Wireless technology is dominating the technological world by making everything simple. Many wireless technological standards such as NFC and IR are invented for the convenience of the user. Out of them bluetooth and Wifi are the most popular options.
Bluetooth is designed to connect nearby devices while Wifi is used to provide high speed internet access. Today millions of high end devices such as laptop, smartphones and tablets are equipped with the bluetooth and Wifi facilities. Moreover there are many similarities shown by bluetooth and Wifi, one such is both of them provide wireless transmission and utilize radio signals for its transmission. Even though bluetooth and Wifi shows many similarities, there are major differences between them. What differentiates them more is the purposes used behind them. Besides that there are some other differences shown by the bluetooth and Wifi. Knowing these differences will help you to better understand these technologies.
In this article, you will get the information on Bluetooth Vs Wifi | 7 Differences between Bluetooth and Wifi. Finally from this post, you will know the differences between these 2 technologies.
Let's get started,
1. Versions
Bluetooth - Bluetooth consists of several versions. Those are Bluetooth v2.0, Bluetooth v2.1, Bluetooth 3.0, Bluetooth v4.0, Bluetooth v4.2 and the Bluetooth 5. Out of these Bluetooth 5 is the latest version.
Wifi - Comparing this to Wifi, it uses the default IEEE 802.11 standards. According to this standard there are different versions such as 802.11a, 802.11b/g, 802.11ac, 802.11n etc.... Each version operates in its own frequency band.
Winner : Draw
2. Speed
Bluetooth - Bluetooth by its nature is slower. That is the reason why bluetooth audio quality is at the bottom. However since the introduction of the Bluetooth 4.0 there is a significant improvement in speed compared to its previous versions. But even the slowest connections of Wifi can typically be faster than the Bluetooth 4.0. And also the bandwidth provided by the bluetooth is much lower ranging from 800Kbps-25Mbps. This is because in general bluetooth does not transfer large forms of data. Due to this it does not require higher bandwidths.
Wifi - Depending on the protocols, the speed of Wifi network varies. But in general even the slowest forms of Wifi standards can transfer data at the speed of 347Mbps. Highest forms of Wifi standards can reach upto 1.3Gbps. Int terms of bandwidth too Wifi is significantly higher, ranging from 54Mbps-10Gbps according to the versions. Therefore, Wifi is ideal for sending large amounts of data.
Winner : Wifi
3. Security
Bluetooth - In earlier versions of bluetooth there were a lot of security vulnerabilities. But most of the flaws have been fixed in the newer versions. But the security standard in bluetooth is limited to only a simple key matching process. Hence, it is considered less secure to its competitor Wifi.
Wifi - On the other hand, Wifi is well concerned about the safety. Therefore, it uses various security protocols such as WEP, WPA, WPA2 and WPA3 making it more complex. Out of them the newest protocol WPA3 is considered to be the most secure. Additionally Wifi utilizes a security code matching process. If you want to transfer very sensitive datas, then the best option will be using Wifi.
Winner : Wifi
4. Range
Bluetooth - Range of a bluetooth is basically smaller than a Wifi. Most of the bluetooth devices may offer a range that is less than 30m. However there are some bluetooth devices with the highest range offering of 100m. In addition to that, the range offered by the bluetooth will depend upon the obstacles placed in between them. Therefore, whenever you need to send files from bluetooth, you have to keep the devices closely as possible.
Wifi - Coming to Wifi, a traditional Wifi router can cover the distance up to 32m. Even there are exceptional Wifi routers than can reach long distances of up to 1km. These types of Wifi routers are typically placed outdoor. Moreover several factors affect the range covered by the Wifi. Some of them are the versions of Wifi protocols applied, no. of antennas used and the density of the wall.
Winner : Wifi
5. Frequency
The frequency used by a bluetooth is only of 2.4Ghz, while a Wifi makes use of different frequencies such as 2.4Ghz, 5Ghz and even 60Ghz. All varying upon the Wifi standards. When the Wifi is using the 2.4Ghz frequency bandwidth there are more chances for it to potentially interfere with the bluetooth networks. That is the reason why newest Wifi devices are incorporated with the 5Ghz frequency.
Winner : Draw
6. Compatibility
Whatever the operating system you may be using Windows, Mac OS, IOS and the Android, most of them support the bluetooth functionality. Similarly compatibility isn't an issue in Wifi too, most of the devices support the newest Wifi standards. Therefore, both of these technologies excel in terms of compatibility.
Winner : Draw
7. Power Consumption
Bluetooth - Bluetooth only uses current which is less than 3 milliamps. This is because bluetooth is designed to work under low power especially with the BLE protocol. Hence, unlike Wifi, does not require any additional power sources.
Wifi - While Wifi is more power hungry since it is highly complex and uses security protocols for it operations. If you want to use a Wifi, you have connect the router to a separate power source.
Winner : Bluetooth
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