Development of Bluetooth techmology

Bluetooth history

Bluetooth takes its name from a character in history called Harald Bluetooth. He was born in 910AD and the Bluetooth concept takes his name because in 940AD he had the ability to Unite two warring countries, Denmark and Norway. The founders of Bluetooth took the name of Harald Bluetooth because of the way he united two countries together and in the same way Bluetooth unites two dissimilar components. The use of Bluetooth technology has the ability of linking the different technologies like , computers, mobile phones, printers, headsets etc.

The brainchild of providing a low power, low cost wireless interface was first inspired by Ericsson Mobile Communications. In 1994 they started investigating linking mobile phones and computers wirelessly. A group of like minded companies joined forces in 1998 to form and association called the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) in Lund Switzerland. Coming from different backgrounds the group included market leaders in laptop manufacturing, the cell phone industry and digital signal processing. Included in this group where Motorola, Nokia, Intel, Toshiba, Agere, Ericsson, IBM, and Microsoft. These companies now promote development and research into the technology of Bluetooth.

Bluetooth specifications where developed by Jaap Haartsen and Sven Mattisson two employees of Ericsson Mobile Platforms. Developed in Scandinavia Bluetooth technology is able to unite different components from different industries such as computing, cell phones and automotive markets. This wireless technology is based on a frequency hopping spread spectrum providing a secure radio signal that combines and simplifies multiple forms of communication.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group made a firm commitment to have Bluetooth technology installed in various devices and by 2002 Bluetooth technology was installed in PC’s, notebooks, desktop computers and over 100 million mobile phones had the technology as well as millions of other communications devices.

What exactly is Bluetooth?

Bluetooth is a wireless communications network which operates on a short-range radio frequency. When connected to various devices such as mobile phones and computers it provides a way of exchanging information as well and the Bluetooth technology can be used on any other apparatus that is provided with it’s built in features. Due to its very low power it is medically safe to use, the information it carries using short wave radio and narrow bandwidth know as ISM is scientifically sound and very secure.

Devices have to be compatible and anyone wanting to use it will have to have Bluetooth profiles to be able to connect to one another. Once the profiles are enabled you should be able to use such things as hands free headsets with mobile phones, and wireless networking and communications which use printers, keyboards and a mouse.

Bluetooth Versions

There have been many different versions of Bluetooth and a lot has changed since version1.Introduced in 1998 and like most other new technologies had many teething problems. The lack of devices able to communicate with each other was one of the problems.

Version 1.1 saw great improvements and it became a truly operable product with devices being able to communicate properly.

Version 1.2 was in general a better all round product, with vast voice quality improvement, backward compatibility and overall had better all round benefits.

Version2.0 improved even more with features and quality and now version 3.0 has a Bluetooth master able to communicate with several devices, and at any given time, the slave can become the master. Master devices use there ability and can swiftly switch from one device to another.

Other similar technology Such as Wi-Fi is on the market but use different technology although Wi-Fi has a greater operating range. The Bluetooth advantage is in its costs, much cheaper than the more expensive hardware used by Wi-Fi. The Bluetooth setup of its services between many devices is simpler, can be automated and security is easier. Local are networks is more for Wi-Fi which is complicated to set up and needs to have all devices configured. Wi-Fi is better suited for operating larger networks while Bluetooth has more power and better connections. 

Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or higher is required to operate Bluetooth on a computer. If you run an Apple computer it has been supported by Bluetooth technology since 2002. Nearly all computers now have Bluetooth installed but if not then if your computer has Windows XP with Service pack 2 then a device called a dongle can be purchased. The dongle device allows various devices to communicate with your computer.

Bluetooth is now the world wide wireless standard and has a bright future. In the future High quality audio and video data will have a much higher quality as Bluetooth improves and the alternative for transporting Bluetooth profile data is MAC PHY. Automatic configuration will be carried out by using Topology Management, and broadcast channelling, which will enable Bluetooth in other devises. The chain reaction is already in progress and as more components use Bluetooth technology, manufacturers of electronics will jump on the band wagon and become increasingly eager to make their products compatible. Bluetooth technology will be here for a long time to come.