Back in 1999, the term "Internet of things" started to show up in the market. It was first coined by Kevin Ashton, an innovator and consumer sensor expert. But only in 2011, the Gartner report indicated that IoT is one of the emerging technologies across the globe. Since then, companies started considering IoT to grow strong or stay competitive in their business.
Every year, the number of IoT products continues to grow and I have always been told that one of the most important choices of technology is the product’s wireless communication, but with so many communication technologies around, how do you know which one to use? Although it’s difficult to compare all communication technologies with each other, Pratiksha and some other IoT researchers are doing a great job by comparing two of the most common wireless communication technologies, BLE and Wi-Fi, through their articles and reports.
It is not easy to choose a wireless technology that best suits the requirements of the business. But here we are going to point out certain important technical aspects to keep in mind while optimizing your choice to suit your requirements, and more particularly the wireless technology you choose has to be user friendly.
You have more control over data privacy in BLE because of the peer-to-peer network connection and data transfer. Both the transmitter and receiver are aware of the data exposure. Whereas unless you have your own private Wi-Fi network, your IoT products connected to a 3rd party Wi-Fi network are exposed to unwanted data exchange. For example, the devices connected to a public Wi-Fi network are visible on the host server systems and may be prone to phishing attacks.
So while opting out for privacy BLE is the Winner!
BLE is more suitable for transferring small amounts of data at the rate of 1 Mbps, while Wi-Fi is ideal for bigger files with a data transfer rate that can go up to 1.3 Gbps. BLE is approximately 20-30 times slower than Wi-Fi networks.
So, while opting out for the speed of the network, Wi-Fi is the Winner!
Both technologies do not have a very accurate proximity detection, but BLE may be more accurate with a lesser range than Wi-Fi. The device’s approximate location is arrived at based on the proximity data in both cases.
BLE’s specialized advertisement packets that are based on iBeacon, Eddystone standards can give location-specific information of the user's device one-way. BLE is inexpensive and consumes very little power when compared to WiFi for continuous location tracking applications.
So, while opting out for the proximity and location detection, BLE is the Winner!
Both Wi-Fi and BLE transmission range varies depending on the product and the obstacles in its environment. In many cases, a Wi-Fi transmission range is about ten times greater than BLE, but BLE can increase its range using methods like mesh networking; even then, BLE cannot be used to transmit large volumes of IoT time-series data with the use of mesh networks.
So, while opting out for transmission range, Wi-Fi is the Winner!
Due to the range of Wi-Fi, it requires more power than BLE as it can travel 10 times as far as BLE signals, requiring more power to do so. BLE devices can operate for a longer period on a battery compared to WiFi.
So, while opting out for the lower power consumption technology, BLE is the Winner!
As BLE signals can be detected by any Bluetooth 4.0 enabled electronics devices whereas Wi-fi networks would be detected by those devices that have WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac enabled features. In both cases, your new product might be able to communicate with legacy devices.
So, while opting out for the device compatibility, BLE & Wi-Fi both are the Winners!
Both offer a certain level of encryption for data transmission. Wi-Fi uses 256-bit encryption, whereas BLE uses 128-bit encryption.
Wi-Fi has dedicated security protocols such as Wireless Equivalent Privacy (WES) and Wi-Fi protected access(WPA2-AES) that secures the data exchanged between the devices.
So, while opting out for the security of data transmission, Wi-Fi is the Winner!
BLE is less costly compared to Wi-Fi when it comes to not only the individual device hardware but also the network infrastructure needed for a wholesome working solution. Whereas Wi-Fi needs router configurations and must have a connected power source.
So, while opting out for the lower deployment cost of the technology, BLE is the Winner!
As you can see there are numerous characteristics you should consider when choosing between BLE or Wi-Fi. Read more about them in Pratiksha’s article and decide which communication technology to use for your next IoT initiative.
Every year, the number of IoT products continues to grow and I have always been told that one of the most important choices of technology is the product’s wireless communication, but with so many communication technologies around, how do you know which one to use? Although it’s difficult to compare all communication technologies with each other, Pratiksha and some other IoT researchers are doing a great job by comparing two of the most common wireless communication technologies, BLE and Wi-Fi, through their articles and reports.
It is not easy to choose a wireless technology that best suits the requirements of the business. But here we are going to point out certain important technical aspects to keep in mind while optimizing your choice to suit your requirements, and more particularly the wireless technology you choose has to be user friendly.
1) Data Privacy
You have more control over data privacy in BLE because of the peer-to-peer network connection and data transfer. Both the transmitter and receiver are aware of the data exposure. Whereas unless you have your own private Wi-Fi network, your IoT products connected to a 3rd party Wi-Fi network are exposed to unwanted data exchange. For example, the devices connected to a public Wi-Fi network are visible on the host server systems and may be prone to phishing attacks.
So while opting out for privacy BLE is the Winner!
2) Speed
BLE is more suitable for transferring small amounts of data at the rate of 1 Mbps, while Wi-Fi is ideal for bigger files with a data transfer rate that can go up to 1.3 Gbps. BLE is approximately 20-30 times slower than Wi-Fi networks.
So, while opting out for the speed of the network, Wi-Fi is the Winner!
3) Proximity and Location Detection.
Depending on your environment BLE may be the better option for indoors, while Wi-Fi may be better for more open environments.Both technologies do not have a very accurate proximity detection, but BLE may be more accurate with a lesser range than Wi-Fi. The device’s approximate location is arrived at based on the proximity data in both cases.
BLE’s specialized advertisement packets that are based on iBeacon, Eddystone standards can give location-specific information of the user's device one-way. BLE is inexpensive and consumes very little power when compared to WiFi for continuous location tracking applications.
So, while opting out for the proximity and location detection, BLE is the Winner!
4) Transmission Range.
Both Wi-Fi and BLE transmission range varies depending on the product and the obstacles in its environment. In many cases, a Wi-Fi transmission range is about ten times greater than BLE, but BLE can increase its range using methods like mesh networking; even then, BLE cannot be used to transmit large volumes of IoT time-series data with the use of mesh networks.
So, while opting out for transmission range, Wi-Fi is the Winner!
5) Power Consumption.
Due to the range of Wi-Fi, it requires more power than BLE as it can travel 10 times as far as BLE signals, requiring more power to do so. BLE devices can operate for a longer period on a battery compared to WiFi.
So, while opting out for the lower power consumption technology, BLE is the Winner!
6) Compatibility
As BLE signals can be detected by any Bluetooth 4.0 enabled electronics devices whereas Wi-fi networks would be detected by those devices that have WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac enabled features. In both cases, your new product might be able to communicate with legacy devices.
So, while opting out for the device compatibility, BLE & Wi-Fi both are the Winners!
7) Security
Both offer a certain level of encryption for data transmission. Wi-Fi uses 256-bit encryption, whereas BLE uses 128-bit encryption.
Wi-Fi has dedicated security protocols such as Wireless Equivalent Privacy (WES) and Wi-Fi protected access(WPA2-AES) that secures the data exchanged between the devices.
So, while opting out for the security of data transmission, Wi-Fi is the Winner!
8) Deployment Costs.
BLE is less costly compared to Wi-Fi when it comes to not only the individual device hardware but also the network infrastructure needed for a wholesome working solution. Whereas Wi-Fi needs router configurations and must have a connected power source.
So, while opting out for the lower deployment cost of the technology, BLE is the Winner!
As you can see there are numerous characteristics you should consider when choosing between BLE or Wi-Fi. Read more about them in Pratiksha’s article and decide which communication technology to use for your next IoT initiative.
