1.

INTRODUCTION

Look around you at the moment, you have your keyboard connected to the computer, as
well as a printer, mouse, monitor and so on. What (literally) joins all of these together?
They are connected by cables. Cables have become the bane of many offices, homes,
work places etc. Most of us have experienced the 'joys' of trying to figure out what cable
goes where, and getting tangled up in the details. The art of connecting things is
becoming more and more complex every day.

One way to overcome the usage of cables and wires is Infra Red Communication
.Infrared (IR) communication refers to light waves of a lower frequency than human eyes
can receive and interpret. Infrared is used in most television remote control systems.
Infrared communications are fairly reliable and don't cost very much to build into a
device, but there are a couple of drawbacks. First, infrared is a "line of sight" technology.
For example, you have to point the remote control at the television or DVD player to
make things happen. The second drawback is that infrared is almost always a "one to
one" technology i.e., you can send data between your desktop computer and your laptop
computer, but not your laptop computer and your PDA at the same time.

Here, we will look at a method of connecting devices, called Bluetooth, a cable-

replacement technology that can streamline the process and essentially aims to fix these
problems of Infra Red radiations. The technology got its unusual name in honor of Herald
Bluetooth, king of Denmark in the mid-tenth century. Bluetooth technology was first
developed by Ericsson. A Bluetooth connection is wireless and automatic, and it has a
number of interesting features that can simplify our daily lives. Lets have a over view of
Blue tooth technology.

1.1 DEFINITION:

Bluetooth is an industrial specification for wireless personal area networks (PAN),

through a short range radio technology. Bluetooth wireless technology makes it possible
to transmit signals over short ranges and exchange information and thereby simplify
communication and synchronization between devices between devices like mobile
phones, laptops, PCs, printers, digital cameras, and video game consoles over a secure,
globally unlicensed short-range radio frequency.

It is a global standard that:

1. Facilitates both data and voice communication.

2. Offers the possibility of ad hoc networks and delivers the ultimate synchronicity between
all your personal devices.

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 Fig1: Symbol of Bluetooth

Bluetooth radio uses a fast acknowledgement and frequency-hopping scheme to make the link
robust, even in noisy radio environments.

Fig2: Bluetooth chip

Fig3: Bluetooth headset Fig4: Bluetooth USB cable

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On a technical level, Bluetooth is an open specification for a cutting-edge technology that
enables short-range wireless connections between desktop and laptop computers and a
host of other peripheral devices - on a globally available frequency band (2.4 GHz) for
worldwide compatibility. The current version of Bluetooth is 2.0+EDR.

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 2.TECHNICAL DETAILS
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology used to create PANs (Personal Area
Networks) among your devices and with other nearby devices. Bluetooth requires that a
low-cost transceiver chip be included in each device. The transceiver transmits and
receives in a previously unused frequency band of 2.45 GHz that is available globally
(with some variation of bandwidth in different countries). In addition to data, up to three
voice channels are available. Each device has a unique 48-bit address from the IEEE 802
standard. Connections can be point-to-point or multipoint. The maximum range is 10
meters. Data can be exchanged at a rate of 1 megabit per second (up to 2 Mbps in the
second generation of the technology). A frequency hop scheme allows devices to
communicate even in areas with a great deal of electromagnetic interference. Built-in
encryption and verification is provided.

Bluetooth is essentially a networking standard that works at two levels:

 It provides agreement at the physical level -- Bluetooth is a radio-frequency

standard.
 It provides agreement at the protocol level, where products have to agree on when
bits are sent, how many will be sent at a time, and how the parties in a
conversation can be sure that the message received is the same as the message
sent

A number of devices may already take advantage of this same radio-frequency band.
Baby monitors, garage-door openers and the newest generation of cordless phones 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 design process.

One of the ways Bluetooth devices avoid interfering with other systems is by sending out
very weak signals of about 1 milliwatt. By comparison, the most powerful cell phones
can transmit a signal of 3 watts. The low power limits the range of a Bluetooth device to
about 10 meters (32 feet), cutting the chances of interference between your computer
system and your portable telephone or television or any other device. Even with the low
power, Bluetooth doesn't require line of sight between communicating devices. The walls
in your house won't stop a Bluetooth signal, making the standard useful for controlling
several devices in different rooms.

Bluetooth can connect up to eight devices simultaneously. With all of those devices in the
same 10-meter (32-feet) radius, you might think they'd interfere with one another, but it's
unlikely. Bluetooth uses a technique called spread-spectrum frequency hopping that
makes it rare for more than one device to be transmitting on the same frequency at the
same time. In this technique, a device will use 79 individual, randomly chosen
frequencies within a designated range, changing from one to another on a regular basis.

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 Fig5: Explains the Master-Slave coordination

In the case of Bluetooth, the transmitters change frequencies 1,600 times every second,
meaning that more devices can make full use of a limited slice of the radio spectrum.
Since every Bluetooth transmitter uses spread-spectrum transmitting automatically, it’s
unlikely that two transmitters will be on the same frequency at the same time. This same
technique minimizes the risk that portable phones or baby monitors will disrupt Bluetooth
devices, since any interference on a particular frequency will last only a tiny fraction of a
second.

When Bluetooth-capable devices come within range of one another, an electronic

conversation takes place to determine whether they have data to share or whether one
needs to control the other. The user doesn't have to press a button or give a command --
the electronic conversation happens automatically. Once the conversation has occurred,
the devices -- whether they're part of a computer system or a stereo -- form a network.
Bluetooth systems create a personal-area network (PAN), or piconet, that may fill a room
or may encompass no more distance than that between the cell phone on a belt-clip and
the headset on your head. Once a piconet is established, the members randomly hop
frequencies in unison so they stay in touch with one another and avoid other piconets that
may be operating in the same room.

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3.BLUETOOTH APPLICATIONS

Bluetooth provides support for three general application areas using short-range wireless
connectivity:

 Data and voice access points:

Bluetooth facilitates real-time voice and data transmissions by providing effortless

wireless connection of portable and stationary communications devices.

 Cable replacement:

Bluetooth eliminates the need for numerous, often proprietary cable attachments for
connection of practically any kind of communications device. Connections are instant
and are maintained even when devices are not within line of sight. The range of each
radio is approximately 10 m, but can be extended to 100 m with an optional amplifier.

 Ad hoc networking:

A device equipped with a Bluetooth radio can establish instant connection to another
Bluetooth radio as soon as it comes into range.Ad hoc networking means the network
that forms immediately based on the instruction or the information . When you get a
signal from one Bluetooth device to be connected to another then instantly a tiny
network forms between them. This is known as Ad hoc Networking.

Fig6: Configuraing different devices without cables.

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The following list represents only a small set of potential applications - in future many
more imaginative applications will come along:

 By installing a Bluetooth network in your office you can do away with the
complex and tedious task of networking between the computing devices, yet have
the power of connected devices. No longer would you be bound to fixed locations
where you can connect to the network. Each Bluetooth device could be connected
to 200 other devices making the connection of every device with every other
possible. Since it supports both point to point and point to multipoint it will
virtually make the maximum number of simultaneously linked devices unlimited.
 Use a Bluetooth GPS device for satellite navigation on your PDA, laptop or
mobile.
 If your digital cameras in Bluetooth enabled, you can send still or video images
from any location to any location without the hassle of connecting your camera to
the mobile phone on the wire line phone.

Fig7: A Bluetooth enabled watch

IBM researchers are working on a number of personal devices like a Watch Pad that
could be connected with other devices through Bluetooth. The Watch Pad is very thin
and contains 8MB of RAM. They are also working on a version of Cyber Phone called
Cyber Phone - that can project data onto a small mirror. The Cyber Phone can show as
much information as a small PDA because of high resolution VGA screen.

Retail and Mobile e-Commerce:

As Bluetooth wireless technology is incorporated in more personal mobile devices, it

enables new uses for those devices. One such use is that of a mobile device as a method
of payment for goods and services.

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Any terminal that is used for retail transactions could incorporate Bluetooth wireless
technology and thus connect to other Bluetooth devices to complete retail transactions.
For example, a mobile phone could connect to a soda machine over a Bluetooth link to
pay for a soda, or link to a kiosk at which you could buy a theater ticket. Similarly, a
mobile phone, PDA, or other device could be used to pay for goods and services using
Bluetooth communication links with a cash register. Indeed, through the use of Bluetooth
access points, entire shopping malls, arenas, grocery stores, restaurants, and other retail
areas could allow customers to perform financial transactions throughout the building.

Medical:

As the practice of medicine becomes more sophisticated and complex, new technology is
increasingly used in this area. Here we suggest three possible applications of Bluetooth
wireless technology in the medical domain (remote patient monitoring, wireless
biometric data, and medicine dispensers); certainly others are conceivable.

Patient monitoring of things like vital signs outside of typical medical environments
(such as hospitals) is becoming increasingly common. Patients may measure certain body
functions and periodically report these to a medical care provider. This can be done
electronically, and if so, might involve manual data entry or cables from the measuring
equipment; the data might then be transmitted over a dial-up network connection.
Bluetooth wireless technology can improve this process by automating the data transfer
from one device to another and making the transmission of the data more convenient,
using wireless dial-up networking. The biometric data collection could even use
Bluetooth links as described next.

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4.ADVANTAGES

Bluetooth is low power consuming and low processing with an overhead protocol. It
means that it is the best for integration with small battery powered devices. This means
Bluetooth wireless technology could take place in every device, machinery, robot etc.

Inbuilt Software:

If you have Bluetooth hardware in your mobile phone, PDA, GPS or headset, you
probably won't need to worry about installing special Bluetooth drivers - the software is
built-in and ready for use. If connecting to a PC, you'll need to install Bluetooth drivers.

Feature Simplicity:

You do not need to know much about technology in order to run Bluetooth. Anyone that
doesn’t have no knowledge about the new technology can still be able to use the
Bluetooth feature due to its simplicity and the ease of use. I think that the simplicity of it
and the fact that it's wire free makes it very widely used and utmost popular.

Free of Charge:

Best of all, you do not have to pay a penny for the service! It's not an extra cell phone or
cable bill that you have to add to your budget. Simply by the technology and you're done!
All you need to do is connect it with what you are using. There hasn't been any report on
it.

Wireless:

It allows you to stay cord free and do not have to worry about finding the correct place to
connect that extra long cord. Avoid having to have a ton of cords wherever you go. You
may still need a few cords but not as much as you would without Bluetooth. You can also
go to the internet wirelessly with this feature when you're out somewhere outside of your
home.

Rejecting the request through your phone:

Even though you are able to exchange data across your cell phones, you still have the
ability to keep your information private. In order to make a transfer or allow someone to
access the files on your phone, you will have to give them access by accepting or If you
have the Bluetooth feature enabled on your phone and not disabled while using it, others
that you may not even know request to send you a file.

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5.DISADVANTAGES

Battery Drain

Although Bluetooth is an energy efficient technology, it does slowly drain the battery of
your cellphone or other mobile device. When enabled Bluetooth continually scans for
signals, looking for new devices to connect with, but using energy in the process. Check
your device settings and turn Bluetooth off when you are not using the device.

Poor Security

Virtually every network technology has some security built into it to prevent hackers
from accessing your data without your permission. However, Bluetooth security is weak
compared to wi-fi and other wireless connections. An attacker can gain access to your
device through a Bluetooth connection.

Slow Data

All wireless technologies have limits on how fast they can transmit data , faster
connections means higher data consumption. Because Bluetooth is intended to be very
energy efficient it sends fata relatively slow. Although Bluetooth version 4 sends data at
much higher speed it is no replacement for wi-fi or other wireless technologies.

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6.CONCLUSION

The amazing technology of Bluetooth presents a great way of exchanging data between
two wireless devices. Unlike telephones, there are no wires or messy leads to worry
about. One can enjoy wireless communications with short distances of up to thirty feet.
Bluetooth also offers interoperability, meaning that one can use the portable Bluetooth
device to connect with existing Bluetooth points.

Bluetooth, a wireless solution for reducing the cable clutter of peripherals, is constantly
growing in popularity because of the convenience of exchanging information between
mobile devices. As Bluetooth usage rises, so do the security risks associated with the
technology but we are not up to the point regarding the Bluetooth security.

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7.REFERENCES

1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth
2) http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/bluetooth.htm
3) http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/bluetooth2.htm

4) http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci211680,00.html

5) http://www.mobileinfo.com/Bluetooth/FAQ.htm#g4

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