When you talk about compatibility, you talk of the ability of two devices, in this case, wireless ones, to be able to communicate together without any hitches or unpleasant performance issues.
With a proliferation of wireless devices in the technology market as well as a high rising number of applications and programs, and with an increased tendency to combine devices such as phone and headphone, there is a need to review which devices are compatible with which device and which devices are compatible with which application or software release.
So we’ll be examining popular technology sensations and listing the devices that are most compatible with them.
Bluetooth 5
Bluetooth 5.0 is the latest version of the Bluetooth wireless communication system and is used most often with wireless headphones and other audio hardware, as well as wireless keyboards, mice, and game controllers. Bluetooth is also used for communication between various home devices.
There are instances when you might encounter Bluetooth compatibility issues between two of your home devices. You might want to use this article to figure out what exactly to do. Should you upgrade the devices or should you abandon the whole idea of a pairing?
Bluetooth is normally backward compatible which means that you can continue using your existing Bluetooth 4.2 and older devices with a Bluetooth 5.0 one. But having devices and accessories with the same versions say 5.0 to 5.0 still works better.
With Bluetooth 5.0, all audio devices can communicate over Bluetooth Low Energy which guarantees reduced power usage and longer battery life. Bluetooth 5.0 also allows you to play audio on two paired devices at the same time. This means that you could have two pairs of wireless headphones connected to your phone, and stream audio to both of them at once. Bluetooth 5.0 offers improved speed and a greater connectivity range.
Current Bluetooth 5.0 compatible devices include:
- iPhone 8 and 8 Plus,
- iPhone X,
- Samsung Galaxy S8,
iPhone users can benefit from the new Bluetooth 5 by using Apple’s own AirPods with the W1 chip.
Other devices and accessories that can be compatible with Bluetooth 5 or be upgraded for such include
- smartphones
- tablets
- laptops
- wireless speakers
- headphones
- keyboards
- heart rate monitors
- sensors
- remotes
- thermometers
- smartwatches
- fitness trackers
- portable media players
Wi-Fi 6
Wifi 6 is the newest and most efficient version of Wi-Fi which any top wireless device is expected to be compatible with. It is capable of high speeds roughly 30% faster than the fastest Wi-Fi 5.
It’s strongly equipped to handle very busy networks that have lots of devices or that are thronged with lots of users. While it can’t speed up a slow ISP connection, it will most happily get you the fastest and most efficient connection you can find when not at work.
To benefit, you’ll need a Wi-Fi 6 router and Wi-Fi 6 compatible devices.
Phones compatible with Wi-Fi 6 include:
- Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10E
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10
- Huawei P40 Pro
- iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE
- Samsung Galaxy S20
- Samsung Galaxy Fold
- iPhone 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, and 12 Mini
- LG V60 ThinQ
- Motorola Edge Plus
- OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro
There are phones that also support Wi-Fi 6E. This is a new designation for Wi-Fi 6 devices that are fortified to operate with the newly opened 6GHz band that offers a huge amount of spectrum with no interference from older-gen connections.
Such phones with support for Wi-Fi6E include the Samsung Galaxy S21 as well as two gaming phones — the Asus ROG Phone 3 and Lenovo Legion.
Those phones use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 Plus processor which supplies support for Wi-Fi 6E and 5G.
For laptops that are Wi-Fi6 compatible, you’ll see:
- Lenovo Yoga c940
- Asus Chromebook Flip c436
- Dell XPS 13 (2020)
- LG Gram 17
- Microsoft Surface Laptop Go
- HP Spectre x360
Alexa
Alexa is a special personal digital voice assistant from Amazon that is designed to help you control compatible models of locks, speakers, smart lights, TVs, and ACs using your voice alone. You also have the option of commanding those devices without having to say anything at all by creating routines that trigger certain responses based on certain conditions thus making your home smart, safer, and more efficient.
When you must have gained mastery of Alexa, you will be able to make your new assistant tune to your favorite TV show, turn on smart lights if it hears the smoke detector, or change the temperature on your thermostat.
The list of Alexa compatible devices include:
- Amazon Fire TV Cube: your Alexa compatible streaming device
- Philips Hue White LED Starter Kit: your Alexa compatible smart lights
- Ecobee 5th Generation Thermostat: your most Alexa smart thermostat
- Arlo Q: your most Alexa compatible home security camera
- LG CX OLED TV: your favorite Alexa compatible smart 4K TV
- Sonos Beam: your Alexa compatible soundbar
- Simplisafe Essentials: your Alexa compatible DIY home security kit
- Lifx Mini: your Alexa compatible Wi-Fi smart lights
- Wemo WiFi Smart Plug: your Alexa compatible smart plug
- August WiFi Smart Lock: your most connected smart lock.
There are countless other technologies with their different connectivity requirements. You may need to update yourself on which technology is compatible with a device when next you go shopping for a new phone or other gadgets. It isn’t always fun to be left out simply because your device isn’t a match.
