Bluetooth has been used for so long, why hasn't it been replaced?

When it comes to Bluetooth technology, most people's first reaction is Bluetooth headsets. Indeed, as the first Bluetooth device that people came into contact with, Bluetooth headsets have made great contributions. By applying Bluetooth technology to hands-free headsets, users have experienced the trouble of not being tied down by wires for the first time.

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In the past few years, with the rapid development of smart phones, wearable devices, and the Internet of Things, coupled with the popularity of TWS Bluetooth headsets in the past two years, the development of the Bluetooth industry has entered the fast lane. On April 15, the Bluetooth Technology Alliance released the "2021 Bluetooth Market Latest Information". The report predicts that although the growth rate of the Bluetooth market has slowed down in the past year, it is expected that by 2025, the annual shipments of Bluetooth devices will increase from 4 billion units in 2020 to more than 6 billion units.

Interestingly, the word Bluetooth comes from the name of Harald Bluetooth, the Danish king in the 10th century. Jim Kardach, an engineer from Intel, linked Bluetooth with the later wireless communication technology standards. At a wireless communication industry conference, he proposed Bluetooth as the name of the wireless communication technology standard. In 1998, Ericsson joined forces with five companies including IBM, Intel, Nokia and Toshiba to form the predecessor of the Bluetooth Technology Alliance.

But people at that time would not have thought that the application scope of this blue logo has far exceeded their expected usage scenarios. From using wireless headphones to receive audio, connecting controllers to game consoles, to smart furniture, wearable devices, and even Apple's "AirDrop" function, Bluetooth technology is indispensable. There is no doubt that Bluetooth is currently the most mainstream and convenient mainstream technology.

But early Bluetooth technology was not easy to use. Not only was the transmission rate low, but there were also security issues. In the 4.0 era, Bluetooth transmission technology has been greatly improved. It is also the first Bluetooth comprehensive protocol specification that integrates three specifications. The most important change is the BLE low-power function, which proposes three modes: low-power Bluetooth, traditional Bluetooth, and high-speed Bluetooth.

After entering the 5.0 era, Bluetooth technology has completely opened the door to the Internet of Things era. In low-power mode, it has faster and farther transmission capabilities, with a transmission rate twice that of Bluetooth 4.2 (the upper limit is 2Mbps), an effective transmission distance four times that of Bluetooth 4.2 (theoretically 300 meters), and a data packet capacity eight times that of Bluetooth 4.2. It supports indoor positioning and navigation functions, and can achieve indoor positioning with an accuracy of less than 1 meter when combined with WiFi. At the same time, it optimizes the underlying IoT, striving to serve smart homes with lower power consumption and higher performance.

Now someone may ask, Bluetooth technology has been around for so long, and wireless technology is developing so rapidly, why are we still using Bluetooth?

In fact, Bluetooth does have two rivals that cannot be ignored, namely Wi-Fi and NFC.

First, let's look at NFC (near field communication technology). Its feature is that it is easier to connect. Just touch the NFC-enabled devices lightly to achieve connection. It is especially suitable for point-to-point connection at a short distance, and it also consumes less power. However, its disadvantage is the distance. It requires a contact of about 4 cm to achieve transmission, which is a bit stretched compared to the effective transmission distance of 300 meters of Bluetooth 5.0. At present, NFC usually plays the role of a "bridge". Android devices often use NFC as a Bluetooth authentication method, allowing users to avoid the tedious pairing and directly achieve Bluetooth connection through contact.

Obviously, due to its own distance limitations, NFC cannot replace Bluetooth, but is complementary, so it does not actually pose much of a threat to Bluetooth.

Let's look at Wi-Fi. Compared with NFC, Wi-Fi has no distance limit and is very similar to Bluetooth in many aspects, so it is more threatening. The Wi-Fi direct connection function has been used by many devices, such as Sony QX series wireless cameras, Sonos speakers, etc., involving printing, games, videos, music, display and other fields. In addition, compared with Bluetooth's 24Mbps transmission rate, Wi-Fi can achieve a maximum speed of 250Mbps, and is expected to achieve a data transmission speed of 2GB per second in the future, which is one of the advantages that Bluetooth cannot achieve.

So why hasn't Wi-Fi replaced Bluetooth?

The answer is simple. An important problem with Wi-Fi is that it consumes too much power, making it unsuitable for wearables, fitness equipment, and other devices that require low-power transmission. However, for home use, such as wireless speakers and video synchronization transmission, Wi-Fi is clearly more advantageous. For devices like smart bracelets, using Bluetooth is the most reliable solution.

Obviously, after 20 years of development, Bluetooth technology has gained many fans, and the technology is constantly improving. Manufacturers are still optimistic about Bluetooth technology. Bluetooth's low cost, high performance, simplicity and universality are all parts that manufacturers favor.

At the same time, there is another area of ​​Bluetooth that deserves attention, that is, device networks, which are mainly based on mesh network technology and can be widely used in many industrial scenarios such as smart lighting and smart buildings. It is reported that the Bluetooth Technology Alliance also plans to launch mesh operation enhancements in the near future to allow mesh to be better applied to multiple fields.

Are you ready to let Bluetooth change your life?