Bluetooth 5.4 Feature Spotlight
Bluetooth technology has been a staple in the world of wireless communication for decades. Its latest iteration, Bluetooth 5.4, offers several new features that make it even more efficient and secure than its predecessors. In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at four key features that set Bluetooth 5.4 apart from previous versions.
Periodic Advertising with Responses (PAwR)
The ability to communicate bidirectionally in connectionless mode has been a major challenge for Bluetooth until now. With PAwR, Bluetooth 5.4 can broadcast organized data in small packets in subevents. These subevents present established time slots that can be synchronized and responded to. This feature enables secure and connectionless bidirectional communication with thousands of very low-power end nodes in BLE's star topology. Additionally, observers (end nodes) can choose to respond to singular or multiple subevents on the application level. Scanning for subevents enables a particularly power-friendly solution as end nodes only need to scan for brief periods of time.
Encrypted Advertising Data
Before Bluetooth 5.4, encrypted advertising data was only established for connection-oriented communications. However, most ESL application data exchanges occur through PAwR. Therefore, the introduction of Encrypted Advertising Data standardization was necessary. In Bluetooth 5.4, advertising data can be encrypted in totality or in a more specific subset. This feature provides an additional layer of security for Bluetooth communication.
LE GATT Security Level Characteristics (SLC)
LE GATT SLC in Bluetooth 5.4 helps improve user experience by reducing glitches caused by delayed access security conditions. Developers can now determine sufficient security modes and levels upfront. This feature makes it easier to ensure that data is secure and that access is only granted to authorized users.
Advertising Coding Selection
Advertising Coding Selection enables hosts to determine specified coding schemes that controllers should use to transmit advertising PDUs. This feature presents opportunities to control error correction data and increase communication range through S parameters. By determining coding schemes, hosts can optimize the efficiency of Bluetooth communication.
In conclusion, Bluetooth 5.4 is a significant upgrade from its predecessors. The new features, including Periodic Advertising with Responses, Encrypted Advertising Data, LE GATT Security Level Characteristics, and Advertising Coding Selection, enable more efficient and secure communication with Bluetooth devices. These features are particularly valuable in the context of the Internet of Things (IoT), where the ability to communicate with low-power devices securely and efficiently is essential. Bluetooth 5.4 promises to be a valuable tool for developers looking to create secure, reliable, and efficient IoT applications.