Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a wireless technology that has been designed so that you can easily connect phones, laptops, printers, PDA’s and any other portable device that has a technology installed. The idea behind this is to make it easy for users to implement and setup.
It works over a range of about 10 m with some device is now offering up to 30 meters. It works on short-range radio frequency on the 2.4 GHz frequencies. The idea behind Bluetooth was to try and reduced and the usage of cables for such a short distance. It can transfer data at 1 megabit per second (Mbps) and is mainly suitable for connecting two devices together.

Bluetooth was initially introduced in September 2000 by Toshiba and since then has been ratified by over 2000 members of the SIG (Special Interest Group) to help promote the use of it in various electronic devices. They have access to the protocols and specifications that are required to make sure that this is a standard that all members follow.  There are many members of this group with the likes of Nokia, Intel, Microsoft to name but a few.

Why Is It Called Bluetooth

The name comes from the Danish king Harald “Bluetooth” Blaatand who was basically responsible and unified Denmark and Norway. The idea behind due to this is to unify the computer industry and telecoms industries.

Where Is It Used

It is used in many places that we use day-to-day. For example most mobile phones will come with this technology, which helps us to connect to various devices. You can connect your phone to a Bluetooth headset, which will allow you to drive hands-free or allow you to take calls in, and you need to work with your hands to possibly solve a problem. You also find the technology in car kits, which again allows you to connect your phone to the car kit and drive hands-free safe in the knowledge that you are concentrating on what you’re doing.

You will also find Bluetooth’s on laptops, which makes it easier to connect your phone and transfer files, photographs or contact information. To use for this wireless technology is not just limited to phones and you will find it in many devices being used for lots of applications.

You can connect to devices together with something called pairing. This may sound complicated than what is really just how each device can search and find the by simply selecting this term is then called pairing. The connection between the two devices uses encryption for security. But the fact that it is being used across such a short distance would of course make it more difficult for anybody trying to connect.

What Types Of Bluetooth Devices Are Available

The Bluetooth dongle is one of the more popular devices. It can plug into the USB port on a computer and normally installs quite easily. If you’re using a Windows operating system it can generally choose a generic driver to make installation easy. However most dongle’s come with drivers on a CD that you may be required to install. There are many photo printers that can now use one of these dongle’s to make it easy to print directly from your phone to the printer without having to need for a computer.

Bluetooth headsets are also quite popular and come in a variety of styles and types. Many people will use these to connect from their phone to the headset while driving allowing them to keep both hands on the steering wheel for safety. You’ll find that many people that work with their hands would use these also so that they can continue working while talking on the phone. We’ll find the use of these headsets in many call centers where the customer care agent can take phone calls without being tied to the desk this allows them the freedom of moving around the office.

Bluetooth PC cards can be installed in the PCI slot on most computers you will be required to install drivers to enable this to work, which should come with the card when you purchase it.

Bluetooth car kits – we are seeing more and more new cars were coming with Bluetooth already built-in. I guess manufacturers are starting to implement this as a safety issue as drivers not keeping both hands on the steering wheel because they are answering phone calls cause many accidents. There are many car kits available that can be self installs and require no cables and worked quite easily. Again because of the ease of use of this technology you can connect to this in a matter of seconds.

Overall we have just taken a quick look at the types of devices are available believe it or not there are a lot more and we’re starting to see many more uses and applications of this technology in everyday life.