Whether Bluetooth 5.0 in nrf52840 Compatability with Bluetooth 4.2(in the smartphone)

[nithin]

Hai

whether Bluetooth 5.0 in nrf52840  Compatability with Bluetooth 4.2  available on my phone, I heard that Bluetooth 5 is lower compatible. I like to know whether it has same range capability i.e 4x as same as the range between two Bluetooth 5 devices. In my application, i need to check the range (i.e distance between peripheral(device with Bluetooth 5  i.e nrf52840) and the central (my phone having Bluetooth 4.2)). what will be the maximum range in this case?

I need Bluetooth 5 's range that is 4X times as ble 4.2...

please help 

[sarang]

Hi Nithin,

I have attended Nordic Tech Tour in Pune. As per the seminar, BLE 5 is reverse compatible. So this should support Bluetooth 4.2. Nordic has an awesome video on the range (Line of sight) on Youtube: Bluetooth 5 Long Range Test. Thats really a very long range (probably 1.5Km). 

This is just a quick answer to your query. Correct me if I go wrong.

Best Regards,

Sarang

[nithin]

Hai Sarang,

Thanks for your reply, I know Bluetooth 5 is reverse compatible, actually I worked with nrf52832 it's also a Bluetooth 5 enabled device it works fine with ble 4.2, but nrf52832 doesn't support long range so I choose nrf52840 its support long range. I have a doubt about its range between ble 4.2 and Bluetooth 5. Should I get the same range as Bluetooth 5  given i.e 4x time as ble 4.2.   

[Martin Lesund]

Hello Nithin,

From another thread:

• BLE 5 devices are backwards compatible and support all the features you will find in BLE 4.2. When a BLE 5 device tries to connect with a 4.2 device they exchange information about what features each device supports and then decide upon the "least common denominator". If you want to use a Nordic device I suggest that you chose a device from the nRF52 family. 

• So let us say that: 

  BLE 4.2 supports feature A and B
  BLE 5.0 supports feature A, B, C, and D. 

  A BLE 5.0 device can communicate just fine with a 4.2 device using feature A and B, but a 4.2 device cannot use feature C and D. Examples of features a 4.2 doesn't support is Long range (also known as coded phy) and 2Mbps mode. 

[nithin]

Hai Martin,

Thanks for your replay.

[husmen]

Hello,

I have a related question; I have an nrf52840 with the latest SDK (14.2). Using the examples (ble_app_uart to be precise) I want to run the device as a BLE 4.2 instead of BLE 5.0 to do some comparisons. At first I thought using S132 softdevice is enough to achieve that but then I found out that S132 also supports some BLE 5.0 features (like high throughput but not long range ...). Am I missing something? and how else to achieve that?

Thanks in advance.