Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a high-speed, low-power microwave wireless link technology, designed to connect phones, laptops, PDAs and other portable equipment together with little or no work by the user. Bluetooth is the name for a short-range radio frequency (RF) technology that operates at 2.4 GHz and is capable of transmitting voice and data. The effective range of Bluetooth devices is 32 feet (10 meters). Bluetooth transfers data at the rate of 1 Mbps, which is from three to eight times the average speed of parallel and serial ports, respectively. It is also known as the IEEE 802.15 standards. It was invented to get rid of wires. Bluetooth is more suited for connecting two pointto-point devices, whereas Wi-Fi is an IEEE standard intended for networking. Why is the technology called Bluetooth The heart of the Bluetooth brand identity is the name, which refers to the Danish king Harald "Bluetooth" Blaatand who unified Denmark and Norway. In the beginning of the Bluetooth wireless technology era, Bluetooth was aimed at unifying the telecom and computing industries. Bluetooth can be used to wirelessly synchronize and transfer data among devices. Bluetooth can be thought of as a cable replacement technology. Typical uses include automatically synchronizing contact and calendar information among desktop, notebook and palmtop computers without connecting cables. Bluetooth can also be used to access a network or the Internet with a notebook computer by connecting wirelessly to a cellular phone. Types of Bluetooth Devices Bluetooth Dongle Bluetooth Dongle : Installing a Bluetooth dongle is easy; simply insert the CD that came with it, follow the on screen prompts and then plug the dongle into a free USB port. If you had a Bluetooth compatible laptop you could just plug the dongle into an internet enabled personal computer and check your e-mail, download Windows updates, or transfer files. On the same lines you could also synchronize your PDA with your personal computer and download the latest appointments, e-mails or send text messages.

Bluetooth Headset
Bluetooth Headset : Bluetooth headsets are mainly used with compatible cell phones, place the headset on your ear and roam freely while talking to colleagues, friends and family. You could also connect to a dongle on a personal computer and use it for voice conferencing for example. A number of products exist on the market today, which all offer good sound quality and have a similar variety of features. Prices vary depending on manufacturer but usually you can get a decent one for around $75 to $150.

Other Examples

Computer requirements
A personal computer that does not have embedded Bluetooth can be used with a Bluetooth adapter that will enable the PC to communicate with other Bluetooth devices (such as mobile phones, mice and keyboards). While some desktop computers and most recent laptops come with a built-in Bluetooth radio, others will require an external one in the form of a dongle. Unlike its predecessor, IrDA, which requires a separate adapter for each device, Bluetooth allows multiple devices to communicate with a computer over a single adapter.

Mobile phone requirements

A Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone is able to pair with many devices. To ensure the broadest support of feature functionality together with legacy device support, the Open Mobile Terminal

Platform (OMTP) forum has published a recommendations paper, entitled "Bluetooth Local Connectivity".

Technical information
"Bluetooth is defined as a layer protocol architecture consisting of core protocols, cable replacement protocols, telephony control protocols, and adopted protocols."[47] Mandatory protocols for all Bluetooth stacks are: LMP, L2CAP and SDP. Additionally, these protocols are almost universally supported: HCI and RFCOMM. LMP The Link Management Protocol (LMP) is used for control of the radio link between two devices. Implemented on the controller. AVRCP A/V Remote Control Profile. Commonly used in car navigation systems to control streaming Bluetooth audio. Adopted versions 1.0, 1.3 & 1.4 SDP The Service Discovery Protocol (SDP) allows a device to discover services supported by other devices, and their associated parameters. For example, when connecting a mobile phone to a Bluetooth headset, SDP will be used for determining which Bluetooth profiles are supported by the headset (Headset Profile, Hands Free Profile, Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) etc.) and the protocol multiplexer settings needed to connect to each of them. Each service is identified by a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID), with official services (Bluetooth profiles) assigned a short form UUID (16 bits rather than the full 128).

BNEP The Bluetooth Network Encapsulation Protocol (BNEP) is used for transferring another protocol stack's data via an L2CAP channel. Its main purpose is the transmission of IP packets in the Personal Area Networking Profile. BNEP performs a similar function to SNAP in Wireless LAN. AVCTP The Audio/Video Control Transport Protocol (AVCTP) is used by the remote control profile to transfer AV/C commands over an L2CAP channel. The music control buttons on a stereo headset use this protocol to control the music player.

Adopted protocols
Adopted protocols are defined by other standards-making organizations and incorporated into Bluetooths protocol stack, allowing Bluetooth to create protocols only when necessary How Bluetooth Technology Works
Bluetooth is a high-speed, low-power microwave wireless link technology, designed to connect phones, laptops, PDAs and other portable equipment together with little or no work by the user. Unlike infra-red, Bluetooth does not require line-of-sight positioning of connected units. The technology uses modifications of existing wireless LAN techniques but is most notable for its small size and low cost. The current prototype circuits are contained on a circuit board 0.9cm square, with a much smaller single chip version in development. The cost of the device is expected to fall very fast, from $20 initially to $5 in a year or two. It is envisioned that Bluetooth will be included within equipment rather than being an optional extra. When one Bluetooth product comes within range of another, (this can be set to between 10cm and 100m) they automatically exchange address and capability details. They can then establish a 1 megabit/s link (up to 2 Mbps in the second generation of the technology) with security and error correction, to use as required. The protocols will handle both voice and data, with a very flexible network topography. This technology achieves its goal by embedding tiny, inexpensive, short-range transceivers into the electronic devices that are available today. The radio operates on the globally-available unlicensed radio band, 2.45 GHz (meaning there will be no hindrance for international travelers using Bluetooth-enabled equipment.), and supports data speeds of up to 721 Kbps, as well as three voice channels. The bluetooth modules can be either built into electronic devices or used as an adaptor. For instance in a PC they can be built in as a PC card or externally attached via the USB port.

Each device has a unique 48-bit address from the IEEE 802 standard. Connections can be point-to-point or multipoint. The maximum range is 10 meters but can be extended to 100 meters by increasing the power. Bluetooth devices are protected from radio interference by changing their frequencies arbitrarily up to a maximum of 1600 times a second, a technique known as frequency hopping. They also use three different but complimentary error correction schemes. Built-in encryption and verification is provided.

APPLICATIONS
Bluetooth has a tremendous potential in moving and synchronizing information in a localized setting. Potential for Bluetooth applications is huge, because we transact business and communicate more with people who are close by than with those who are far away - a natural phenomenon of human interaction. The following list represents only a small set of potential applications - in future many more imaginative applications will come along:
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By installing a Bluetooth network in your office you can do away with the complex and tedious task of networking between the computing devices, yet have the power of connected devices. No longer would you be bound to fixed locations where you can connect to the network. Each Bluetooth device could be connected to 200 other devices making the connection of every device with every other possible. Since it supports both point to point and point to multipoint it will virtually make the maximum number of simultaneously linked devices unlimited. The Bluetooth technology connects all your office peripherals wirelessly. Connect your PC or notebook to printers, scanners and faxes without the ugly and trouble some cable attachments. You can increase your freedom by connecting your mouse or the keyboard wirelessly to your computer. If your digital cameras in Bluetooth enabled, you can send still or video images from any location to any location without the hassle of connecting your camera to the mobile phone on the wireline phone.

The Bluetooth Standard and Specifications The Bluetooth Specification is a de facto standard containing the information required to ensure that diverse devices supporting the Bluetooth wireless technology can communicate with each other worldwide. The document is divided into two parts: Volume 1, Core, and Volume 2, Profiles. The Core part specifies components such as the radio, base band, link manager, service discovery protocol, transport layer, and interoperability with different communication protocols. The Profiles part specifies the protocols and procedures requirements.

Bluetooth Technology Over the Years

1998 - Bluetooth technology is officially introduced and the Bluetooth SIG is formed. Bluetooth technology's intended basic purpose is to be a wire replacement technology in order to rapidly transfer voice and data. 1999 - Bluetooth 1.0 Specification is introduced.

2003 - The Bluetooth SIG overhauls the Bluetooth Core Specification with the announcement of Version 2.1. 2004 - Bluetooth Version 2.0 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) is introduced. 2005 - Devices using Version 2.0 + EDR begin to hit the market in late 2005. 2007 - Bluetooth Core Specification Version 2.1 + EDR is adopted by the Bluetooth SIG. 2009 - Bluetooth Core Specification Version 3.0 + HS (High Speed) is adopted by the Bluetooth SIG.

High Speed Bluetooth

In March 2006, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced that it was planning to partner with WiMedia Alliance (an industry group composed of such computer giants as Intel, Hewlet-Packard and Microsoft) to bring consumers the best of both worlds with the creation of a new High Speed Bluetooth. Bluetooth is currently used to facilitate slow-speed, short-range applications such as wireless headsets and keyboards. Yet, while its high portability, low power requirements and unique hit-and-run frequency hopping has maintained a lot of interest among critics and consumers, for those who live in the fast lane Bluetooth has been lagging. Until now.

Bluetooth Security
Today, all communication technologies are facing the issue of privacy and identity theft. Bluetooth technology is no exception. The information and data we share through these communication technologies is both private and in many cases, critically important to us.Everyone knows that email services, company networks, and home networks all require security measures. What Bluetooth users need to realize, is: Bluetooth requires similar security measures. Recently, Bluetooth technology has been popping up in the news. Unfortunately, most of the news involves confusion and misinformation regarding the security of Bluetooth. Recent reports have surfaced describing ways for hackers to crack Bluetooth devices security codes.

Listing of Bluetooth Profiles

All Bluetooth devices must have a foundation profile, one that all other Bluetooth profiles are dependent upon.

This profile is called the Generic Access Profile (GAP). It defines the basic procedures for detecting other Bluetooth devices (idle mode procedures) and link management aspects of connecting to Bluetooth devices (connecting mode procedures). It also defines procedures related to the use of different security levels.
y Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) y Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) y Basic Imaging Profile (BIP) y Basic Printing Profile (BPP) y Common ISDN Access Profile (CIP) y Cordless Telephony Profile (CTP) y Dial-up Networking Profile (DUN) y Fax Profile (FAX) y File Transfer Profile (FTP) y Generic Audio/Video Distribution Profile (GAVDP)

y Generic Access Profile (GAP)

Bluetooth Advantages
Bluetooth Devices are Wireless Bluetooth Technology is Inexpensive Bluetooth is Automatic Instant Personal Area Network (PAN) Low Interference and Energy Consumption Share Voice and Data