Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has taken wraps off new Bluetooth technology. Dubbed as Bluetooth 4.2, it boasts of faster connection speed, stronger privacy controls and better Internet connectivity.
The upgraded Bluetooth will enhance the compatibility of smart things and make connections between devices even more secure. Bluetooth 4.2 allows for a direct connection to internet routers and hot-spots using low-power IPv6/6LoWPAN protocols. This could prove hugely beneficial for small, low-power IoT devices and home automation, as well as the next generation of wearables.
“Bluetooth 4.2 is all about continuing to make Bluetooth Smart the best solution to connect all the technology in your life – from personal sensors to your connected home. In addition to the improvements to the specification itself, a new profile known as IPSP enables IPv6 for Bluetooth, opening entirely new doors for device connectivity. Bluetooth Smart is the only technology that can scale with the market, provide developers the flexibility to innovate, and be the foundation for the IoT.”
said Mark Powell, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG in a statement.
On the privacy front, Bluetooth 4.2 includes new protections against Beacons, which can locate and send notifications to nearby Bluetooth devices. Some retailers use Beacons to track and alert their shoppers, but with Bluetooth 4.2, users will have to opt in to the specific alerts they want to see. It even features smarter data packets that enable transfer speeds 2.5 times as fast as the previous standard. Bluetooth 4.2 devices will likely begin to appear sometime in early/mid 2015.