Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
The dominant short-range wireless protocol for IoT, wearables, and consumer devices. BLE 5.4 supports data rates up to 2 Mbps, extended advertising, and direction finding.
The dominant short-range wireless protocol for IoT, wearables, and consumer devices. BLE 5.4 supports data rates up to 2 Mbps, extended advertising, and direction finding.
Key Topics
- GATT services and characteristics
- Advertising and scanning
- Connection parameters
- Bonding and security (LESC)
- BLE Mesh
- Direction finding (AoA/AoD)
Supported Hardware
nRF52832
Cost-effective Bluetooth 5.4 SoC with 512KB Flash and 64KB RAM, ideal for wearables, beacons, and low-power sensor applications.
nRF52840
Advanced multiprotocol SoC with 1MB Flash, 256KB RAM, and USB support. The go-to chip for Bluetooth 5.4, Thread, Zigbee, and 802.15.4 applications.
nRF5340
Dual-core Bluetooth 5.4 SoC with dedicated application and network processors. 1MB Flash + 512KB RAM on the application core, with hardware security via ARM TrustZone.
nRF54L15
Next-generation ultra-low-power Bluetooth 5.4 SoC with RISC-V and ARM Cortex-M33 cores. Designed for ultra-constrained battery-powered devices.
nRF52805
Ultra-compact, cost-optimized BLE 5.4 SoC with 192KB Flash and 24KB RAM. The smallest, most affordable chip in the nRF52 series for simple BLE applications.
nRF52810
Cost-optimized BLE 5.4 SoC with 192KB Flash and 24KB RAM, featuring hardware SWI and NFC-A tag. Ideal for high-volume BLE peripherals and beacons.
nRF52811
BLE 5.4 SoC with optional 802.15.4 and ANT support plus long-range mode (Coded PHY). Extends nRF52810 with Thread and extended-range BLE capability.
nRF52820
BLE 5.4 and 802.15.4 SoC with USB 2.0 Full Speed and 256KB Flash. Bridges BLE/Thread wireless with USB at lower cost than the nRF52840.
nRF52833
Full-featured BLE 5.4 + 802.15.4 SoC with 512KB Flash, 128KB RAM, USB, and NFC. Offers extended-range BLE (Coded PHY) and mid-range capability between nRF52832 and nRF52840.
nRF54H20
High-performance multicore SoC with dual Cortex-M33 (application + radio) plus a RISC-V VPR core. 2MB Flash and 1MB RAM, designed for complex multiprotocol BLE + 802.15.4 applications.
nRF54L05
Entry-level nRF54L series SoC with ARM Cortex-M33 and RISC-V co-processor. Ultra-low-power BLE 5.4 with 512KB Flash — the most affordable chip in the nRF54L family.
nRF54L10
Mid-range nRF54L series SoC combining ARM Cortex-M33 with a RISC-V co-processor. 1MB Flash and 128KB RAM with BLE 5.4, targeting wearables and connected sensors.
nRF54LM20
The flagship nRF54L series SoC built on a 22nm process, featuring a 128 MHz ARM Cortex-M33 + RISC-V co-processor with 2MB Flash and 512KB RAM — the largest memory in the nRF54L family. Supports Bluetooth LE, Matter, Thread, Zigbee, and 2.4 GHz proprietary protocols up to 4 Mbps. The nRF54LM20A variant adds 66 GPIOs and high-speed USB; the nRF54LM20B adds an integrated Axon NPU for hardware-accelerated Edge AI inference. Security includes TrustZone, CRACEN cryptographic engine with side-channel protection, and tamper detection.
Use Cases
BLE Fitness Tracker
Wearable fitness device that tracks activity, heart rate, and sleep patterns over Bluetooth Low Energy, syncing data to a companion mobile app.
BLE Beacon
Bluetooth Low Energy beacon for indoor positioning, proximity marketing, and asset presence detection. Optimized for years of battery life on a coin cell.
Smart Lock
Bluetooth-enabled smart door lock with secure access control, supporting mobile app unlocking, guest access codes, and activity logging.
Wireless Remote Control
Low-power wireless remote control with buttons, joysticks, or touch interface for controlling drones, toys, home entertainment, or industrial equipment.
Environmental Monitor
Multi-sensor environmental monitoring station that measures temperature, humidity, air quality, and pressure, reporting data wirelessly to a central system.