By Amy Greener
When people first hear the name Bluetooth, they might ask, “Blue what? What is that about?” In plain English it is a short range communication that links different devices together, allowing them to communicate and transfer data. Bluetooth simply allows your PC, mobile phone, PDA, MP3 player and television to form a network where data can easily be transmitted.
How did the name Bluetooth become associated with an international wireless communication corporation?
Surprisingly, the history of the name Bluetooth dates back to the 900’s when Harald Blatand (last name translated in English as Bluetooth) was King of Denmark. He is remembered as the king that took three separate nations—Sweden, Norway and Denmark—and peacefully united them as one. Similarly, the goal of Bluetooth technology is to join different devices—such as PDAs, mobile phones, notebooks and other accessories—in a revolutionary seamless, compatible line of communication.
Why is Bluetooth currently such a desirable choice among consumers?
“The biggest trend right now is the inclusion of wireless in all forms of consumer electronics,” says Brian Beeley, President of Operations for TechnologyGuide.com. “It’s clear that the future means nearly ubiquitous wireless integration in consumer electronics. Consumers desire simplicity and flexibility, two major selling points for any wireless technology. For mobile professionals that means faster wireless access on the road, with increased communication options between devices. For home theater fans, it means being able to house and share a movie collection with any television in the house. There are too many directions to contemplate, but they all come back to simplicity and flexibility.”
Aside from the fact that Bluetooth is a complete wireless connection that networks your personal devices, there are many reasons why people find Bluetooth technology attractive. For starters, it appeals to virtually anyone’s budget because of its low, inexpensive cost. On top of that, it consumes a very small amount of power. For those who know techno lingo, it uses up only 2.5 mW, which is virtually nothing.
Bluetooth conveniently works automatically, circulating data throughout your Personal Area Network (PAN), linking up to 8 different home devices. Users can communicate with devices outside their personal area network, but not without consented authorization from both parties. Bluetooth has implemented personal access codes to make sure your network stays safe and secure from intruders. However, once you have deemed communication with a device secure, communication is trusted and you don’t have to warrant authorization every time you want to connect.
With Bluetooth you can move freely within a range of about 30 feet (10 meters), regardless of walls or objects being in the way. Unlike infrared, it does not require line of sight to transmit a signal from one device to another.
Bluetooth sounds like a consumer's dream come true, so how does it work?
What happens is data is transmitted by way of a low powered radio wave that communicates on a frequency of about 2.45 gigahertz. What this means is that when a group of devices are operating (communicating) they are sharing a radio frequency (channel). Once your devices link together on a radio channel, they become part of your PAN. They will then synchronize to a common clock and hopping pattern. If this sounds confusing and complicated, don’t worry, this all happens automatically! Now, you’re probably wondering what a hopping pattern is and why they need to be synchronized to a common clock. Well in short, there are 79 different frequencies available to make sure that your Bluetooth devices don’t interfere with any other devices, like a baby monitor or garage door. For added security that they don’t meet up by chance, the Bluetooth devices will constantly change channels by randomly selecting through the 79 frequencies. The mind boggling part is they do it at a rate of 1600 time a second. One of the devices in the network will provide the synchronized clock that all the others automatically follow at this alarming rate. The chance of ever running into any other device at the same time on the same frequency becomes a slim to none probability. But, if for some reason it does happen, the interference will only last for a minute fraction of a second. In technical terms this feature is called the Adaptive Frequency Hopping (AFH).
Bluetooth also has flexible transmission of either one way (half-duplex in technical terms) or two way (full-duplex) communication. This means you can have certain devices only receive data, like wireless headphones that will only receive data from your MP3 player, while other devices will both send and receive data, like your PDA.
Due to the recent push from government to make talking on cell phones and driving illegal, wireless headsets are now considered a necessary item among drivers. Bluetooth provides a convenient, hassle-free, simple and most importantly, secure form of communication. Because of its many benefits, Bluetooth is currently one of the leading wireless network providers for home electronics. It is the present and future of communication; join the 21st century and welcome Bluetooth into your life.
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