Different BlueTooth versions and how to identify your laptop's version

[BeemerBiker]

Different types of Bluetooth

Historic Bluetooth

• 1.0 & 1.1 (1999–2001): The initial releases. Suffered from early interoperability issues but established basic short-range, point-to-multipoint connections.
• 1.2 (2003): Introduced Adaptive Frequency Hopping (AFH) to reduce interference with Wi-Fi.
• 2.0 & 2.1 + EDR (2004–2007): Added Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) for faster transfers up to 3 Mbps and Secure Simple Pairing (SSP) to make connecting devices easier.
• 3.0 + HS (2009): Allowed for theoretical speeds up to 24 Mbps by utilizing a supplementary Wi-Fi connection for large data transfers.

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Era

• 4.0 (2010): Introduced Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), revolutionizing battery life for wearables, fitness trackers, and smart home sensors.
• 4.1 (2013): Improved device co-existence with 4G/LTE signals and allowed devices to act as both a hub and a peripheral simultaneously.
• 4.2 (2014): Brought enhanced privacy, increased data packet sizes for faster BLE transfers, and direct Internet Protocol (IPv6) connectivity for IoT

The Bluetooth 5 Era

• 5.0 (2016): Doubled the data rate (up to 2 Mbps), quadrupled the transmission range, and increased message capacity to 255 bytes.
• 5.1 (2019): Added centimeter-level direction-finding and indoor positioning capabilities.
• 5.2 (2020): Introduced LE Audio for better sound quality, reduced latency, and multi-stream audio.
• 5.3 (2021): Optimized power efficiency, connection switching, and signal stability in congested areas.
• 5.4 (2023): Introduced Periodic Advertising with Responses (PAwR), allowing large smart home networks to communicate securely with thousands of nodes.

Modern Generation

• 6.0 (2024): Features Channel Sounding for high-precision, sub-meter distance awareness, making it ideal for secure digital keys and precise asset tracking.

How to identify your HP laptop’s Bluetooth capability

You can identify your HP laptop's Bluetooth type by checking the Link Manager Protocol (LMP) number inside the Windows Device Manager.

Here is exactly how to find it and translate the code into your actual Bluetooth version.

Step 1: Find your LMP Number in Windows

1. Right-click the Start menu button and select Device Manager.
2. Click the arrow next to Bluetooth to expand the list.
3. Look for your primary hardware adapter. It usually includes the manufacturer name like Intel(R) Wireless Bluetooth, Realtek Bluetooth Adapter, or Qualcomm. (Do not click "Enumerator" or "RFCOMM" listings).
4. Right-click your adapter name and choose Properties.
5. Go to the Advanced tab and look for the Firmware or LMP (Link Manager Protocol) version.

Note:  The "Name" shown above is just the network name (nickname) given to the PC.  The value 13.12484  indicates bluetooth 6.0 is available.

Step 2: Match your LMP version to the Bluetooth Core Type

Match the number before the decimal point (e.g., if it says LMP 12.512, your number is 12) to this official protocol list:

LMP Number	Bluetooth Core Version
LMP 13	Bluetooth 6.0
LMP 12	Bluetooth 5.4 or 5.3
LMP 11	Bluetooth 5.2
LMP 10	Bluetooth 5.1
LMP 9	Bluetooth 5.0
LMP 8	Bluetooth 4.2
LMP 7	Bluetooth 4.1
LMP 6	Bluetooth 4.0

Bluetooth connection problems

If you have connection problems, please check to see if your laptop's Bluetooth is the same version or newer than the Bluetooth device you are having problems with.  If your device is Bluetooth version 3 or older, consider replacing it.

Older HP systems:    If you  have an older Bluetooth adapter in your laptop or desktop system it could possibly be upgraded.  You should first see if an updated Bluetooth driver is available.  Go here and enter the serial number or product ID of your HP PC.  If there are no Windows 11 drivers then you can go back as far as Windows 7, 64 bit for compatible drivers.  If there are no newer drivers and your Bluetooth device is a newer version than the adapter in your PC, then consider upgrading your PC's adapter.  You could also obtain a USB Bluetooth.  Be sure to read the reviews of any USB type adapter.

Laptop and most Desktop bluetooth adapters also provide Wi-Fi services.  Typically if you have an AMD processor you will need a Realtek combo adapter.  If  you have an Intel CPU then an Intel Wi-Fi / Bluetooth combo is needed. 

How to identify your  Bluetooth / Wi-Fi adapter.

1 - Parts List

      Go here and enter the serial number of your laptop or desktop system.  Look for the name of the Wi-Fi adapter.  HP frequently updates product lists when newer assemblies (LCD screen, adapters, SSDs) are released.  If there are newer adapter models listed possibly it may perform better.

2 - Device manager

     Bring up the device manager and try to identify your Bluetooth / Wi-Fi adapter.  Note the image under Step 1 shows an Intel device.  In the device manager, expand the network section and look for the name of the Intel Wi-Fi. For example:

The Bluetooth is part of the Intel AX210 adapter.  Any upgrade to the adapter needs to be a newer version of that Intel AX210.

[NonSequitur777]

@BeemerBiker,

Thank you, this is helpful information!

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[BeemerBiker]

@NonSequitur777 

@A_Gayathri 

I tried twice to create a KB article in the notebook KB.  I can edit my old KB articles but for some reason I cannot save or publish any new articles so I did the next best thing I could think of.  I posted it here and then referenced it here

I used several AI's to put the above together then made very minor changes.  I do not know enough about MacOS to  help a Mac owner with an HP headset but I suspect the Mac owner probably has an Apple headset.

[NonSequitur777]

@Nal_NR,

Would you please take a look at @BeemerBiker's request to have him create a new KB article in the notebook KB. 

Apparently, he is unable to create/publish any new articles, and he should be able/allowed to do that -at least in my professional opinion.  His contributions are top-notch and highly valued.

Kind Regards,

Cas / NonSequitur777

[A_Gayathri]

@BeemerBiker Once the user reaches rank 11 TKB can be authored and since you are in rank 14 you already had access to create TKB, However due to internal changes it wasn't working as it should.

Thank you for highlighting this as I have made the neccessary changes and it should be working fine now, @NonSequitur777  I appreciate the recommendation and your kind words for @BeemerBiker 

[BeemerBiker]

Still has a problem: