Bluetooth History and Uses

What is Bluetooth technology? Bluetooth technology is the global wireless standard enabling, convenient, secure connectivity for an expanding range of devices and serves. It is an essential element for bringing everyday objects into the connected world. Created by Ericsson in 1994, Bluetooth wireless technology was originally conceived as a wireless alternative to RS-232 data cables. Bluetooth technology exchanges data over short distances using radio transmissions.

When Was Bluetooth Invented? In 1994 a group of engineers at Ericsson, a Swedish company, invented a wireless communication technology, later called Bluetooth. In 1998, the original group of Promoter companies together to form the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG):

Early Bluetooth Problems Bluetooth, once trumpeted as the ultimate convenience, quickly proved a headache with plenty of pairing problems and inexplicable connection snafus. Questions: Have you ever used Bluetooth technology? How? Was it easy to make work? Did you hear about a news story where Bluetooth phones caused someone a problem?

How Devices Connect Component cables HDMI Cables Ethernet cables Wifi Infrared signals

And Bluetooth… A Bluetooth connection is wireless and automatic, and it has a number of interesting features that can simplify our daily lives. Bluetooth was created with the intent of streamlining the process of connecting devices, both wirelessly and automatically

Bluetooth can be used to… Connect phones to headsets for communication and music

Bluetooth can be used to… Transfer files between phones

Bluetooth can be used to… Connect phones and .mp3 players to home stereos for high-quality music playback

Bluetooth can be used to… Connect devices to your car’s stereo system.

Bluetooth can be used to… Connect printers and other devices

Bluetooth can be used to… Connect your fork to your phone to monitor your eating habits. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/video/ces-60-hapilabs-hapifork-18165513

Bluetooth can be used to… Monitor your brushing habits http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYNLmrnrv2g

How to connect… Connecting with Bluetooth is easier these days, than in the past. More recent Bluetooth devices “pair” more quickly/easily with other devices. Pairing: the process in which two Bluetooth devices communicate with each other through an established connection. The connection is made when a passkey is entered that both devices agree upon. Also sometimes referred to as “discovery mode.” Note: Passkeys are usually found in the manual.

The Pairing Process Often it's simple to connect two Bluetooth enabled devices—you don't even need instructions. However, there are tens of thousands of different Bluetooth enabled devices, from phones and headsets to cars and computers. If you run into any problems getting devices to work properly or pair with each other, learning a little about how Bluetooth technology works could help you fix the problem.

The Pairing Process The process of Bluetooth® pairing between a handphone and a headset, for example, is rather simple. It begins with placing your Bluetooth® device in discovery mode. When in this mode the Bluetooth® device is able to be detected by the handphone. When your Bluetooth® headset isn't being used you can turn it off to prevent other Bluetooth® devices from detecting it and compromising your privacy.

The Pairing Process Once the headset is in discovery mode, also known as Bluetooth® pairing mode, the handphone is programmed to find the headset. When detected, the Bluetooth® device's name will appear on the handphone. This will be the name it was originally programmed with or that you gave it.

The Pairing Process After Bluetooth® pairing has occurred, you will be required to enter a passkey. As previously mentioned, this passkey is found in the manual that comes with the Bluetooth® headset. Often times this passkey is either a zero, or a series of zeros. A secure connection is established when the headset receives the passkey and the two devices interact simultaneously.

Finding your drivers… A driver is a software program allowing a device to communicate with a computer. Without drivers, the devices connecting to your computer—phones, MP3 player, or digital camera—won't appear in your computer's list of connected devices and won't work with your computer. There is no such thing as a "Bluetooth driver." But if you have a Bluetooth enabled device, you may need a driver to get the device to work properly with your computer. Getting drivers and installing them depends on whether you have a Windows PC, a Macintosh, or another operating system. If your missing driver does not install automatically, then contact the device manufacturer, or search for an update.

Some devices will not pair Not all Bluetooth enabled devices are designed to be paired. Logically, there's no reason to connect a wireless mouse to a wireless headset. You should be able to pair a Bluetooth enabled headset to a Bluetooth enabled phone, or a Bluetooth enabled mouse to a Bluetooth enabled computer. If you're not sure whether the two devices you want to connect are designed to be paired with each other, make sure their Bluetooth profiles match.

What is Bluetooth Smart Ready? The Smart and Smart Ready designations indicate compatibility of products using the low energy feature of the Bluetooth v4.0 specification. 

What is Bluetooth Smart Ready? A Bluetooth Smart Ready product connects to both classic Bluetooth and Bluetooth Smart low energy products. A Smart Ready product is like a collector of data (smart phone or tablet receiving and display information in an application). By contrast, a Bluetooth Smart product collects data and runs for months or years on a tiny battery. Think of a Smart product as a sensor that works for a long time without changing the battery (like a fitness heart rate monitor).

Bluetooth 3.0 and 4.0 Improvements in v.3.0 and v.4.0 were significant. The range is about the same (70 meters), v.3.0 enabled speeds of 26Mps, compared to just 2Mps in v.2.1. This is fast enough for video streaming. V.4.0 added improvements energy efficiency, increasing it by 5 to 10 times. Added NFC (Near-Field Communication) compatibility, so devices can be tapped together to pair.