SolveYourProblem Article Series: Bluetooth
Understanding Bluetooth Wireless Communication

Bluetooth: How Does It Really Work?

Wireless technology can be very confusing, especially for the uninitiated. After all, it’s fairly new on the market, and no one – besides the manufacturers of course – know exactly how it works. Just how do files compress and magically shoot out over the airwaves and find them a location in another area? Well, this article will attempt to explain it to you. It’s not as complicated as it sounds.

Before attempting to explain how something works, you need to know what exactly it is. So just what is Bluetooth technology? Well, it is a very high-speed, yet low-power, microwave wireless link technology. It’s designed mostly for the convenience of connecting various devices without a large hassle. Those devices can be anything from lap tops, to cell phones, to mp3 players to PDA’s and other portable equipment. The aim with Bluetooth technology was to make something simple, with no wires involved, and they succeeded. Unlike infa-red, Bluetooth doesn’t require to be in the line of sight of whatever piece of technology it’s trying to connect to. While infrared had problems connecting when there were a large number of walls in the way, Bluetooth technology doesn’t have this problem. Walls or no walls, it will still connect just as easily. Bluetooth technology was not created from the ground up. Instead, modifying existing technology, most notably wireless LAN techniques, created it. However, unlike previous wireless, Bluetooth technology comes at a very cheap price, as well as a low cost. As a matter of fact, the cost for a chip that uses Bluetooth technology is only expected to be around five dollars in a year or two. You could purchase two for the price of going to a single movie. However, you may not have to purchase them at all, as Bluetooth is expected to be included in new technology, rather than being an option.

When one piece of Bluetooth technology gets within range of another (usually set somewhere between 10 centimeters and 100 meters), the two pieces of technology exchange addresses and capability details. It’s the same as meeting a friend on the street that you haven’t seen in a long time – you exchange addresses, and get together to discuss what you have been doing all those years. After seeing what each other is capable of, the two devices will establish a link. The speed of this link can go as high as one megabit per second (although it is expected to go faster in the next generation of technology). The technology also has a security system in place, keeping it safe to use, and keeping would-be hackers out – a very common worry among wireless users. This technology is capable of handling both simple data – like songs, or files – as well as voices.

If you want to break it down into very technical terms, then it goes something like this: In each piece of Bluetooth technology there are tiny short-range transceivers embedded. They then send out a signal, which is on an unlicensed radio band of 2.45GHz. The reason they choose this frequency is because that way international travelers will not be hindered when they use Bluetooth technology. You can use it practically anywhere you want, and you won’t have to worry about a change in frequency just because you’re in a different location. The technology supports high data speeds, and three separate voice channels. Bluetooth modules can be built into whatever electronic device using them, or they can be attached. However, it is expected that in the future most electronic devices will come with Bluetooth technology. If it’s not embedded in the technology, you can always purchase it, and attach it. For example, if you were attaching it to a PC, you would use the USB port.

That’s a basic rundown of how Bluetooth technology works. Obviously, if you were to get really in-depth it would be a lot more complicated, but unless you’re planning on creating your own Bluetooth chip, you won’t need to worry about it. Just think of it as seeing an old friend. You meet on the street, you wave at each other (connecting), you begin to talk (exchanging details), and then if you have anything to give each other, you give it to them (transferring files). Wireless technology isn’t that scary once you know what you’re dealing with.

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