacy settings that lowers power consumption and builds upon the government-grade security features of the Bluetooth specification. The new privacy features put control back into the hands of the consumer by making it difficult for eavesdroppers to track a device through its Bluetooth connection without permission. For example, when shopping in a retail store with beacons, unless you’ve enabled permission for the beacon to engage with your device, you can’t be tracked.

Speed

Bluetooth 4.2 increases the speed and reliability of data transfers between Bluetooth Smart devices. By increasing the capacity of Bluetooth Smart packets, devices transfer data up to 2.5 times faster than with previous versions. Increased data transfer speeds and packet capacity reduces the opportunity for transmission errors to occur and reduces battery consumption, resulting in a more efficient connection. 

Internet Connectivity

Building on the capabilities released earlier with Bluetooth 4.1 and the new features released in 4.2, the Internet Protocol Support Profile (IPSP) will allow Bluetooth Smart sensors to access the Internet directly via IPv6/6LoWPAN. IP connectivity makes it possible to use existing IP infrastructure to manage Bluetooth Smart “edge” devices. This is ideal for connected home scenarios that need both personal and wide area control. This profile will be ratified in 2015.

Bluetooth 5

On June 17, 2016, the new Bluetooth standard had come out, and its standard number is not version 4.3 like as version 4.2, but called Bluetooth 5, rather than Bluetooth 5.0! 

According to past practice from version 2.0 to 3.0 to 4.0, the new standard the first digital changes are significant, Bluetooth 5, this name is indeed a lot simpler.With the launch of Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth® technology continues to evolve to meet the needs of the industry as the global wireless standard for simple, secure connectivity. 

Its main features are 4x range, 2x speed and 8x broadcasting message capacity, the enhancements of Bluetooth 5 focus on increasing the functionality of Bluetooth for the IoT. These features, along with improved interoperability and coexistence with other wireless technologies, continue to advance the IoT experience by enabling simple and effortless interactions across the vast range of connected devices.

More details, please visit the blog The New Bluetooth Standard Launched -- Bluetooth 5

Main Features

1. Bluetooth 5.0 for low-power devices, has a broader coverage and four times faster than the current rate of increase.
2. Bluetooth 5.0 will be added indoor positioning aids, combined with Wi-Fi accuracy can be achieved less than 1 meter indoor positioning.
3. The maximum transmission speed is 24Mbps, which is double the previous 4.2LE version.
4. Transmission level to reach non-destructive level
5. Effective working distance up to 300 meters, 4.2LE version is 4 times before.
6. Add navigation, you can achieve 1 meter indoor positioning.
7. To cope with the mobile client needs, its power consumption is lower, and compatible with the older version.

Bluetooth 5.1

New features in Bluetooth 5.1

1. The most important thing is to add "direction finding" (direction finding), that is, direction finding function and centimeter-level positioning service. When using Bluetooth version 5.1, it can not only detect the distance of a specific object, but also support device Bluetooth The direction of the signal, so as to realize the function of tracking items and guiding. The direction finding function technology can also provide centimeter-level accuracy for positioning services.

2. Let Bluetooth become another way to use location services besides GPS and Wi-Fi, including determining distance and precise location.

3. The improvement of the general attribute configuration file (GATT) cache will enable users to realize faster and more energy-efficient connections between the server and the client in the future.

Bluetooth 5.2

New features in Bluetooth 5.2 include

LE Isochronous Channels

This is the core technology that supports the next generation of Bluetooth audio. The previous version of Bluetooth Low Energy only supports connection-oriented asynchronous communication links (ACL) and non-connection mode broadcast links. The former is used in peripherals (such as watches) and centers Two-way data transmission between devices (such as mobile phones). The latter is used in one-way broadcast information of Beacon devices and Mesh networks. In order to realize the next generation of Bluetooth audio based on LE, the LE synchronization channel (LE Isochronous Channels) is defined in version 5.2, including the synchronized audio stream (Connected Isochronous Stream) transmission channel in the connected mode and the synchronized audio stream (Broadcast Isochronous Stream) in the broadcast mode. ) Transmission channel. The LE synchronization channel lays the foundation for the realization of multi-channel audio streaming (Multi-Stream Audio) of next-generation Bluetooth audio and audio sharing (Audio Sharing) applications based on broadcast audio streaming. According to the 5.2 version of the core specification, a synchronization group can include up to 31 different synchronized audio streams. In the broadcast synchronization mode, unlimited multiple audio receivers within the communication range can simultaneously listen to the shared audio stream.

In order to realize the LE synchronization channel, a new communication protocol layer-the synchronization adaptation layer (ISOAL) is defined in the Bluetooth low energy controller (Controller). ISOAL is used to implement the mutual conversion between the service data unit (SDU) of the synchronous data (such as digital audio stream) and the protocol data unit (PDU) of the link layer (Link Layer). The basic principle is that because the length of the SDU is much larger than the length of the PDU, it is necessary to divide and convert one SDU into multiple PDUs and modulate the radio frequency signal for transmission when sending synchronous data. In turn, multiple PDUs need to be reassembled and converted into SDU is also transmitted to the upper layer.

Enhanced ATT (Enhanced ATT)

The ATT protocol in the Bluetooth 5.2 version is improved (Enhanced Attribute Protocol), which is used to quickly read the attribute value. This new function will improve the efficiency of information communication based on the ATT protocol and realize Fast Service Discovery, etc. Features. It is foreseeable that the rapid service discovery function will be applied in the next generation of Bluetooth audio technology to realize the rapid exchange of related service information between audio devices.

LE Power Control

Bluetooth 5.2 version defines the two-way power control protocol (LE Power Control) of Bluetooth low energy, which can be used to implement a variety of application scenarios, which helps to further reduce power consumption while maintaining the connection and improve the stability and reliability of the device connection.

Bluetooth 5.3 (Released in 2022)

• Improved Data Transfer Rate:
  The data transmission rate is significantly enhanced, reaching up to 3 Mbps—an increase of 50% over Bluetooth 5.2. This makes it more efficient for transferring large volumes of data, such as high-definition video streams and large files, enabling faster data synchronization between smart home devices and delivering a smoother user experience.

• Enhanced Connection Stability:
  Several new technologies have been introduced to support more flexible adjustment of connection parameters. Devices can dynamically optimize connection performance based on real-world usage scenarios, maintaining stable connections even in complex electromagnetic environments.

• Optimized Multi-Device Pairing:
  Synchronization mechanisms between devices have been improved, reducing latency and enabling smoother coordination among multiple devices. The low-power performance also ensures greater energy efficiency during prolonged use, making Bluetooth 5.3 suitable for applications in smart homes, wearable devices, and industrial IoT.

Bluetooth 6.0 (Released in 2024)

• Upgraded Precision Ranging:
  Utilizing RTT (Round-Trip Time) and PBR (Phase-Based Ranging) technologies, Bluetooth 6.0 achieves centimeter-level accuracy in physical distance measurement. This enhances security in scenarios such as digital keys and contactless payments by effectively preventing relay attacks.

• Enhanced Interactive Experience:
  With Channel Sounding technology in BLE 6.0, positioning accuracy is improved by 5 times, and latency is reduced to the microsecond level.

• Further Reduced Power Consumption:
  Power consumption is reduced by another 30%, allowing coin cell batteries to last over 3 years. It also supports medical-grade encrypted transmission, making it ideal for wearable devices that monitor real-time heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and for transmitting data from remote medical equipment directly to the cloud.

• Expanded Industrial Applications:
  Supports a combined central-peripheral mode (master-slave integration) and multi-controller architecture. Enhanced anti-interference capability allows tens of thousands of devices to be online simultaneously. In asset tracking and warehouse management, positioning errors can be kept under 10 cm. For device monitoring, it enables early fault detection in motors, reducing downtime losses.

• Other Features:

  • Decision-Based Advertising Filtering: Devices receive only one advertising packet per unique device, eliminating duplicates and improving efficiency.

  • Enhanced Isochronous Adaptation Layer: Larger data frames can be transmitted through smaller link-layer packets, with essential timing information preserved for accurate reassembly at the receiver. This reduces latency and improves reliability.

  • Extended LL Feature Set: Devices can exchange more information about the link-layer features they support.

  • Negotiable Inter-Frame Spacing: Frame intervals can be shorter or longer than 150 microseconds, depending on negotiated settings.