Panasonic's Bluetooth 5.x and Wi-Fi Modules: Enhancing the IoT Experience

Panasonic wireless connectivity products bring forward experience in providing ready and easy-to-use wireless modules based on the latest technology standards. As an active member of many IEEE standard groups, Panasonic invests abundant resources yearly to develop and adapt new wireless connectivity standards. The IoT market space requires products to have more functionalities and features to support user needs. These include excellent quality, robust security, increased range, and low costs. Panasonic is proud to be one of the leading module suppliers with a comprehensive product offering that meets market demands.

The fast growth of the IoT market has caused Bluetooth standards to evolve at a rapid rate. The Bluetooth protocol has moved from being a cable-replacement technology for point-to-point connectivity to include such applications as low power for audio, location services, and mesh networking for large-scale device networks.

Bluetooth Low Energy

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) continues modifying and releasing specifications to solve IoT product technology issues. Bluetooth Low Energy, or BLE, was introduced to support wireless connectivity products designed for low-power operation. These products are typically battery-powered, and power consumption is critical for the device's life span. BLE can support many different communication topologies and features while conserving energy. 

Bluetooth 5.x 

In recent years, The Bluetooth 5.x feature was ratified by the Bluetooth SIG. This revision features improvements from the legacy Bluetooth standards. A complete list of the Bluetooth 5.x features can be summarized as follows; 

• Bluetooth 5.0 (extended advertising channel, double data rate, Long range, and Bluetooth Mesh)
• Bluetooth 5.1 (Radio Direction-Angle of arrival and Angle of departure)
• Bluetooth 5.2 (Isochronous channel for BLE Audio and LE power control)
• Bluetooth 5.3 (Improvements in power efficiencies)
• Bluetooth 5.4 (Improvements in advertising capabilities)

These enhancements appeal to the IoT market specifically for lighting, home automation, medical, security, wearable, and industrial applications. As seen below, Panasonic has wireless connectivity module options compatible with this new Bluetooth 5.x features. 
 

The Wi-Fi Alliance is a group that implements standards and specifications with IEEE802.11 for the past couple of years. For Wi-Fi, these standards are defined based on bandwidth, frequency, and data communication capabilities. Wi-Fi devices mainly use 5GHz and a bandwidth of 20MHz, 40MHz, and 80MHz for communication. It enables these devices to transmit data at a much higher speed than using a 2.4GHz single band which is popular in Bluetooth. This also guarantees reliable communication with fewer interferences. Panasonic supplies modules that have both single-band (2.4GHz) Wi-Fi modules and dual-band (2.4GHz/5GHz) which are highly demanding in IoT applications where data transmission efficiency is needed.

Wi-Fi standards such as 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) and 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) are the latest standards which are enhancements to legacy standards and offer higher bandwidth and improved frequency usage for data-centric applications. Panasonic is delighted to be part of the Wi-Fi alliance group and provide modules to the market that meet the latest technology demands.