Bluetooth is a wireless technology that allows two devices to communicate with each other. It is often used in pairs to allow communication between different devices. Wi-Fi is a network that uses radio waves to connect devices. Bluetooth is not as reliable as Wi-Fi, but it can be used in places where Wi-Fi is not available.
If your devices have both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capability built in, then which one is actually faster? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post has the answer to a curious reader’s question.
Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites.
The Question
SuperUser reader jt0dd wants to know if Bluetooth is faster than Wi-Fi:
Which one is faster?
So I am wondering…is Bluetooth faster than Wi-Fi?
The Answer
SuperUser contributor Mokubai has the answer for us:
Have something to add to the explanation? Sound off in the comments. Want to read more answers from other tech-savvy Stack Exchange users? Check out the full discussion thread here.
Wi-Fi on the other hand, maxes out anywhere from 54 to 1300+ Mbps depending on whether you have “g”, “n”, or “ac” Wi-Fi plus any enhancements in the adaptors and router support.
So no, Bluetooth is not faster than Wi-Fi. Not even vaguely close.
Bluetooth version 3 and version 4 have higher data rates, but the actual data transfer in those implementations happens over Wi-Fi; Bluetooth is only used to set up and negotiate the connection.
