
SMART LOCK WIFI VS BLUETOOTH BLUETOOTH
Bluetooth devices are more constrained: smaller device size limits the achievable antenna gain, and the choice of the Bluetooth chipset determines the output power limit (called Bluetooth device class). A typical Wi-Fi transmitter may radiate up to 100 mW (20dBm) or 200 mW (23 dBm) of power, in some cases even 1 W (30 dBm) for outdoor installations in the 5 GHz spectrum. Wi-Fi devices usually have higher available transmission power, with more (and higher gain) antennas. When it comes to coverage Wi-Fi easily outperforms Bluetooth. Nevertheless, at their core they stay true to their legacy applications.ĭifferences between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth from the IoT perspective Range Over the years both of these technologies went through several evolution cycles, adding features that at times overlap. A Wireless LAN is its radio-based extension, designed with the same purpose in mind: interconnecting computers, printers, routers and other devices within a fast local network. On the other hand, a LAN (Local Area Network) normally covers a significantly larger area, such as an office floor, a building, or even several buildings. Bluetooth was initially designed for interconnecting small, battery operated devices that surround us, forming a low power, short range wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN). This narrowed the choices down to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi - the two most universally available interfaces, discussed here in more detail.īluetooth and Wi-Fi networking systems come from two different worlds, namely the PAN and LAN. In case of Keymitt’s smart lock we decided the device should be able to communicate directly with a user’s smartphone, allowing for autonomous operation. There is no silver bullet or one-fits-all here - these solutions offer different power consumption, coverage/range, throughput, security, price, compatibility etc. Building a new IoT device / application you’ll need to decide which interface is best suited for your use case. These devices may support one or several different wireless network standards such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Thread, LoRa etc.


An IoT system could consist of a range of devices: smart TVs, smart speakers, wearables, or smart locks like Keymitt, and concentrator or Internet gateway devices providing access to a back-end cloud server. When designing an IoT device you are faced with a difficult choice: what wireless networking technology to choose? After all there are so many, how do you decide which one is best for your project? In what follows we will explore some of the factors involved in deciding the best wireless tech for an IoT smart lock device.Īs the Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly gaining momentum, more and more everyday objects have an IP address and ability to communicate with each other, either locally or across the Internet.
