Comparing Bluetooth 5 and 4.2

Bluetooth technology is widely used for wireless communication, and new versions are released regularly to meet the changing needs of users. The latest version, Bluetooth 5, offers extended range, high data transfer rates, and the ability to create mesh networks. These features make it well-suited for use in IoT devices, which are becoming increasingly popular and require advanced Bluetooth capabilities.

Journey of Bluetooth

1999

Bluetooth 1.0 Release awarded

'Best of Show Technology Award"

First Thing with Ble

First Bluetooth printer, First Bluetooth laptop, First Free car kit etc..

2001

2004

Bluetooth 2.0 Release

Installed in 250 million devices First Ble stereo headphones

Bluetooth 3.0 Release

SIG 10th anniversary, SIG hits 13,000 companies, Bluetooth 4.0 version accept

2008

2011

Bluetooth 4.2 Release

SIG hits 24,000 companies Sets the stage for loT shipments surpass 2.5 billion

Bluetooth 5.0 Release

SIG hits 33,000 companies Introduces new developer kits for the loT Bluetooth shipments surpass 3.6 billion' Major smartphone include Bluetooth 5 support

2016

Difference Between Versions Here are 7 comparisons to help you decide what work best for your device

speed

Bluetooth 5 is faster than Bluetooth 4 with the format having 2Mbps, twice the speed of Bluetooth 4 about 1 Mbps making the Bluetooth 5 able to meet one of IoT requirements. This is thanks to the 5Mbps bandwidth of the Bluetooth 5 in comparison to 2.1 Mbps of the Bluetooth 4.

Bluetooth 4.2

Bluetooth 5

Range

4.0/4.1
4.2
5.0

5680

6080

2880

Power requirement

The Bluetooth 5 has been formulated to use less power on your device compared to the Bluetooth 4. That means you can keep your Bluetooth switched on for a longer period of time and so much more compared to Bluetooth 4 which consumes more power than its newer counterpart.

Message Capacity

Bluetooth 5 has large Massage capacity about 255 bytes gives more bytes for actual data payload while the Bluetooth 4 has small message capacity of about 31 bytes which gives just 17 to 20 bytes for actual data payload.

Bluetooth beacon

Bluetooth 5 beacon has become more popular increase range and speed while with Bluetooth 4 beacons were less popular due to less speed and range as well as low Message capacity of 31 bytes.

Support for IoT devices

Bluetooth 5 easily meets the requirements for IoT devices with its good range and increase in speed while Bluetooth 4 does not due to its low speed and start working range. That means IoT devices will work well with Bluetooth 5 and utilize all its features properly.

Compatibility

Bluetooth 4 works best with devices that are compatible with version 4 series but will not work with devices that have Bluetooth 5 while Bluetooth 5 backword compile with v1, v2, v3, v4, v4.1, and version 4.2 but will not utilize all the features of Bluetooth 5.

Comparison Bluetooth V5 vs V4.2 The Comparison Table shows how much Bluetooth 5 better from Bluetooth 4.2.

Specifications or features	Bluetooth 5	Bluetooth 4.2
Speed	2X the data rate, Supports upto 2 Mbps	Supports upto 1Mbps
range	4x the range supports, 40 meters in indoor enviroment	Supports IO meters in indoor
Power requirement	low	high
message capacity	large message capacity, about 255 bytes	small message capacity, about 31 bytes
Battery life	longer	less
security control	better	less secure
theoretical data	2mbps, gives about 1.6mbps with overhead	1mbps
reliability	high	low
digital life	better	less better compare to bluetooth 5
support for IoT devices	yes	no
bluetooth beacon	beacons have become more popular due to increased range and speed	beacons were less popular due to less speed/range

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ People also ask (Frequently asked questions – FAQ):

The latest Bluetooth version, Bluetooth 5 allows low-energy transmissions offering data range for more range. The theoretically proven range for Bluetooth 5 for a maximum of around 800 feet which is up to four times the range of Bluetooth 4.2 LE.

Yes, Bluetooth 5.0 is totally backwards-compatible with previously introduced Bluetooth smart technology such as Bluetooth 4.0, Bluetooth 4.1 and Bluetooth 4.2 devices. However, you can continue using your existing Bluetooth 4.2 and older devices.

Not all wireless products are Bluetooth, However both wireless technology and Bluetooth control over the radio frequency. The main difference between these technologies are Bluetooth have short distance range while Wi-Fi provides high-speed access for large distance range.

Bluetooth 5.0 is likely to become increasingly common as time goes on, but for now there’s a limited number of devices that support it. Most new flagship phones support Bluetooth 5.0, including the iPhone 8, iPhone X, Samsung Galaxy S9, OnePlus 6, and more. When it comes to headphones, more and more devices are supporting Bluetooth 5.0. Currently, you can find Bluetooth 5.0 in headphones like the Jabra Elite 65t..

Here’s what you have to do. You can check what version of Bluetooth your smartphone or device support. If your device does not support the latest Bluetooth technology. You need to search a Bluetooth Adapter with current Bluetooth 5.0 version in the Bluetooth SIG website. By Plugging into USB Port, you can actually upgrade your device with the latest version.

Bluetooth 5.0 hardware is fully backward compatible with Bluetooth 4. 2. Bluetooth 5 enabled phone works with the Bluetooth speakers, headphones, speakers, automobiles, fitness trackers, etc.

With any major wireless design, latency is an issue, especially with Bluetooth headphones, video or gaming, latency plays a key role in your general experience. Bluetooth 5.0 offers two times the latency speed according to Bluetooth marketing materials from known Bluetooth standards organization.