BLE or IEEE 802.15.4: Which Home IoT Communication Solution is more Energy-Efficient?

IEEE 802.15.4 (used by Zigbee, 6LoWPAN and Thread) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) are two widely used wireless standards for ultra low power IoT (Internet of Things) technologies and smart home applications. In this article, we present the first comparison of the physical layer of the two protocols, focusing on two performance metrics: energy eÿciency and wireless coverage. The comparison uses the first radio that seamlessly supports both protocols; therefore, the protocols are compared on identical hardware and software. By combining the two metrics, we quantify the performance, and identify in which types of links it is preferable to use one protocol or the other, thus providing practical guidelines to developers of short-range energy-constrained wireless networks and smart home applications.