A number of devices that you may already use take advantage of this same radio-frequency band. monitors, garage-door openers and the newest generation of cordless all make use of frequencies in the ISM band. Making sure that Bluetooth and these other devices don't interfere with one another has been a crucial part of the process.
Overview of Bluetooth characteristics
These are the features of the Bluetooth technology:
-
It separates the frequency band into hops. This spread spectrum is used to hop from one channel to another, which adds a strong layer of .
- Up to eight devices can be networked in a Pico net.
- Signals can be transmitted through walls and briefcases, thus eliminating the need for line-of-sight.
- Devices do not need to be pointed at each other, as signals are omni-directional.
-
Both synchronous and asynchronous applications are supported, making it easy to implement on a variety of devices and for a variety of services, such as voice and .
- Governments worldwide regulate it, so it is possible to utilize the same standard wherever one travels.
C. The Impact of the Issue
What advantages and disadvantages of Bluetooth technology? Here are the key advantages and disadvantages:
Advantages
-
It's . Eliminate messy and confusing cables at , the , or when traveling.
- It's inexpensive. Vendors can incorporate it into their products and consumers can upgrade older equipment cheaply.
- Uses radio signals so can pass through walls and does not require line of sight.
-
Lower power consumption. Won't drain your .
- 2.5 GHz radio frequency ensures worldwide operation.
- No thinking required. The devices find one another and connect without any user input at all.
Disadvantages
- New type of technology and must be accepted unequivocally by all vendors and manufacturers in order to guarantee compatibility among the array of products.
- Designed for only short-range communications certified to no more than 100 meters (with hub broadcaster.)
-
Data transfer speeds are not as fast as other technologies.
D. Solution to the Problems Arising from the Issue
While Bluetooth was introduced as early as 2000, key obstacles have delayed its adoptability among vendors and consumers. While Bluetooth is growing popularity in Western Europe, as an estimated 21.6 million Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones were sold in 2003 (Milanesi 2003, 1), it continues to have problems in with its interoperability, security and usability. Bluetooth’s core dilemma is that it remains an open source technology available to anyone yet does not have an interoperability body to set a standardization among the industry to ensure that Bluetooth devices from different vendors work properly with each other. As for now, no such body exists, and therefore, interoperability between Bluetooth products from different vendors is not guaranteed. Because of this fact, companies are slow to adopt this technology into their products, as the immediate usefulness of the technology cannot be immediately realized until other products with Bluetooth capabilities are readily available.
As a tangent to the problematic of not having an established interoperability body, security as well as configuration settings have not been standardized. In fact, security standards do not even exist with Bluetooth, and even still only some Bluetooth devices have a password protected signal. Because of this major security hole, consumers and businesses may be especially worried when using a Bluetooth-enabled device with particularly sensitive information that may be transmitted and received by unwanted recipients. This may include your contacts in your mobile phone, files on your laptop or PDA, or perhaps even passwords that can be captured from a Bluetooth-enabled wireless keyboard. Since we know that historically most consumer technologies were at once exclusively for enterprise uses before being released to the broader market, this may be the most compelling argument as to why Bluetooth’s security problems has hindered its ability to penetrate the enterprise market and lead to an eventual wide-spread adoption in the consumer market.
Despite Bluetooth’s shortcomings, the technology is undoubtedly the future
means of interconnectivity and communication between intelligent devices as derivations and updates to the existing Bluetooth technology are made. Bluetooth has in a matter of months made amazing gains in the mobile phone industry, as many of the older problems with Bluetooth headsets have been solved or are being refined. Bluetooth-enabled headsets used to require an incredible amount of battery power and were cumbersome due to their weight and size – but now a new Bluetooth-enabled headset can last for almost eight hours of talk-time and come in a light and sleek design. Perhaps most importantly, the price of Bluetooth devices has dropped in price, which could be an early indication that it may be the next biggest technology in the consumer segments.
(1009 Words)
E. Selection and Uses of Sources
-
and added convenience from Brainboxes and Ingenico
November 9, 2004 | Brainboxes and Ingenico
-
centric retailer, JRC , gets Jellingspot enabled…
November 1, 2004 | Midletsoft
-
with Enhanced , CD-Like Stereo Sound and New Profiles
November 1, 2004 | Broadcom Corporation
-
of its Bluetooth® Solution by Leading Taiwan Bluetooth Vendors
November 1, 2004 | Broadcom Corporation
-
October 25, 2004 | palmOne, Inc
-
October 20, 2004 | IVT Corporation
-
October 18, 2004 | Clarity Technologies Inc.
-
October 18, 2004 | Clarity Technologies Inc.