Bluetooth
Definition - What does Bluetooth mean?
Bluetooth is an open wireless technology standard for transmitting fixed and mobile electronic device data over short distances. Bluetooth was introduced in 1994 as a wireless substitute for RS-232 cables.
Bluetooth communicates with a variety of electronic devices and creates personal networks operating within the unlicensed 2.4 GHz band. Operating range is based on device class. A variety of digital devices use Bluetooth, including MP3 players, mobile and peripheral devices and personal computers.
Techopedia explains Bluetooth
In contrast to other wireless technologies, Bluetooth equips its network and devices with high-level services like file pushing, voice transmission and serial line emulation.
Bluetooth features include:
- Specifications based on frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology
- Network communicates with a master Bluetooth device and is formed with up to seven devices
- FreeBSD stack is executed with a Netgraph framework via short wavelength radio transmission signals.
- Device technology includes confidentiality, key derivation and authentication via Secure and Fast Encryption Routine (SAFER)+ block cipher algorithms
Bluetooth is used for the following:
- Wireless control and communication between mobile and hands-free headsets
- Wireless networking between multiple computers in areas with limited service
- Wireless communication with PCs and peripheral input/output (I/O) devices
- With Object Exchange (OBEX), to transfer files, contact details and calendar appointments between multiple devices
- To replace conventional wired communication, like GPS receivers, medical equipment, traffic control devices and bar code scanners
- For low-bandwidth applications, when a higher USB bandwidth is not desired
- Bridge multiple industrial Ethernet networks
- Wireless controllers in many interactive games and play stations
- Access dialup Internet connection via a PDA or PC
- Manage short-range data transmission between medical and cellular/other tele-health devices
- Mobile phone communication with digital enhanced cordless telecommunication (DECT)
- Identify and track object positions with the real-time location system
- Track livestock and prisoner movement
- Personal mobile security applications
The name Bluetooth comes from the Scandinavian word Blåtand/Blåtann, which originated from Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson I, from Denmark and parts of Norway. He was a king, reined in the tenth century and united discordant Danish tribes into a single kingdom. Bluetooth established the name to indicate that they united communication protocols into one universal standard.
