Bluetooth 5 has been around for a while, but apart from MakerSpot CC2640 Bluetooth 5 USB dongle and Nordic Semi nRF52840 USB Dongle both for developers (and without case), it’s been hard to find Bluetooth 5 USB adapters.
So far the only proper BT 5.0 USB adapter for consumers that’s easily purchasable I know of has been Fanstel USB840F available for about $18 plus shipping. Soon enough there should at least another alternative with Raytac MDBT50Q-RX Bluetooth 5 USB adapter- also based on Nordic Semi nRF52840 WiSoC – that the company very recently announced.
Raytac MDBT50Q-RX BT 5 dongle main features and specifications:
- Bluetooth 5 Module – Raytac MDBT50Q-P1M
- Nordic nRF52840 SoC Arm Cortex-M4F MCU with 1MB Flash memory, 256kB RAM
- Connectivity – Bluetooth 5 Certified, supports BT5 Long Range Feature
- Bluetooth Low Energy, ANT+, Zigbee, Thread (802.15.4)
- Certifications – FCC, IC, CE, Telec (MIC), KC, SRRC, NCC, RCM, WPC
- Bluetooth 5 details
- Bitrate / Range
- 1Mbps up to 250 meters in open space.
- 2Mbps up to 120 meters in open space
- -95dBm sensitivity in 1Mbps Bluetooth low energy (BLE) mode
- -103dBm sensitivity in 125Kbps BLE mode (long range)
- +8 dBm TX power (down to -20 dBm in 4 dB steps)
- On-air compatible with nRF52, nRF51, nRF24L and nRF24AP Series
- Programmable output power from +8dBm to -20dBm
- Bitrate / Range
- USB – 1x USB 2.0 port
- Misc – 1x switch and up to 2 LEDs, programmable peripheral interconnect (PPI)
- Low Power
-
0.4uA at 3V in System OFF mode, no RAM retention
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1.5uA at 3V in System ON mode, no RAM retention, wake on RTC
-
- Dimensions – 43.1 x 18 x 9.3 mm
- Weight – 5.8 grams with case
You’ll find detailed specifications in the “approval sheet“.
The downside is that it’s not available for sale to individuals just yet. However, the company offers the Bluetooth 5 USB adapter with either Raytac logo or no logo to resellers, so I imagine it will come to market soon. So far, I could only find MDBT50Q-P1M module on eBay for about $9 plus shipping.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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There is USB module already available on aliexpress for 10€ plus 3,25€ shipping. And modules for 6,77€ (CDSENET nRF52840)
Thanks. Finally after searching a bit more, I found a complete Bluetooth 5.0 USD called Holyiot-17120 BLE dongle on Aliexpress for $11 + shipping: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Nordic-nRF52840-BLE-dongle-bluetooth-4-0-bluetooth-5-0-for-computer/32951812498.html
Is that the one you are referring too. I can’t find any others, except the ones without enclosure.
That is the one, yes. The problem is, that this one does not have any IO-s exposed, so module is preferred option for me. Just received two modules, so i will dive into ZIGBEE/Thread/BT5.
Any news on the Zigbee support? Are there firmwares available?
What are people going to use these for? (Not a rhetorical question, I really want to know). Since this can’t do classic Bluetooth, it won’t connect to people’s headphones, keyboards etc. which will lead to a poor user experience for many (most?) people.
Yup. I was wondering the same. I was looking for a small dongle that would do Apt-X HD over BT5 for use on PCs/laptops that don’t have the hardware.
Probably the cheapest way to (if there’d be firmware available) determine heart rate (ANT+) and then switch on the Philips hue lights (Zigbee) to red :D… Ok you could still do it with BTLE and a cc2531 stick for around the same price.
This module is very handy if you want to avoid BLE driver stuff in Windows. Just load a firmware with all BLE settings and software with a cdc layer and some with some AT magic (or something else) and presto chango no more driver stuff.