Technical Details
Bluetooth low energy technology operates in the same spectrum range (2402-2480 MHz) as Classic Bluetooth technology, but uses a different set of channels. Instead of Bluetooth technology's 79 1-MHz wide channels, Bluetooth low energy technology has 40 2-MHz wide channels. Bluetooth low energy technology uses a different frequency hopping scheme to Classic Bluetooth technology; as a result, while both FCC and ETSI classify Bluetooth technology as an FHSS scheme, Bluetooth low energy technology is classified as a system using digital modulation techniques or a direct-sequence spread spectrum.
Bluetooth low energy technology is designed with two equally important implementation alternatives: single-mode and dual-mode. Small devices like tokens, watches, and sports sensors based on a single-mode Bluetooth low energy implementation will enjoy the low-power consumption advantages enabled for highly integrated and compact devices. In dual-mode implementations, Bluetooth low energy functionality is integrated into Classic Bluetooth circuitry. The architecture will share Classic Bluetooth technology radio and antenna, enhancing currently available chips with the new low energy stack—enhancing the development of Classic Bluetooth devices with new capabilities.
| Technical Specification | Classic Bluetooth technology | Bluetooth low energy technology |
|---|---|---|
| Distance/Range | 100 m (330 ft) | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Over the air data rate | 1-3 Mbit/s | 1 Mbit/s |
| Application throughput | 0.7-2.1 Mbit/s | 0.27 Mbit/s |
| Active slaves | 7 | Not defined; implementation dependent |
| Security | 56/128-bit and application layer user defined | 128-bit AES with Counter Mode CBC-MAC and application layer user defined |
| Robustness | Adaptive fast frequency hopping, FEC, fast ACK | Adaptive frequency hopping, Lazy Acknowledgement, 24-bit CRC, 32-bit Message Integrity Check |
| Latency (from a non-connected state) | Typically 100 ms | 6 ms |
| Total time to send data (det.battery life) | 100 ms | 3 ms, <3 ms |
| Voice capable | Yes | No |
| Network topology | Scatternet | Star-bus |
| Power consumption | 1 as the reference | 0.01 to 0.5 (depending on use case) |
| Peak current consumption | <30 mA | <15 mA |
| Service discovery | Yes | Yes |
| Profile concept | Yes | Yes |
| Primary use cases | Mobile phones, gaming, headsets, stereo audio streaming, automotive, PCs, security, proximity, healthcare, sports & fitness, etc. | Mobile phones, gaming, PCs, watches, sports and fitness, healthcare, security & proximity, automotive, home electronics, automation, Industrial, etc. |
More technical details may be obtained from official specification as published by the Bluetooth SIG. Note that power consumption is not part of the Bluetooth specification.
Read more about this topic: Bluetooth Low Energy
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