Methods Of Selecting BLE Module

NiceRF: What is low energy Bluetooth and how to choose a BLE module?

Bluetooth Low Energy(BLE), also known as smart Bluetooth, has evolved from the Bluetooth 4.0 to the current Bluetooth 5.2. Before being adopted by Bluetooth SIG, it was a short-range wireless communication technology designed by Nokia. Its original aim was to provide a wireless standard with the lowest power consumption, and specifically optimize low cost, low bandwidth, low power consumption and low complexity. BLE has gradually become a low-power standard for semiconductor manufacturers and low-power Bluetooth and low-cost practical application design. At present, low-power Bluetooth technology has been widely used. It can run for a long time with only one button battery. So how to choose a BLE module?

Method of selecting BLE module:

1. Transmission rate

Transmission rate is usually the first consideration for engineers due to it is related to the type of information transmitted. Therefore, when selecting the BLE module, the application must be clear, and the data transmission rate required in the working state must be taken as the selection standard.

2. BLE module Transmission Distance

Transmission distance is also an important consideration when selecting BLE module. The farther the distance, the better of the BLE module. According to the distance in the practical application, determine which BLE module can better meet the data transmission requirements.

3. Power consumption

Power consumption is mainly determined by transmission rate and distance. Generally, Bluetooth devices are powered by batteries, and the power consumption directly determines the endurance of the product. Bluetooth module itself is famous for its low power consumption. Nevertheless, due to it has a variety of working states, the power consumption value in each state is different, which needs to be determined by engineers according to the actual application.

4. BLE module Chip

The chip determines the computing capability of the BLE module. Without a powerful core, the performance of the BLE module cannot be guaranteed.

5. BLE module Interface

The interface of BLE module is optional. There are serial, USB, digital I / O port, analog I / O port, SPI and voice interface. For data transmission, serial interface (TTL level) can be used.

6. Working mode

BLE Bluetooth has different working mode. They are master, slave, master-slave coexistence / master-slave connection. Generally, one master can communicate with multi- slaves and support point-to-point communication.

To help customers make better choices, NiceRF has listed the BLE modules of various versions:

NiceRF BLE module	BLE module BLE5101	BLE module BLE5201	BLE module RF2541	BLE module RF2541-PL2
Certifications	FCC、CE、BQB	The module can pass various certifications	The module can pass various certifications	The module can pass various certifications
Bluetooth communication protocol	BLE 5.1	BLE 5.2	BLE 4.0	BLE 4.0
Chip	FR8012HA	EFR32BG22	CC2541 SOC chip from TI	CC2541 SOC chip from TI
Operating frequency band	2.4GHz	2.4GHz	2.4GHz	2.4GHz
Communication distance	150m（1Mbps、10dBm）	150m（1Mbps、Coded PHY）	50m	50m
Master & slave roles	The master and slave coexist, and the master and slave can be connected at the same time	The master-slave roles cannot coexist. The master and slave can only choose one from the other	The master and slave can only choose one from the other	The master and slave can only choose one from the other
MAC address modification	Customizable and modifiable	Cannot modify	Cannot modify	Cannot modify
Transmission rate	2Mbps	2Mbps	1Mbps	1Mbps
Maximum number of Bluetooth connections	20	8	1	1
Power range	-16dBm~10dBm	0dBm~6dBm	-20dBm~0dBm	-20dBm~0dBm
Sleep current	< 7.5uA	< 5uA	1.5~2uA	< 1uA
Air upgrade	Available	Available	not available	Available
Startup initial mode	Configuration mode (can be modified by command configuration)	Transparent transmission mode. After connection, transparent transmission of data can be started.	Transparent transmission mode. After connection, transparent transmission of data can be started.	Transparent transmission mode. After connection, transparent transmission of data can be started.
MTU (maximum bytes per packet)	247 bytes	247 bytes	20 bytes	20 bytes
Antenna	PCB onboard antenna	PCB onboard antenna	PCB antenna	Wire
Serial baud rate range	2400~ 115200bps	2400~ 115200bps	1200~ 115200bps	1200~ 115200bps
Debug serial port	yes	no	no	no
Auto initiate binding	no	yes	no	no