The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has officially announced the adoption of Bluetooth 5 as the latest version of the Bluetooth core specification. Key updates to Bluetooth 5 include longer range, faster speed, and larger broadcast message capacity, as well as improved interoperability and coexistence with other wireless technologies. Bluetooth 5 will continue to advance the Internet of Things (IoT) experience by enabling simple and effortless interactions across a vast range of connected devices.
Bluetooth is revolutionizing how people experience the IoT. Bluetooth 5 will continue to drive this revolution by delivering reliable IoT connections and mobilizing the adoption of beacons, which in turn will decrease connection barriers and enable a seamless IoT experience. This means whole-home and building coverage, as well as new use cases for outdoor, industrial, and commercial applications will be a reality. With the launch of Bluetooth 5, the Bluetooth SIG continue to evolve to meet the needs of IoT developers and consumers while staying true to what Bluetooth is at its core: the global wireless standard for simple, secure, connectivity.
Key feature updates include four times range, two times speed, and eight times broadcast message capacity. Longer range can power the whole home and provide better building coverage, for more robust and reliable connections. Higher speed will enable more responsive, high-performance devices. An increased broadcast message size will increase the data sent for improved and more context relevant solutions.
Bluetooth 5 also includes updates that help reduce potential interference with other wireless technologies to ensure Bluetooth devices can coexist within the increasingly complex global IoT environment. It delivers all of this while maintaining its low-energy functionality and flexibility for developers to meet the needs of their device or application.
The adoption of Bluetooth 5 comes at a crucial time. A report published by ABI research expects there to be 48 billion internet-enabled devices installed by 2021, of which nearly one-third will include Bluetooth. We should start seeing products based on Bluetooth 5 within the next 2 to 6 months. Click here to learn more about the Bluetooth 5 Technology.
