The EBYTE E104-BT5040UA is an industrial-grade USB Bluetooth packet capture tool built on the Nordic nRF52840 SoC, supporting BLE 4.2 and BLE 5.0 protocols to deliver high-performance over-the-air packet sniffing and transparent wireless data transmission over distances up to 250 meters using its onboard high-efficiency PCB antenna.
| Technical Parameter | E104-BT5040UA Specifications |
|---|---|
| Core Chipset (SoC) | Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 |
| Supported Wireless Protocols | Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 4.2 and BLE 5.0 |
| Hardware Interface | Standard USB Port (Type-A Interface) |
| Reliable Operating Range | Up to 250 meters (in open, unobstructed line-of-sight environments) |
| Antenna Architecture | Built-In High-Performance On-board PCB Antenna |
| Primary Functionality | Over-The-Air (OTA) Bluetooth Packet Capture, Protocol Analysis, Sniffing |
| Power Consumption | Ultra-low energy consumption mode |
| Physical Form Factor | Compact portable USB Dongle / drive-free adapter |
| Parameter | Performance | Remark |
|---|---|---|
| Crystal frequency | 32MHz/32.768kHz | — |
| support protocol | BLE4.2/5.0 | — |
| Power supply | USB | — |
| Interface method | USB | — |
| IC full name | nRF52840-QIAAC0/aQFNTM 73 | — |
| FLASH | 1024kB | — |
| RAM | 256kB | — |
| Kernel | ARM@ Cortex ® -M4 | — |
| Dimensions | 59*18mm | Plus shell with cap |
| Antenna form | PCB Onboard antenna | — |
| Crystal frequency | 32MHz/32.768kHz | |
| support protocol | BLE4.2/5.0 | — |
| Power supply | USB | — |
| Interface method | USB | — |
| IC full name | nRF52840-QIAAC0/aQFNTM 73 | — |
| FLASH | —1024kB | — |
| RAM | 256kB | — |
| Kernel | ARM@ Cortex ® -M4 | — |
| Dimensions | 59*18mm | Plus shell with cap |
| Antenna form | PCB Onboard antenna | — |
| Parameter | Min. | Typ. | Max. | Unit | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating voltage | 4.35 | 5 | 5.5 | V | USB/VBUS power supply |
| Communication level | 0 | 3.3 | 3.6 | V | — |
| TX current(TX only run current (DCDC, 3V) PRF =+8 dBm） | - | 17.05 | - | mA | — |
| TX current(TX only run current (DCDC, 3V) PRF =+4 dBm) | - | 12.68 | - | mA | — |
| TX current(TX only run current (DCDC, 5V, REG0 out = 3.3 V)PRF= 0dBm) | - | 7.25 | - | mA | — |
| TX current(TX only run current (DCDC, 3V)PRF = 0dBm) | - | 7.63 | - | mA | — |
| TX current(TX current (3V) 1Mbps BLE measured from VBAT with PRF=9dBm) | - | 32 | - | mA | — |
| RX current(RX only run current (DCDC, 3V) 1Mbps / 1Mbps BLE) | - | 7.71 | - | mA | — |
| RX current(RX only run current (DCDC, 3V) 2Mbps / 2Mbps BLE) | - | 8.27 | - | mA | — |
| Operating temperature | -40 | - | +85 | ℃ | Industrial design |
Practical Application Scenarios
1. BLE Device Firmware Debugging and Protocol Analysis
Embedded software engineers developing Bluetooth peripherals require exact, packet-level visibility to optimize connection intervals, debug MTU exchange parameters, and diagnose GATT database issues. By plugging the E104-BT5040UA into a development PC, engineers can configure the hardware as a dedicated BLE Sniffer. Working directly with protocol analyzers like Wireshark, the dongle captures raw over-the-air communication frames from nearby BLE devices non-intrusively, revealing connection handshakes, data transmissions, and encryption negotiations.
2. Smart Home and Consumer IoT Mass Production QA Testing
On consumer electronics assembly lines, manufacturers of smart wearables, medical health trackers, and smart appliances must quickly verify the RF integrity of each unit. The E104-BT5040UA can be integrated into automated test racks (ATE) at the end of the production line. Using its 250-meter range and high-sensitivity PCB antenna, it captures the raw BLE advertising data packets from freshly assembled units under test (UUT), logging their MAC addresses, analyzing output power stability, and identifying defective transmitters.
3. Smart Factory Beacon Deployment and RSSI Signal Audits
In large-scale warehouses where thousands of BLE beacons are deployed for indoor positioning and asset tracking, system engineers need to inspect local networks periodically. Field technicians can use a laptop fitted with the E104-BT5040UA to map physical signal distributions. The tool sweeps localized advertisement channels to read RSSI parameters and verify payload formats, enabling technicians to adjust beacon transmission power levels, find signal dead spots, and plan antenna layouts.
FAQ Section
1. Can the E104-BT5040UA be integrated with Wireshark for real-time BLE protocol sniffing?
Yes. Powered by the Nordic nRF52840 SoC, the E104-BT5040UA is natively compatible with standard BLE packet capture configurations. By flashing the corresponding official sniffer firmware onto the chip and using the Wireshark extcap plugin, developers can capture, parse, and filter over-the-air BLE 4.2 and BLE 5.0 raw packets directly within the Wireshark GUI.
2. What is the maximum physical capture and communication range of this USB dongle?
The E104-BT5040UA delivers a highly reliable line-of-sight range of up to 250 meters in open, unobstructed environments. Inside typical office spaces, laboratory testing rooms, or industrial factories, the actual capture range depends on local physical barriers such as drywall, concrete partitions, and metal enclosures, as well as background RF interference on the 2.4GHz band.
3. Does this device support classic Bluetooth packet sniffing, or is it limited to BLE?
The E104-BT5040UA is designed exclusively for Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol sniffing and communication, specifically supporting BLE 4.2 and BLE 5.0 architectures. It does not support classic Bluetooth (BR/EDR) protocols, making it optimized for low-power IoT devices, smart beacons, and wearable sensor networks.
4. Are custom software drivers required to set up the E104-BT5040UA on a standard OS?
No, the device leverages standard USB interface controllers that are supported natively by Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. When configured for CDC virtual COM port mode or standard serial communication, the OS recognizes the USB interface automatically, allowing developers to communicate with the nRF52840 core using standard terminal utilities or dedicated hardware programming tools.
