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Bluetooth
wireless technology is a
short-range communications technology intended to replace the cables
connecting portable and/or fixed devices while maintaining high levels of
security. The key features of
Bluetooth
technology are robustness, low power, and low cost. The
Bluetooth
specification defines a uniform structure for a wide range of devices to
connect and communicate with each other.
Bluetooth
technology has achieved global acceptance such that any
Bluetooth
enabled device, almost everywhere in the world, can connect to other
Bluetooth
enabled devices in proximity.
Bluetooth
enabled electronic devices connect and communicate wirelessly through
short-range, ad hoc networks known as piconets. Each device can
simultaneously communicate with up to seven other devices within a single
piconet. Each device can also belong to several piconets simultaneously.
Piconets are established dynamically and automatically as
Bluetooth
enabled devices enter and leave radio proximity.
A fundamental
Bluetooth
wireless technology strength is the ability to simultaneously handle both
data and voice transmissions. This enables users to enjoy variety of
innovative solutions such as a hands-free headset for voice calls, printing
and fax capabilities, and synchronizing PDA, laptop, and mobile phone
applications to name a few.
Core Specification
Versions
·
Version
2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR), adopted November, 2004
·
Version
1.2, adopted November, 2003
Specification Make-Up
Unlike many other wireless
standards, the
Bluetooth
wireless specification gives product developers both link layer
and application layer definitions, which supports data and voice
applications.
Spectrum
Bluetooth
technology operates in the unlicensed industrial, scientific and
medical (ISM) band at 2.4 to 2.485 GHz, using a spread spectrum,
frequency hopping, full-duplex signal at a nominal rate of 1600
hops/sec. The 2.4 GHz
ISM
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band is available and unlicensed in most
countries.
Interference
Bluetooth
technology’s adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) capability was designed to
reduce interference between wireless technologies sharing the 2.4 GHz
spectrum. AFH works within the spectrum to take advantage of the available
frequency. This is done by detecting other devices in the spectrum and
avoiding the frequencies they are using. This adaptive hopping allows for
more efficient transmission within the spectrum, providing users with
greater performance even if using other technologies along with
Bluetooth technology. The signal hops among
79 frequencies at 1 MHz intervals to give a high degree of interference
immunity.
Range
The operating range depends on the device class:
·
Class 3 radios – have a
range of up to 1 meter or 3 feet
·
Class 2 radios – most
commonly found in mobile devices – have a range of 10 meters or 30 feet
·
Class 1 radios – used
primarily in industrial use cases – have a range of 100 meters or 300 feet
Power
The most commonly used radio is Class 2 and uses 2.5 mW of power.
Bluetooth technology is designed to
have very low power consumption. This is reinforced in the specification by
allowing radios to be powered down when inactive.
Data Rate
1 Mbps for Version 1.2; Up to 3
Mbps supported for Version 2.0 + EDR
Bluetooth
Technology Benefits
Why Choose
Bluetooth
wireless technology?
Bluetooth
wireless technology is the simple choice for convenient, wire-free,
short-range communication between devices. It is a globally available
standard that wirelessly connects mobile phones, portable computers, cars,
stereo headsets, MP3 players, and more. Thanks to the unique concept of
“profiles,”
Bluetooth
enabled products do not need to install driver software. The technology is
now available in its fourth version of the specification and continues to
develop, building on its inherent strengths — small-form factor radio, low
power, low cost, built-in security, robustness, ease-of-use, and ad hoc
networking abilities.
Bluetooth
wireless technology is the leading and only proven short-range wireless
technology on the market today shipping over five million units every week
with an installed base of over 500 million units at the end of 2005.
Globally
Available
The
Bluetooth
wireless technology specification is available free-of-charge to our member
companies around the globe. Manufacturers from many industries are busy
implementing the technology in their products to reduce the clutter of
wires, make seamless connections, stream stereo audio, transfer data or
carry voice communications.
Bluetooth
technology operates in the 2.4 GHz, one of the unlicensed industrial,
scientific, medical (ISM) radio bands. As such, there is no cost for the use
of Bluetooth
technology. While you must subscribe to a cellular provider to use GSM or
CDMA, with Bluetooth
technology there is no cost associated with the use beyond the cost of your
device.
Range of Devices
Bluetooth
technology is available in an unprecedented range of applications from
mobile phones to automobiles to medical devices for use by consumers,
industrial markets, enterprises, and more. The low power consumption, small
size and low cost of the chipset solution enables
Bluetooth technology to be used in the
tiniest of devices. Have a look at the wide range products made available by
our members in the Bluetooth
product directory and the component product listing.
Ease of Use
Bluetooth
technology is an ad hoc technology that requires no fixed infrastructure and
is simple to install and set up. You don’t need wires to get connected. The
process for a new user is easy – you get a
Bluetooth branded product, check the
profiles available and connect it to another
Bluetooth device with the same profiles. The
subsequent PIN code process is as easy as when you identify yourself at the
ATM machine. When out-and-about, you carry your personal area network (PAN)
with you and can even connect to others.
Globally
Accepted Specification
Bluetooth
wireless technology is the most widely supported, versatile, and secure
wireless standard on the market today. The globally available qualification
program tests member products as to their accordance with the standard.
Since the first release of the
Bluetooth
specification in 1999, over 4000 companies have become members in the
Bluetooth
Special Interest Group (SIG). Meanwhile, the number of
Bluetooth
products on the market is multiplying rapidly. Volumes have doubled for the
fourth consecutive year and are likely to reach an installed base of 500
million units by the close of 2005.
Secure
Connections
From the start,
Bluetooth technology was designed with
security needs in mind. Since it is globally available in the open 2.4 GHz
ISM band, robustness was built in from the beginning. With adaptive
frequency hopping (AFH), the signal “hops” and thus limits interference from
other signals. Further,
Bluetooth
technology has built-in security such as 128bit encryption and PIN code
authentication. When Bluetooth
products identify themselves, they use the PIN code the first time they
connect. Once connected, always securely connected.
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