What is BLE? A thorough explanation of the features and uses of Bluetooth Low Energy! | NEXTY Electronics, an electronic components and semiconductor trading company

What is BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)?

Bluetooth is a short-range wireless communication technology that allows devices to connect to each other without using CABLES.
Developed by Ericsson in 1994, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has since been working on standardization. Today, it is widely used in a variety of devices, including smartphones, TABLETS, PCs, headphones, LOUDSPEAKERS, and smartwatches.

How BLE Achieves Low Power Consumption

The reason why BLE can achieve low power consumption lies in its design and operating characteristics. The following factors support BLE's low power consumption:

Advertising and scanning efficiency
BLE devices efficiently perform two main actions: advertising and scanning. Advertising is short and scanning is performed only when necessary, reducing unnecessary power consumption.
Short connection time
BLE establishes a connection in an extremely short time. Because the connection time is short, power consumption during connection is minimized. In addition, a communication method called frequency hopping is used to reduce communication collisions with peripheral devices. This allows data to be sent and received quickly, and reduces the time it takes to return to an idle state.
Power saving mode
BLE devices significantly reduce power consumption by utilizing idle and sleep modes, which minimize power consumption when the device is not in use.
Low radio wave output
By keeping the output low, it is possible to reduce power consumption, but this feature can only be utilized in applications with low data transmission capacity.

Click here to find out why BLE has low power consumption

(Technical blog coming soon)

BLE communication range and profiles

The BLE communication range varies depending on the environment and device specifications, but is generally around 10 meters. The actual communication range may vary depending on the presence of obstacles and radio wave interference.
BLE defines "profiles" for specific applications, which ensure compatibility between different devices. The following are some typical profiles:

Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)
This profile provides high-quality audio streaming and is used to transmit music from devices such as smartphones and TABLETS to earphones or headsets.
Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP)
This profile allows you to remotely control your audio and video devices, allowing you to play, pause, skip, and more directly from your earphones or headset.
Hands-Free Profile (HFP)
This profile provides phone functionality and is used to connect a smartphone and earphones for hands-free calling.

How to use BLE

How to use BLE for IoT

BLE plays a very important role in IoT (Internet of Things) devices. Due to its low power consumption and high compatibility, it is widely used in the following applications:

Smart Home
BLE can be used to automate, control, and manage your home's status, temperature, security system, etc. For example, it can detect when a door or window is opened and send a notification to your smartphone. You can also lock and unlock your door from your smartphone. Remote Access and auto-lock/unlock functions are also provided.

Healthcare
A prime example is a smartwatch. It can easily connect to a variety of medical devices and wearable devices, such as fitness trackers, heart rate monitors, and blood pressure monitors. This allows for real-time health data collection and monitoring. Its extremely low power consumption allows battery-powered devices to last for a long time. This means patients and users don't need to change batteries frequently, making it easier to use the device on a daily basis.

beacon
Beacons are devices that periodically emit signals, sending location information and specific data to nearby BLE-enabled devices (such as smartphones and TABLETS). This allows users to recognize when they are near a beacon and receive relevant information. For example, products called "smart tags" track location and issue alerts when they are moved away. They are used as a convenient tool to prevent and manage items in daily life.

Latest technology trends in BLE

Latest BLE version information

BLE is constantly being updated with new features and improved performance. Below is information on the latest version, the Bluetooth 5 series.

Bluetooth 5.0
This version doubles the data transmission speed, allowing for faster data transmission and reception. This is due to the addition of a 2Mbps modulation method to the physical layer. New technology also extends the communication range, enabling stable connections even when devices are far apart. Furthermore, Bluetooth 5.0 makes it possible to establish mesh networks, allowing multiple devices to communicate with each other.
Bluetooth 5.1
Bluetooth 5.1 adds new direction finding technology to more accurately pinpoint the location of Bluetooth devices, improving location-based services like navigation and tracking. It also improves the efficiency of advertising (signals that announce a device's presence). Furthermore, advertising information can now be indirectly synchronized with other Bluetooth devices, making information sharing smoother.
Bluetooth 5.2
Bluetooth 5.2 introduces LE Audio, a new audio technology that improves the sound quality of Bluetooth earphones and other devices. It also enables simultaneous connection and audio transmission to multiple devices. Real-time audio and video transmission is now more accurate. Battery life is improved thanks to power-saving controls during communication.
Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth 5.3 adds features aimed at making devices smaller and longer-lasting. It reduces communication with the main device, improving efficiency. It also extends the communication interval during periods of no communication, further reducing power consumption.
Bluetooth 5.4
Bluetooth 5.4 expands the advertising communication method, making it compatible with applications such as electronic shelf labels. Advertising communication is now bidirectional. It is also now possible to encrypt the advertisement itself, strengthening security. Finally, it is now possible to check whether security is enabled during pairing.
Bluetooth 6.0
The Bluetooth 6.0 specification was released in August 2024. It will improve the accuracy of distance calculations and security, and will contribute to applications such as digital keys.

Click here for an explanation of Bluetooth 6.0

Explanation of Bluetooth 6.0

New features and specification changes for BLE (ver. 5.0 and later) devices

The latest BLE devices incorporate the features added in the Bluetooth 5 version, including the following new features and specification changes:

Expanded communication range
The Bluetooth 5 version has a communication range that is up to four times longer than the previous version of Bluetooth. Although the communication speed is one-eighth that of the previous version, it allows connections with a wider range of devices.
Increased data transfer speed
Data transfer speeds are up to twice as fast, allowing large amounts of data to be sent more quickly. Although the communication distance is reduced by approximately 0.8 times, large amounts of data can now be transmitted over short distances.
Connect to multiple devices
The ability to connect to multiple devices simultaneously has been enhanced, allowing you to manage more devices simultaneously.
Location-based services
Direction finding has been added to provide more accurate location services, enabling things like indoor navigation.
LE Audio support
LE Audio was introduced, enabling audio streaming at low power consumption, improving performance in hearing aids and wireless earbuds, and supporting multiple simultaneous audio streams.

BLE market trends

The BLE market is expanding rapidly with the spread of IoT devices and wearable devices.

The spread of IoT
Demand for BLE devices, such as the electronic shelf labels that have become common in supermarkets in recent years and smart tags to prevent loss, is on the rise.
Growth in the healthcare sector
The use of BLE devices is expanding in fields such as smartwatches, sports equipment, and medical equipment. Also provides an unlock function.
Introducing new technologies
The performance of BLE devices is improving with the introduction of new technologies such as LE Audio, direction finding, and enhanced security. BLE is expected to be incorporated into new products in the future, further expanding the market. Bluetooth/unlock functions will also be provided.

Summary

BLE, a wireless communication technology with low power consumption and high compatibility, plays an important role in IoT and wearable devices. It effectively achieves low power consumption through efficient communication, short connection times, and power-saving modes. Furthermore, the new features and market trends of the Bluetooth 5 series demonstrate the evolution of BLE and its expanding range of applications. The continued development of BLE technology will enable more devices to communicate efficiently and effectively.