I searched on bluetooth.com , bluetooth.org but I didn't find any explanation about Bluetooth Smart Ready Device being low energy.
I know Bluetooth Smart Ready is dual mode. (Backward compatible)
My question is When Bluetooth Smart Ready is connected to older Bluetooth device, is it still in low energy mode or does it require more power(like older Bluetooth Devices) ?
Short answer: no it is not in low energy mode because it is not using the low energy subset of Bluetooth v4.0.
Long answer: Bluetooth v4.0 defines two types of transceivers:
Dual-Mode Devices (aka Smart Ready Devices): Dual mode devices include all the features of standard Bluetooth v4.0 (Classic Bluetooth + Bluetooth High Speed + Bluetooth Low Energy); BLE functionality is integrated into the existing Bluetooth controller. Dual mode devices, such as PCs and Mobile phones, can utilize the full package versions of the technology running side by side.
Single-mode Devices (aka Bluetooth Smart): single mode devices
implement the low energy protocol stack only. The single mode devices
benefit from the low power consumption and low cost of implementation
provided by v4.0. Therefore, the devices are cheaper and consume
less power than dual mode devices.
Hope this helps.
Bluetooth Smart means Bluetooth 4.0. The only common in Bluetooth Smart and the older versions is the frequency range.The communications is vastly different, requiring different radio hardware too.
So if a device is dual mode, it can either use the low energy, or the standard communication. And because of this, in standard mode, the energy consumption is the same as with the standard devices.
No, When a backwards compatible Dual Mode/Smart Ready device is connecting and transmitting on Bluetooth 2.1, 3.0 or EDR it is not Low Energy.
What makes low energy low energy is the short burst transmissions, packet size and the way the processing works. Being Dual Mode / Smart Ready just combines the necessary chips and antenna into one package for ease of manufacturing and design.
Bluetooth Smart Ready = Dual Mode, i.e. it can switch between BR/EDR (Classic) and BLE.
For BLE, it is first and foremost the protocol that makes it "low energy", i.e. low consumption.
So, when the Smart Ready device works in BLE mode, it is low energy. When it works in Classic mode, it is not low energy.
Related
i want to know the fundamental difference between BLE and Classic Bluetooth and why exactly is BLE low power?
There are quite a few differences between Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth Low Energy including:
Classic Bluetooth operates on 79 frequency channels, whereas BLE uses only 40.
Classic Bluetooth has a higher throughput than BLE, although the gap is becoming narrower with newer versions of BLE.
A classic Bluetooth device can only be connected to 7 other devices, there is no theoretical maximum to BLE.
The two use different mechanisms for broadcasting/connection. Classic only devices cannot find or connect to BLE only devices and vice versa.
The list goes on beyond the above to the point that it is more common to assume that they are two protocols only sharing a few technical similarities and the same standardisation body (The Bluetooth SIG).
As to what makes BLE low power, this lies in the duty cycle of the protocol. BLE devices sleep for most of the time they are not in operation, and only wake up to send bursts of data and then go back to sleep. Of course this depends on the use case; if an application continuously sends BLE data then there will be fewer sleep intervals and therefore the power consumption will match that of classic Bluetooth.
For more references regarding this question, please see the list below:
4 Key Differences between Classic Bluetooth and BLE
The difference between Classic Bluetooth and BLE
Bluetooth vs Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
Bluetooth vs BLE
Can a Bluetooth LE powered device discover a classic Bluetooth device and vice-versa?
I hope this helps.
I can't find a proper answer on the Internet.
The Bluetooth Basic Rate / Enhanced Data Rate (BR/EDR) appeared with the 2.0 Bluetooth Core Specification to improve data rate transfers. The Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) appeared with the 4.0 Bluetooth Core Specification to improve consumption in the IoT field. Yet, to make those two modes work together (BLE & BR/EDR) you had to use a "Smart Ready" module (or dual-mode specific module).
Today, we have the Bluetooth 5. I don't quite understand if, when I browse Bluetooth 5 SoC on the market, the BR/EDR is implemented natively. For the BLE mode, it is. From a general FAQ :
Is the low energy feature of Bluetooth a part of Bluetooth 5.0?
Yes, Bluetooth with low energy functionality, introduced in Bluetooth 4.0, is a feature within Bluetooth Core Specification version 5.0. In fact, the new features and benefits of Bluetooth 5.0 are designed specifically for Bluetooth with low energy functionality.
But for the BR/EDR mode, the Bluetooth 5 Core Specification states (p323, Vol : 2 Core System Package [BR/EDR Controller Volume]) :
Two modulation modes are defined. A mandatory mode, called Basic Rate, uses a shaped [...]. An optional mode, called Enhanced Data Rate, uses PSK modulation [...].
So, from the Core Specification, the EDR mode is optional. Yet, I can't find any SoC or module (BT5 compliant) that has this EDR mode, like it doesn't exist anymore but everyone exhibit high data transfers (more than EDR used to be with previous version).
So, is the EDR implemented natively in BT5 (as the BLE is) even if the Core Specification states it as optional ?
Where am I wrong ?
Thanks !
"Most" things in the Bluetooth Core specification are optional. You can have a BT5-compliant Bluetooth Classic chip that doesn't have any LE functionality and you can have a BT5-compliant BLE chip that doesn't have any Bluetooth classic features.
To check whether a particular Bluetooth chip supports a specific feature, just look it up at https://launchstudio.bluetooth.com/Listings/Search.
As mentioned above, lots of things Bluetooth are optional, and the nomenclature is confusing and changeable.
Bluetooth Smart Ready describes modules that can do both Smart (ie LE) as well as classic. If you are looking for a Bluetooth Smart Ready module, we've successfully used the Silicon Labs (acquired Bluegiga) BT121 module in a couple of products where we needed SPP with high speed and range (BR/EDR).
Hope that helps!
Best Regards, Dave
What I want to ask is - Will a BLE device be able to answer calls, play music, etc... or that Bluetooth 4.0 is intended for a kind of NFC alternative?
Bluetooth Low Energy is part of the Bluetooth 4.0 specification. Bluetooth 4.0 includes Classic Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy and Bluetooth High Speed.
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) uses a different radio protocol with fewer, wider channels and a lower transmission rate and power than Bluetooth Classic (although it uses the same frequencies) and most importantly it implements a different set of profiles.
Classic Bluetooth has profiles such as Serial Port Profile (SPP) and Handsfree Profile (HFP) while the most commonly used profile in BLE is the Generic Attribute profile (GATT). This profile allows for the transfer of small amounts of data at relatively low speeds and is not suitable high-bandwidth time-critical applications such as audio streaming.
Dual-mode Bluetooth chipsets that support Classic Bluetooth and BLE are available although often they can only operate in one mode at a time. Many BLE chipsets are BLE only, however as it reduces cost and complexity.
The short answer is that BLE can't support the classic Bluetooth functions you described.
Bluetooth 4.0 has all backwards compatibility with it's older versions.
BLE is a form of connect using low energy technology.
BLE = Bluetooth Low energy.
They are different technologies with different proposes. BLE tend to be used in heart rate monitors, bike computers, medicinal applications and etc. Whenever the power supply is limited.
BLE intent is not for headsets and similar devices. That's why you see on phone specifications Bluetooh 4.0 + BLE (or LE). Bluetooh is a technology, BLE is a 'protocol of communication'
I'm wondering if Bluetooth 4.0 (low-energy) mobile phones could discover classic Bluetooth devices (3.0 and lower), and vice-versa. All I am interested in is discovering the "friendly names".
EDIT: As I have understood the replies of this post, Bluetooth 4.0 can discover classic Bluetooth devices but not the other way around. Then my follow-up question is, can a Bluetooth 4.0 device in LE mode discover classic Bluetooth devices?
The answer depends on if you mean Bluetooth v4.0 device, or BLE device, the two are not the same.
Bluetooth v4.0 = Classic Bluetooth + Bluetooth High Speed + Bluetooth Low Energy
Therefore, Bluetooth Low Energy is only a subset of Bluetooth v4.0. If your question is regarding Bluetooth v4.0 phones (generally phones are not BLE only), then the answer is Yes, Bluetooth v4.0 mobile phones can theoretically discover Bluetooth v3.0 devices and lower.
Hate to be blunt, but nope not possible (although it would be handy). 4.0 is 4.0 alone. Check out the Bluetooth Core Spec for more info
No a BLE can not discover a classic bluetooth device nor a classic bluetooth device can discover a BLE.
A device with BT V4 will discover both.
And A BT V4 will be discovered by BLE if it is advertising as BLE.
I also had same question, so I did little experiment.
I may contribute to this topic from my experiment that I did with old mobile(Nokia C5-00), New mobile(Samsung galaxy grand prime) and two bluegiga ble113 chips.
I swithched on bluetooth of all the devices and started scanning for near by devices I observed the following:
Observation1: Samsung galaxy grand prime (BT version 4 +Ble): It was showing both bluegiga ble113 chips, and Nokia C5-00 on the list.
Observation2: Nokia C5-00 (Earlier version of BT): It was showing only Samsung galaxy grand prime in the list.
Observation3: ble113: Out of the two ble113 chips one was in advertising mode and other in scanning mode at first the scanner chip was discovering only other BLE113 advertiser chip, but when I started advertising from Samsung galaxy grand prime phone using BLEBroadcast app the ble scanner chip started discovering the Samsung galaxy grand prime phone also.
Its perhaps late but just to clarify. The question in the title sounds like its asking about the interoperability of the two different Bluetooth modes, but the details of the question drift toward whether or not the mobile phone supports these two capabilities.
As far as the interoperability is concerned, as pointed out by VSingh, Classic Bluetooth discovery and Bluetooth Low Energy discovery work in opposite ways.
In classic, the endpoint [eg your Android] SEARCHING for devices TRANSMITS inquiry packets. Devices in discoverable mode, LISTEN for these packets and respond accordingly.
In Bluetooth Low energy, the endpoint [eg your Android] SEARCHING for devices LISTENS (scans) for advertisement packets. BTLE devices that are discoverable TRANSMIT these advertisement packets.
If the radio on your mobile device can do both of these things, then you can discover both classic and low energy devices.
I understand that there are two types of devices in Bluetooth 4.0: dual(SmartReady) and single (Smart).
For one of the use cases, I need to use dual mode device.
When a bluetooth is ON in a dual mode device, does it mean that both bluetooth classic and LE are ON? Is there a possibility of Bluetooth LE "on" and bluetooth classic "off" configuration in a dual mode device?
If dual mode device is ON and is in idle state, does it achieve the power savings as that of single mode device ( ie only Bluetooth LE ON)?
I don't think you can configure what part to be on or off. At least not from the application level.
This site claims that
Dual-mode devices will rarely gain in power saving because they need
to support both technology implementations; the power savings will
only be achieved with the single-mode option.
But it doesn't specify the state in which the device is in.