SDK15.2 Bluetooth core protocol version

[wangshuai]

hi engineer:
    I use the software version: SDK15.2; the hardware IC is nRF52832; the protocol stack is s132_nrf52_6.1.0_softdevice; when I add "init.advdata.p_manuf_specific_data" in the ble_uart routine advertising_init(void) function, the mobile terminal's nRF_connect shows the Bluetooth core 4.1 ;

Please tell me how can I use Bluetooth Core Protocol 5.0 on nRF52832?

Thank you.

[natersoz]

I think the problem is with the tool and not with your advertising, the SDK or the softdevice being 5.0 compliant.

I used the nRF connect application on my iPhone and the UI/display looks significantly different. Perhaps this is a really old version of nRF connect?

[wangshuai]

Hi natersoz

Thank you for your reply, I have updated nrf connect to version 4.22, unfortunately, when I searched with this version of the app, it still shows "Bluetooth core 4.1"

Thanks

[Edvin]

Hello,

natersoz is correct! The S132_nrf52_6.1.0_softdevice is Bluetooth5 compliant. I have tested both the iOS version and the Desktop version of nRF Connect, but none of them states the bluetooth version of the advertising device. However, it is not that important.

Bluetooth 5 is just a superset of Bluetooth 4. That is, when you are advertising with bluetooth 5, it looks exactly like a bluetooth 4 advertisement, so there is no way for nRF Connect to know whether it is bluetooth 4 or 5. Basically, all Bluetooth 5 features are optional, and devices may support some of them, without supporting all. This way, Bluetooth 5 devices will still work with bluetooth 4 devices. They will just request certain features after connecting, and if accepted, the connection parameters will change. If it is not accepted/supported, then it will continue to use the old parameters.

So what sort of features from Bluetooth 5 are you considering to use? 

Best regards,

Edvin

[wangshuai]

Hi Edvin
Thank you for your reply, if we don't need to pay attention to the mobile terminal (nrf Connect) to display Bluetooth 4.1 version or Bluetooth 5.0; then how can we prove that the SDK supports the Bluetooth 5.0 protocol?
Or can we directly observe (test) the core protocol of SDK15.x is Bluetooth 5.0? please help me.

Thank you

Best regards,

[Edvin]

Bluetooth 5 is basically equal to bluetooth 4, with some additional optional features. You can look at the table about half the way down on this page:

https://www.amarinfotech.com/differences-comparisons-bluetooth-5-vs-4-2.html

(Just a random table I found when I googled Bluetooth 5 vs Bluetooth 4.2).

All of the new features in this table are optional in Bluetooth 5. The main new features are High speed (2MBPS instead of 1MBPS), bluetooth long range (lower throughput, but longer range). Increased message capacity (Longer packets, which is used to increase the throughput). However, it is still possible support only a few of these features, and still call it bluetooth 5. 

So I ask again, what Bluetooth 5 features do you want to use? If you don't use any of the features, it is actually bluetooth 4.2, but all of our nRF52 series support at least one bluetooth5 feature. Note that the base of bluetooth 5 is bluetooth4.2. They still use the same communcation protocol, so a bluetooth 5 device can still connect to bluetooth 4.2 devices. The only difference is that you can't use any features unless both devices support it.

nRF52840: Supports long range, High speed and increased packet size

nRF52832: Supports High speed and increased packet size.

nRF52810: Supports High speed.