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How Many Standards of Bluetooth® Exist?
v1.0 vs v6.2
About Augustine Nguyen
Since 1998, Bluetooth® has stood at the forefront of wireless connectivity. What began as a streamlined alternative to wired serial communication has evolved into an industry-standard protocol that enables smarter, faster, and more efficient connected designs.
Across decades of development, every new iteration of Bluetooth has continued to advance modern wireless innovation through fortified security, enhanced transmission methods, and expanded interoperability. Today, Bluetooth connectivity spans everything from personal devices to complex industrial IoT (IIoT) systems and countless applications in between.
Bluetooth Classic: Versions 1.0 to 3.0
When we talk about each version of Bluetooth, there are three key considerations determined by modulation schemes and data packet that distinguish between the different versions:
- Range
- Data speed
- Battery life
When Bluetooth v1.0 was first released, it paved the way for the wireless headphones, speakers, and game controllers that we use today. However, v1.0 is significantly slower that the versions commonly integrated today; data speeds cap off at 1 Mbps and are limited to a short-range of 10 meters. v1.0 utilizes a modulation scheme called Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying (GFSK). With GFSK, the modulated carrier shifts between two frequencies representing 1s and 0s.
Bluetooth v2.0 introduced Enhanced Data Rate (EDR), adding p/4-DQPSK and 8DPSK to achieve speeds of 2 Mbps and 3 Mbps, while still supporting GFSK for basic rate transmissions. v3.0 further improved high-speed data transfer with the addition of 802.11 for up to 24 Mbps of data transfer, although this was not a mandatory part of the 3.0 specification.
The results were game-changing. With v3.0, short-range wireless solutions could now provide reliable, high-speed connection, opening possibilities for major advancement in wireless devices.
However, power consumption remained a significant challenge for widespread adoption in IoT designs. The large amount of energy required for Bluetooth versions 1.0 – 3.0, commonly referred to as Bluetooth Classic, meant that devices continued to suffer from short battery life.
Bluetooth Classic Comparison
| Spec/Feature | Bluetooth v1.0 | Bluetooth v2.0 | Bluetooth v3.0 |
| Max Data Rate | ~1 Mbps | 2-3 Mbps (EDR) | Up to 24 Mbps |
| Modulation | GFSK | GFSK, π/4-DQPSK, 8-DPSK | Same as v2.0 + optional 802.11 (HS) |
| Range | ~10 m | ~10 m | ~10 m |
| Key Advancement | Baseline Wireless Link | Faster throughput via EDR | High-speed data over 802.11 link |
| Limitation | Limited speed & range | Power efficiency | HS optional and still impractical for IoT |
Bluetooth Version 4.0: Low Energy Expanded
Source: Bluetooth
To meet the increasing demand for wireless connectivity in compact designs, Bluetooth v4.0 introduced low energy capabilities. With a max data throughput of 1Mbps using GFSK modulation, Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) is well-suited for low-power applications.
However, Bluetooth LE’s throughput may not be suitable for devices that require a continuous stream of data like wireless headphones. Many IoT applications only need to send small bits of data periodically, which Bluetooth LE handles efficiently. For example, fitness wearables can relay small amounts of temperature data to your smartphone only when requested from an app. With a power efficient focus, Bluetooth LE enables many coin-cell battery-operated IoT applications, like beacons, feasible.
Later versions of the 4.0 standard were even more practical for IoT designs. v4.1 and v4.2 leveraged added improvements such as better coexistence with LTE networks, increased connection reliability, faster data speeds, enhanced privacy, and support for direct internet connectivity.
Bluetooth 5.0: Low Energy Expanded
Building upon power efficient Bluetooth LE specifications, the release of Bluetooth Core 5.0 expanded bandwidth, range, and broadcast capacity while maintaining backward compatibility with v4.2. Offering four different data rates (2Mbps, 1Mbps, 500kbps, 125kbps), v5.4 provides developers with the flexibility to optimize for throughput or RF performance. The lower data rate of 125kbps was added to support applications that benefit more from improved range. For example, in tiny sensors, reducing the data rate allows these sensors to transfer information as far as 240 meters.
With data rate transmission increased to 2Mbps, v5.0 reaches a net data rate of about 1.4Mbps when overheads like addressing are ignored. While it is not fast enough to stream video, audio streaming previously impractical in versions 4.0-4.2 is now within reach. Compared to v4.2, Bluetooth 5 has:
- the data rate
- 4x the range
- 8x the broadcast capability
Bluetooth v5.1 and Bluetooth v5.2
When Bluetooth v5.1 was released in 2019, developers and organizations alike were beginning to adopt GPS and satellite-based positioning for asset tracking across vehicles, logistics, and people. However, because GPS is ineffective in indoor environments, Bluetooth 5.1 addressed this gap by introducing advanced direction-finding capabilities through Angle of Arrival (AoA) and Angle of Departure (AoD) methods.
Source: Bluetooth
v5.2 maintained these Real-Time Location System (RTLS) capabilities with background compatibility, unlocking new possibilities for indoor positioning applications from tracking mobile devices of retail customers to tagged sensor mounted to containers/boxes in industrial warehouses.
Bluetooth v5.3
In July of 2021, Bluetooth announced the release of v5.3. Designed to support AdvDataInfo fields and improve power efficiency, the release featured the advent of Periodic Advertising to minimize redundant data transfers. By allowing transmitters to include AdvDataInfo in periodic packets, receiving devices can identify previously processed data and discard redundant data packets at the controller level (instead of passing them to the host device). Beyond advertising improvements, v5.3 introduced Connection Subrating which enables switching between low and high-duty-cycle link intervals for better power/performance balance. The releases Channel Classification updates now meant that peripheral devices could participate in frequency-hopping for channel map maintenance.
Bluetooth v5.4
The release of Bluetooth v5.4 was met with great anticipation in the Electronic Shelf Label (ESL) market. Not only did it incorporate Periodic Advertising, but it made the feature responsive. Periodic Advertising with Response (PAwR) enables the implementation of a time-synchronized star network with bi-directional communication. It can support massive-sized star network topology implementations seamlessly.
Prior to v5.4, Encrypted Advertising Data (EAD) was only established for connection-oriented communications. With EAD, advertising data can be encrypted in totality, in a more specific subset, and shared over PAwR. Its LE GATT Security Level Characteristics (SLC) also help improve user experiences by minimizing glitches caused by delayed access security conditions. V5.4’s Advertising Coding Selection features also presented new opportunities to control error correction data and increase communication range through S parameters. Hosts can determine specified coding schemes that controllers should use to transmit advertising PDUs.
Bluetooth 6.0: Introducing Channel Sounding
As Bluetooth’s latest core specification, the industry is buzzing about its features supporting localization and proximity awareness applications. It introduces Channel Sounding, a feature enabling Bluetooth LE devices to perform accurate distance measurements/proximity detection using phase-based ranging (PBR) and round-trip timing (RTT), instead of relying solely on signal strength (RSSI).
Source: Bluetooth
Bluetooth 6.0 Key Features
v6.0 features open new development opportunities such as secure access control, indoor navigation, item tracking, and smart industrial systems:
| Feature | Update | Key Benefit |
| Channel Sounding | Standards-based fine-ranging between two LE devices using phase-based or round-trip-timing methods (vs prior reliance on RSSI-based path-loss). | Enables accurate distance measurement and secure positioning for “find-my”, tracking, spatial-awareness, or proximity-based applications. |
| Decision-Based Advertising Filtering | Receive-only devices can decide, based on the first advertising packet, whether to scan follow-up packets on secondary channels. | Reduces unnecessary radio activity, increases scan efficiency, and conserves energy, ideal for battery-sensitive devices and large-scale beacon deployments. |
| Monitoring Advertisers | Controller can filter duplicate advertisements and inform the host whenever a previously seen device moves in or out of range. | Simplifies device discovery logic, reduces host-level processing load, and maintains awareness of device presence, useful for smart-home hubs, asset trackers, and access control systems. |
| ISOAL Enhancement | Improved framing mode within the Isochronous Adaptation Layer: larger data frames can be split into smaller link-layer packets, reducing latency and improving reliability. | Supports smoother audio streaming, lower-latency data transfer, and more reliable isochronous communications for LE Audio, real-time sensors, and media applications. |
| LL Extended Feature Set | Link-layer feature exchange capacity greatly expanded to accommodate the growing diversity and complexity of Bluetooth LE features. | Facilitates better interoperability, future-proofing, and flexible configuration, especially as LE deployments scale in feature-rich devices and networks. |
| Frame Space Update (FSU) | Facilitates better interoperability, future-proofing, and flexible configuration, especially as LE deployments scale in feature-rich devices and networks. | Optimizes packet timing for use cases ranging from low-latency audio / data streaming to low-power IoT communications, improving flexibility and performance in diverse deployments. |
Bluetooth 6.2
Released in November 2025, v6.2 further expands on v6.0’s capabilities and advanced feature set. The implementation of Shorter Connection Intervals (SCI) is designed to enhance Bluetooth LE connection performance in two ways:
- Enabling shorter LE ACL connection intervals
- Supporting flushable ACL data
Prior to v6.2, the lowest permissible connection interval was 7.5 milliseconds. With SCI, that minimum drops significantly to intervals anywhere between 375 µs to 4.0 seconds, in increments of 125 µs. This expanded range is referred to as Extended Connection Interval Values (ECV).
How to Leverage Braemac Americas for Future Proof Bluetooth-Enabled Designs Bluetooth’s evolution has consistently aligned with rising demands for smarter, more reliable wireless connectivity. Every release responds to a new type of challenge facing developers, from power efficiency, interference resilience, and location accuracy to scalable network behavior.
As teams navigate decisions between adopting the latest specification or designing ahead, Bluetooth will remain a widely embraced standard. When major market shifts, such as when Apple removed the iPhone headphone jacks in favor of wireless peripherals, they embraced Bluetooth as the new standard of audio connectivity. As the industry adopts fully wireless ecosystems, Bluetooth 6.0 is a feature-rich core standard that supports this momentum.
At Braemac Americas, we recognize how integral Bluetooth connectivity has become in modern IoT and IIoT development. As an electronics distributor that specializes in advanced wireless solutions, we are committed to providing engineers with best-in-class solutions that meet future-proof requirements. Our curated portfolio offers a single source for the technologies driving the next-generation of Bluetooth-enabled systems, from embedded modules and RF front-end solutions to antennas, sensing technologies, and unmatched value added services.
The XG24-PK6036A is a complete Channel Sounding Wireless Pro Kit from Silicon Labs are designed to help engineers get started with the EFR32xG24 Wireless Gecko SoC. With integrated XG24-RB4198A, the kit features 1536 kB Flash, 256 kB RAM, a PCB antenna with 10 dBm output, and an SMA connector for external antennas, making it ideal for Bluetooth Channel Sounding and other wireless applications.
Mainboards feature on-board debugging with a J-Link debugger, Packet Trace Interface, Virtual COM port, sensors, and peripherals for easy development and testing. Full software support through Simplicity Studio, Energy Profiler, and Network Analyzer gives developers all the tools they need to quickly design and test wireless applications.
As the largest memory variant of the nRF54L Series from Nordic Semiconductor, the nRF54L15 is an optimal solution for a broad range of demanding wireless applications. The nRF54L15 is an ultra-low-power wireless SoC with 1.5 MB NVM, 256 KB RAM, a 128 MHz Arm Cortex-M33, and a 128 MHz RISC-V coprocessor.
With support for Bluetooth LE (with optional features including Channel Sounding), Thread®, Matter, and Zigbee®, it’s ideal for designs that demand a compact footprint that won’t compromise on performance. Additionally, the nRF54L15 development kit serves as a comprehensive, cost-friendly single-board devkit that encompasses the full potential of the SoC with the support of Nordic’s extensive nRF Connect tools.
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About Augustine Nguyen
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