Key Differences Between Bluetooth and NFC

With every technology improving and enhancing by the hour, the access and sharing technology is going at the same pace. People prefer wireless sharing technology much more than the hassles with wires. You can easily share files via Bluetooth or NFC rather than using cords or physical storage devices. This cuts down the need for investing in storage devices and also the cords. Both Bluetooth and NFC are used to connect two devices over a short distance. It allows for sharing of data, such as playing music through wireless earbuds. Let's go over the key differences between these seemingly similar technologies:

The distance 

Bluetooth can operate up to a distance of 10 meters, which is much more than NFC. It provides for connection even if the device is comparatively far away. NFC allows only a communication line till 4 cm. The upside is that the shorter distance allows for a better connection. 

Setting up the connection 

You need to pair the devices manually through the settings for Bluetooth. It would often need a password or permission from the device before you can begin using it. On the other hand, NFC only requires you to turn on the devices and bring them close enough. After that, it will establish a connection automatically, and you can start sharing those files instantly.

Battery use

NFC uses much less battery than Bluetooth. It is a power-friendly option as you can keep it on at all times. It won't affect your battery much as compared to the Bluetooth technology. You should ideally only turn it on when in use, or else it can eat up a chunk of your battery.

Security

It may seem like Bluetooth is safer due to password and authentication. However, the shorter range provides better safety. In crowded places, it is better to use NFC to share the data. In addition, there would be several devices in a 10-meter range for a Bluetooth connection, making it susceptible to hacking. 

Payments

NFC (near field connection) can be used for payments transfer. If you want to transfer payment to someone one nearby, NFC makes it quite handy to transfer data between two devices, and NFC enabled card payments are considered to be more secure than swiped transactions. Bluetooth payment apps were invented too but they all failed, it can only be used for transferring other data like images and videos.

Transfer Speed

As we know both NFC and Bluetooth can be used to transfer images, videos, and documents form one device to another. But NFC is said to be much faster for transferring the data. NFC is actually said to be 10 times faster than Bluetooth. If we are talking about data transfer, then speed does matter.