On this electromagnetic spectrum, you can measure and classify radio waves that are used in Wifi, Bluetooth, and other applications in two ways: These waves can all defy even the toughest physical barriers, transmitting data, video, audio, and more through the vacuum of space at the speed of light. R adio waves are but one of many electromagnetic waves, including other family members like x-rays, gamma rays, infrared rays, and more. Sharing a common foundationīefore we even dive into the differences between WiFi and Bluetooth, it’s important to note that these technologies share a common foundation in the wireless electronics family through their use of radio waves. How exactly do these two technologies work, and how do you know which one to use in your first project? Let’s find out. While there are many ways to communicate wirelessly, the two leaders of the wireless world deserve some attention in your list: WiFi and Bluetooth.

Planning to start your first electronics design project? Chances are you’ll be including some wireless functionality to communicate with the web or other devices. Bluetooth, two of the most popular wireless communication methods. Your laptop has to be within arms reach of your cellphone, and only one device can share your phone’s Internet connection.Learn about the difference between WiFi vs. Additionally, this method may require special configuration to be made on both devices, and may even require custom software on each. Since the tethered connection is hardwired rather than wireless, it’s arguably more secure, and should be faster.ĭrawbacks to this approach include the fact that not every device that you want to tether can do so via USB (tablets, for instance). In essence, this charges the device (which we’ll assume is your smartphone, but it could just as easily be a carrier-connected tablet) while you’re using it. When you connect via USB the device (we’ll call it a laptop, for the sake of simplicity) gets power via the USB cable. Tethering consumes energy by expending power through the antenna to communicate with the carrier. If the device you’re connecting is able to connect to your smartphone or tablet (whichever device has the data plan that you’re using to tether through), that’s probably the best option.

Wifi vs bluetooth hotspot