Bluetooth Technical Summary

Harald Bluetooth was a Viking and the king of Denmark between 940 and 981. One of his skills was to make people talk to one another, and during his rule, Denmark and Norway were united. The idea of easy proximate communication is the reason why proponents use the term Bluetooth. Today Bluetooth wireless technology enables people to talk to each other; this time by means of a low-cost, short-range radio link.

As a global standard, Bluetooth can

• Eliminate wires and cables between both stationary and mobile devices.

• Facilitate both data and voice communication.

• Support ad hoc networks and synchronize personal devices.

The Bluetooth wireless technology comprises hardware, software, and interoperability requirements. It has been adopted by major players not only in the telecom, computer, and home entertainment industry, but also in such diverse areas as the automotive industry, healthcare, automation, toys, and so on. The idea that resulted in the Bluetooth wireless technology was born in 1994 when Ericsson Mobile Communications decided to investigate the feasibility of a low-power, low-cost radio interface between mobile phones and their accessories. The idea was that a small radio built into both the cellular telephone and the laptop would replace the cumbersome cable used today to connect the two devices.

A year later the engineering work began and the potential of the technology began to crystallize. However, in addition to untethering devices by replacing cables, the radio technology created the possibility of becoming a bridge to existing data networks, a peripheral interface, and a mechanism to form small private ad hoc groupings of connected devices away from fixed network infrastructures. In other words, it supports WPAN connectivity.

The Bluetooth SIG was formed in early 1988. Today the Bluetooth SIG includes promoter companies such as 3Com, Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Lucent, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Toshiba, and thousands of Adopter/Associate member companies. The assignment of the SIG originally was to monitor the technical development of short-range radio and create an open global standard, thus preventing the technology from becoming the property of a single company. This work resulted in the release of the first Bluetooth Specification in mid-1999. The further development of the specification still is one of the main tasks for the SIG. Other important tasks are meeting interoperability requirements, harmonizing the frequency band, and promoting the technology. As noted earlier in the book, the IEEE and Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) are also becoming involved.

From the very start, one of the main goals for the SIG has been to include a regulatory framework in the specification that will guarantee interoperability between different devices from various manufacturers - as long as they share the same profile. Although the usage models describe applications and intended devices, the profiles specify how to use the Bluetooth protocol stack for an interoperable solution. Each profile states how to reduce options and set parameters in the base standard and how to use procedures from several base standards. A common user experience is also defined. For example, a computer mouse does not need to communicate with a headset, so they are built to comply with different profiles.