Bluetooth 5 sinks its blueteeth into IoT

Bluetooth has made a point of saying it won’t miss out on IoT with the release of the fifth generation of its standards.

In the announcement, the Bluetooth SIG said this time it is focussing on IoT by cramming Bluetooth 5 full of lovely IoT-compatible goodness. According to the latest specs, it will include a longer range, faster speeds and larger broadcast message capacity – everything you’d hope for from a Bluetooth upgrade tbh.

However, where it seems a bit more Internet of Thingsish is in the interoperability measures it has put in place. The SIG has said it has specifically worked on expanding Bluetooth’s ability to coexist with other wireless technologies. It says the ultimate goes is to enable simple and effortless interactions across a vast range of connected devices.

Bluetooth didn’t really say much more on how it will achieve that coexistence, except for saying that it will.

However, it did, rather annoyingly, emphasise the point by relentlessly repeating the mantra “5 is…”

Bluetooth 5 is… “setting the stage for the future. Of smart home. Of audio. Of the IoT.”

Bluetooth 5 is… “ubiquitous”

Then it was clear it was running out of steam – like some poor intern had been told they HAD to get 3 key points written by the end of the day.

Bluetooth 5 is… “doing more with Bluetooth.”

Well you’d hope, otherwise what’s the point?

“Bluetooth is revolutionizing how people experience the IoT. Bluetooth 5 continues to drive this revolution by delivering reliable IoT connections and mobilizing the adoption of beacons, which in turn will decrease connection barriers and enable a seamless IoT experience,” said Mark Powell, Executive Director of the Bluetooth SIG. “This means whole-home and building coverage, as well as new use cases for outdoor, industrial, and commercial applications will be a reality. With the launch of Bluetooth 5, we continue to evolve to meet the needs of IoT developers and consumers while staying true to what Bluetooth is at its core: the global wireless standard for simple, secure, connectivity.”

Bluetooth says 5 will be coming to devices in the next six months – so start marking the calendars.