Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is a wireless technology designed for low-power devices, often used in IoT applications. It is defined by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) and is a popular choice for applications such as wearables, beacons, and smart home devices.
One of the key advantages of BLE is its low power consumption, which makes it ideal for devices that run on small batteries or energy-harvesting sources. BLE uses a star network topology, with a central device such as a smartphone or gateway communicating with peripheral devices such as sensors or actuators. This topology allows for the simple and cost-effective deployment, as peripheral devices do not need to communicate with each other.
Another advantage of BLE is its fast connection times and low latency, which make it suitable for applications that require real-time data transfer, such as health monitoring or home automation. BLE also supports over-the-air firmware updates, enabling devices to receive software updates without the need for physical connections.
BLE supports both security and privacy features, including encryption, authentication, and authorization. The latest version of the BLE specification, Bluetooth 5, introduces enhanced security features such as long-range encryption and privacy keys.
BLE is widely used due to its broad device compatibility and availability. The technology operates on the 2.4 GHz frequency band and has a data rate of up to 2 Mbps. It can also coexist with Wi-Fi and other wireless technologies, making it suitable for use in a variety of environments.
Key Technical Parameters:
- Standard: Bluetooth 5.0
- Data rate: up to 2 Mbps
- Frequency: 2.4 GHz
- Range: up to 100 meters (depending on environmental factors)
- Power consumption: low power consumption, with battery life ranging from months to years
- Security: encryption, authentication, and authorization features are supported, with enhanced security features introduced in Bluetooth 5.0
