Datasheet

iPhone 5/6 + IOS 8.0/8.1

6 packets * 20 bytes * 1/0.030 s = 4 kB/s = 32 kbps

iPhone 5/6 + IOS 8.2/8.3

3 packets * 20 bytes * 1/0.030 s = 2 kB/s = 16 kbps

iPhone 5/6 + IOS 8.x with nRF8001

1 packet * 20 bytes * 1/0.030 s = 0.67 kB/s = 5.3 kbps

Nexus 4

4 packets * 20 bytes * 1/0.0075 s = 10.6 kB/s = 84 kbps

Nordic Master Emulator Firmware (MEFW) with nRF51822 0.9.0

1 packet * 20 bytes * 1/0.0075 = 2.67 kB/s = 21.33 kbps

Nordic Master Emulator Firmware (MEFW) with nRF51822 0.11.0

6 packets * 20 bytes * 1/0.0075 = 16 kB/s = 128 kbps

There are also some limits imposed by the Bluefruit LE firmware, but we are actively

working to significantly improve the throughput in the upcoming 0.7.0 release, which will

be available Q2 2016. The above figures are useful as a theoretical maximum to decide if

BLE is appropriate for you project or not.

UPDATE: For more specific details on the limitations of various Android versions and

phones, see this helpful post from Nordic Semiconductors.

Can my Bluefruit board detect other Bluefruit boards or Central devices?

No. All of our Bluefruit LE modules currently operate in peripheral mode, which means

they can only advertise their own existence via the advertising payload. The central

device (usually your phone or laptop) is responsible for listening for these advertising

packets, starting the connection process, and inititating any transactions between the

devices. There is no way for a Bluefruit module to detect other Bluefruit modules or

central devices in range, they can only send their own advertising data out and wait for a

connection request to come in.

How can I determine the distance between my Bluefruit module and my phone in m/ft?

The short answer is: you can't.

RF devices normally measure signal strength using RSSI, which stands for Received Signal

Strength Indicator, which is measured in dBm. The closer the devices are the strong the

RSSI value generally is (-90dBm is much weaker than -60dBm, for example), but there is

no reliable relationship between RSSI values in dBm and distance in the real world. If

there is a wall between devices, RSSI will fall. If there is a lot of interference on the same

2.4GHz band, RSSI will fall. Depending on the device, if you simply change the antenna