Section 66. Tweak Bluetooth Options


66. Tweak Bluetooth Options

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

63 About Bluetooth


SEE ALSO

64 Turn Bluetooth On and Off

65 Pair Up with a Bluetooth Headset or Car Kit

67 About Bluetooth Security


As with virtually every aspect of your BlackBerry device, Bluetooth is a feature you can customize to a certain degree. Although a couple of settings are available for configuring general Bluetooth options for your BlackBerry device, the real flexibility in customizing Bluetooth is on a device-by-device basis. More specifically , you can identify individual Bluetooth devices, such as your favorite headset, as being trusted and therefore removed from the connection confirmation process involved in a typical Bluetooth connection. In other words, the device is automatically connected whenever it is found. You can also change the name of a Bluetooth device as it appears on your BlackBerry device, which can help make it easier to distinguish between similar devices. Additionally, you can enable encryption of the wireless Bluetooth connection between the two devices to add a measure of security.

66. Tweak Bluetooth Options


1.
Open the Tools Screen

Scroll to the Tools icon on the Home screen and click the trackwheel. The Tools screen appears, displaying a list of tool options.

2.
Open the Settings Screen

Scroll to the Settings icon and click the trackwheel. A list of options for which you can change the settings appears.

3.
Open the Bluetooth Screen

Scroll to the Bluetooth option in the list of settings and click the trackwheel. The Bluetooth screen opens.

4.
Configure General Bluetooth Options for Your BlackBerry Device

Your BlackBerry device has a couple general Bluetooth options you might be interested in. These options don't provide sweeping control over Bluetooth features, but that's primarily because Bluetooth is a fairly automatic technology. The first option is simply the name of your BlackBerry device ( Device Name ), which is the device name reported to other Bluetooth devices. This name has relevance if you use one of the fancier Bluetooth headsets or hands-free car kits that lists the name of the device with which the headset or kit is paired. Otherwise , you're unlikely to see this name used anywhere , so the default setting is probably fine.

The second option, Discoverable , is much more interesting in that it determines whether other Bluetooth devices can discover your device. Even though the BlackBerry 7100 series devices lack the profiles for advanced Bluetooth connections, they can still make themselves discoverable to some Bluetooth devices such as high-end hands-free car kits that are capable of searching for Bluetooth phones. Unless you have a hands-free car kit that requires your device to be discoverable, you're much safer leaving this option set to No . This ensures that your device can't be seen by any other Bluetooth devices; see 67 About Bluetooth Security for more on how Bluetooth security impacts your BlackBerry 7100 series device.

NOTE

Although the limited profiles in the BlackBerry 7100 series devices dramatically reduce the security issues associated with Bluetooth, it's worth pointing out that the Discoverable option is what has caused problems on other Bluetooth phones and handhelds that have more open Bluetooth support. Setting a Bluetooth device so that it is discoverable is somewhat akin to accessing the Internet without a firewall. It's not always a bad thing, but you should understand the risks associated with your particular device. In regard to the BlackBerry 7100, this is one situation where the limitations of the device work in your favor.

When you finish setting the Bluetooth options for your BlackBerry device, press the Escape button. If you've made any changes and want to save them, click Save in the confirmation pop-up window that appears; otherwise, click Cancel .

5.
Tweak Options for a Bluetooth Device

Each Bluetooth device you use with your BlackBerry device has its own set of options you can configure using your BlackBerry device. To change the options for a paired Bluetooth device, scroll the trackwheel to select the device in the paired device list, and click. Select Device Properties from the menu that appears, and click once more. The Device Properties screen appears.

In the example, the Motorola HS820 device has only three properties you can change: Device Name, Trusted , and Encryption . The Device Name property allows you to change the device name, which is the name that appears in the Bluetooth device list. Unless the name of your headset or hands-free car kit is cryptic or otherwise makes the device difficult to identify, the default device name is probably fine.

The Trusted option determines whether your BlackBerry device considers the Bluetooth device to be trusted. Trusted simply means your BlackBerry device doesn't require you to confirm the Bluetooth device each time it is connected. More specifically, by setting a Bluetooth device as trusted, you allow it to automatically connect with your BlackBerry device as soon as the two devices are powered on and in range of each other. There aren't any security implications to declaring a handset or hands-free car kit as trusted, so I recommend changing the Trusted option to Yes for these types of devices simply as a convenience.

Where security does enter the picture with a Bluetooth headset or hands-free car kit is in the data transmitted between them and your BlackBerry device. Fortunately, the Encryption option provides an easy way to alleviate the problem by encrypting the data sent between your device and headset/car kit. Just make sure that the Encryption option is set to Enabled , and you'll be fine.

In addition to the three options just mentioned, you might also see a list of services made available by the Bluetooth device. These services indicate the profiles supported by the device, such as the Headset Profile and the Hands-free Profile. If you see profiles in addition to these two, your device might have additional Bluetooth features you'll want to find out aboutcheck with your wireless service provider to find out more.

After setting the Bluetooth options for your headset or hands-free car kit, press the Escape button. If you've made any changes and would like to save them, click Save in the confirmation pop-up window that appears; otherwise, click Cancel .

6.
Delete a Bluetooth Device

You will eventually have to delete a Bluetooth device from your BlackBerry devicewhether you lose your headset or upgrade to a new one. To delete a Bluetooth device, you must first disconnect it. To disconnect a device, scroll the trackwheel to select the device in the paired device list and click. Select Disconnect from the menu that appears, and click once more. The device is disconnected, which allows you to continue and delete it.

To delete a disconnected Bluetooth device from your BlackBerry device, scroll the trackwheel to select the device in the paired device list and click. Select Delete Device from the menu that appears, and click again. The device is deleted and disappears from the paired device list. Your BlackBerry device will no longer make an automatic attempt to pair up with the deleted device.

NOTE

If you change your mind about deleting a Bluetooth device, you can always pair it up with your BlackBerry device again; see 65 Pair Up with a Bluetooth Headset or Car Kit for details.




BlackBerry in a Snap
BlackBerry in a Snap
ISBN: 0672326701
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 149

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