what is bluetooth technology
Bluetooth has a lot to offer with an increasingly difficult market place. Bluetooth helps to bring
with it the promise of freedom from the cables and simplicity in networking that has yet to be matched by LAN (Local Area Network).
In the key marketplace, of wireless and handheld devices, the closest competitor to Bluetooth is
infrared. Infrared holds many key features, although the line of sight it provides doesn't go
through walls or through obstacles like that of the Bluetooth technology.
Unlike infrared, Bluetooth isn't a line of sight and it provides ranges of up to 100 meters. Bluetooth is also low power and low processing with an overhead protocol. What this means, is that it's ideal for integration into small battery powered devices. To put it short, the applications with Bluetooth are virtually endless.
Disadvantages
Bluetooth has several positive features and one would be extremely hard pressed to find downsides when given the current competition. The only real downsides are the data rate and security. Infrared can have data rates of up to 4 MBps, which provides very fast rates for data transfer, while Bluetooth only offers 1 MBps.
For this very reason, infrared has yet to be dispensed with completely and is considered by many to be the complimentary technology to that of Bluetooth. Infrared has inherent security due to its line of sight.
The greater range and radio frequency (RF) of Bluetooth make it much more open to interception and attack. For this reason, security is a very key aspect to the Bluetooth specification.
Although there are very few disadvantages, Bluetooth still remains the best for short range wireless technology. Those who have tried it love it, and they know for a fact that Bluetooth will be around for years to come.
what is bluetooth technology
Saturday, April 11, 2009
How Bluetooth Works
what is bluetooth technology
Bluetooth devices will normally operate at 2.4 GHZ in the license free, globally available ISM radio band. The advantage to this band includes worldwide availability and compatibility. A disadvantage to this however, is that the devices must share this band with other RF emitters. This includes automobile security systems, other wireless devices, and other noise sources, such as microwaves.
To overcome this challenge, Bluetooth employs a fast frequency hopping scheme and therefore uses shorter packets than other standards within the ISM band. This scheme helps to make Bluetooth communication more robust and more secure.
Frequency hopping
Frequency hopping is basically jumping from frequency to frequency within the ISM radio band. After a bluetooth device sends or receives a packet, it and the device (or devices) it's communicating with hop to another frequency before the next packet is sent. This scheme offers three advantages:
The connected devices however, must agree upon the frequency they will use next. The specification in Bluetooth ensures this in two ways. First, it defines a master and slave type relationship between bluetooth devices. Next, it specifies an algorithm that uses device specific information when calculating the frequency hop sequences.
A Bluetooth device that operates in master mode can communicate with up to seven devices that are set in slave mode. To each of the slaves, the master Bluetooth device will send its own unique address and the value of its own internal clock. The information sent is then used to calculate the frequency hop sequences.
Because the master device and each of the slave devices use the same algorithm with the same initial input, the connected devices will always arrive together at the next frequency that they have agreed upon.
As a replacement for cable technology, it's no wonder that Bluetooth devices are usually battery
powered, such as wireless mice and battery powered cell phones. To conserve the power, most devices operate in low power. This helps to give Bluetooth devices a range of around 5 - 10 meters.
This range is far enough for wireless communication but close enough to avoid drawing too much power from the power source of the device.
what is bluetooth technology
Bluetooth devices will normally operate at 2.4 GHZ in the license free, globally available ISM radio band. The advantage to this band includes worldwide availability and compatibility. A disadvantage to this however, is that the devices must share this band with other RF emitters. This includes automobile security systems, other wireless devices, and other noise sources, such as microwaves.
To overcome this challenge, Bluetooth employs a fast frequency hopping scheme and therefore uses shorter packets than other standards within the ISM band. This scheme helps to make Bluetooth communication more robust and more secure.
Frequency hopping
Frequency hopping is basically jumping from frequency to frequency within the ISM radio band. After a bluetooth device sends or receives a packet, it and the device (or devices) it's communicating with hop to another frequency before the next packet is sent. This scheme offers three advantages:
- Allows Bluetooth devices to use the entirety of the available ISM band, while never transmitting from a fixed frequency for more than a short period of time. This helps insure that Bluetooth conforms to the ISM restrictions on the transmission quantity per frequency.
- Ensures that any interference won't last long. Any packet that doesn't arrive safely to its destination can be resent to the next frequency.
- Provides a base level of security as it's very hard for an eavesdropping device to predict which frequency the Bluetooth devices will use next.
The connected devices however, must agree upon the frequency they will use next. The specification in Bluetooth ensures this in two ways. First, it defines a master and slave type relationship between bluetooth devices. Next, it specifies an algorithm that uses device specific information when calculating the frequency hop sequences.
A Bluetooth device that operates in master mode can communicate with up to seven devices that are set in slave mode. To each of the slaves, the master Bluetooth device will send its own unique address and the value of its own internal clock. The information sent is then used to calculate the frequency hop sequences.
Because the master device and each of the slave devices use the same algorithm with the same initial input, the connected devices will always arrive together at the next frequency that they have agreed upon.
As a replacement for cable technology, it's no wonder that Bluetooth devices are usually battery
powered, such as wireless mice and battery powered cell phones. To conserve the power, most devices operate in low power. This helps to give Bluetooth devices a range of around 5 - 10 meters.
This range is far enough for wireless communication but close enough to avoid drawing too much power from the power source of the device.
what is bluetooth technology
Bluetooth Technology Intro
what is bluetooth technology
The technology of Bluetooth is nothing new, but in many respects it can still seem like more of a buzz word rather than an accepted technology. You may see the ads for Bluetooth enabled devices, although you still may be wondering what it is.
Capabilities
The Bluetooth definition is a wireless technology that is a worldwide specification for a small form factor, low cost solution that will provide link between mobile devices and other electronic devices.
Similiar to 802.11 b/g wireless and many cordless telephone systems, Bluetooth operates on 2.4 GHz radio signals. The 2.4 GHz band seems to be a bit crowded, with interferences between the devices a bit hard to avoid. Telephones are now being offered at the 5.8 GHz frequency band, which will help to remedy this.
The technical specifications of Bluetooth will indicate a maximum transfer rate of 723 kbps with a range of 65 - 328 feet, all depending on the class of that particular device. The speed is a fraction of what is offered by wireless standards, so it's obvious that Bluetooth doesn't really pose a threat to replacing your wireless network.
Applications
There are numerous products that will take advantage of Bluetooth capabilities, such as laptops, PDAs,headphones, and even wireless printer adapters.
A lot of laptops out there will include an onboard Bluetooth adapter which allows the system to connect to any Bluetooth device right out of the box. For computers that don't have an adaptor built right in, there are several USB adaptors available for Bluetooth.
For an awesome technology, Bluetooth is actually hard to compete with. For short range wireless,Bluetooth is easily one of the best. The standard for Bluetooth keeps getting better and better, making it a wireless technology that will be around for years and years to come.
what is bluetooth technology
The technology of Bluetooth is nothing new, but in many respects it can still seem like more of a buzz word rather than an accepted technology. You may see the ads for Bluetooth enabled devices, although you still may be wondering what it is.
Capabilities
The Bluetooth definition is a wireless technology that is a worldwide specification for a small form factor, low cost solution that will provide link between mobile devices and other electronic devices.
Similiar to 802.11 b/g wireless and many cordless telephone systems, Bluetooth operates on 2.4 GHz radio signals. The 2.4 GHz band seems to be a bit crowded, with interferences between the devices a bit hard to avoid. Telephones are now being offered at the 5.8 GHz frequency band, which will help to remedy this.
The technical specifications of Bluetooth will indicate a maximum transfer rate of 723 kbps with a range of 65 - 328 feet, all depending on the class of that particular device. The speed is a fraction of what is offered by wireless standards, so it's obvious that Bluetooth doesn't really pose a threat to replacing your wireless network.
Applications
There are numerous products that will take advantage of Bluetooth capabilities, such as laptops, PDAs,headphones, and even wireless printer adapters.
A lot of laptops out there will include an onboard Bluetooth adapter which allows the system to connect to any Bluetooth device right out of the box. For computers that don't have an adaptor built right in, there are several USB adaptors available for Bluetooth.
For an awesome technology, Bluetooth is actually hard to compete with. For short range wireless,Bluetooth is easily one of the best. The standard for Bluetooth keeps getting better and better, making it a wireless technology that will be around for years and years to come.
what is bluetooth technology
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