What is bluetooth?

Get the latest on wired & wireless, talk network setups, get help with connectivity problems, web hosts, etc.
Post Reply
sh_ithe_ad
Sargeant at Arms
Posts: 244
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2003 4:28 pm

What is bluetooth?

Post by sh_ithe_ad » Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:13 am

This is an extreme noob question but this forum could do with a bit more traffic so I'll ask it here anyway. What exactly is bluetooth and what are its advantage over normal cellphones?

I read the wiki entry on it so I know its a protocol but what advantages does it offer over normal cellphone protocol? I'm not trying to get a simple answer here I'm just trying to get a little discussion about bluetooth going because I'm interested in it.

User avatar
IceDane
Because I Can
Posts: 2652
Joined: Wed May 12, 2004 9:25 am

Re: What is bluetooth?

Post by IceDane » Sat Nov 29, 2008 11:29 am

You are asking the wrong question. You wouldn't ask: "What is an apple, and how is it better than an orange?" - they are two different things and cannot be compared.

Bluetooth, in short, is a wireless protocol that can be used to send data over short distances. It is so dominant in cell phones as it is designed for low power consumption(Note that for a normal laptop, the wireless card is often one of the things that consumes most power).
The reason why you cannot compare the the GSM and 3G protocols to bluetooth is that they are designed for different things. Bluetooth is not designed to be the protocol used to communicate with the phone provider, but to send data between two mobile devices wirelessly without consuming all the power.
Although, you might have posed a valid question to some extent - The reason you would rather send data over bluetooth than through the cellular protocols is probably the bandwidth. I'm not sure and I really don't know much about cellphone communications, but I can't imagine that they are extremely fast.

sh_ithe_ad
Sargeant at Arms
Posts: 244
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2003 4:28 pm

Re: What is bluetooth?

Post by sh_ithe_ad » Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:41 am

Ah thanks for clearing that up. Now I'm really interested in it. So you don't need to relay the signal off service providers towers? Does this mean you can communicate wirelessly for free (like a radio)?

User avatar
IceDane
Because I Can
Posts: 2652
Joined: Wed May 12, 2004 9:25 am

Re: What is bluetooth?

Post by IceDane » Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:40 pm

sh_ithe_ad wrote:Ah thanks for clearing that up. Now I'm really interested in it. So you don't need to relay the signal off service providers towers? Does this mean you can communicate wirelessly for free (like a radio)?
Well, to an extent. Just like any other wireless device capable of broadcasting signals, you are able to send whatever data you want, be it streamed audio or not, provided you have the right software. Most phones only support sending files and perhaps messages, however.

Don't take me up on this, but I have a feeling bluetooth will be extinct since most phones are getting closer and closer to modern computers, and most of those have wireless cards(Meaning 802.11x) installed, which effectively removes the need for bluetooth.

User avatar
stasik
Guru
Posts: 525
Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:38 am
Location: dublin

Re: What is bluetooth?

Post by stasik » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:00 pm

bluetooth is like infra red but its not a beam but waves the same as ur microwave waves. the range of bluetooth is 10 meters, its very slow and is one way (like radieo, when u wanna talk u have to pres button => u talk, or u listen not both, not like phones where both persons can talk in the same time). and it does not depend on gsm connectivity. bluetooth is every there, mobile pfones, wireless mouse, laptops, car radio, etc. most importanthe bluetooth is a free frequency. if u create a thing to use bluetooth, u dont have to pay for licence.
advantages: free, low power consumption
disadvantages: speed, distance

Smiley
Sargeant at Arms
Posts: 238
Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2004 12:29 pm

Re: What is bluetooth?

Post by Smiley » Tue Dec 02, 2008 4:37 pm

stasik wrote:and is one way (like radieo, when u wanna talk u have to pres button => u talk, or u listen not both, not like phones where both persons can talk in the same time).
Actually it supports both full duplex and half duplex, one of the uses of bluetooth is to have a wireless phone that then uses a base (which is plugged into your phone socket) to communicate phone calls. You'd obviously need full duplex in this case. However there is only one master and several slaves in a piconet; the slaves are not aloud to communicate without the master telling them to do so. Perhaps this is what you meant.

Perhaps the most obvious advantage of using bluetooth over phone protocols is that it does not use the telephone network, helping to keep the network congestion free.

User avatar
stasik
Guru
Posts: 525
Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:38 am
Location: dublin

Re: What is bluetooth?

Post by stasik » Tue Dec 02, 2008 5:19 pm

smiley, thanks for clarifying that.
even if it was possible to increase the distance and make phone conversations, how do you know who is who?? network stations hold a list of numbers, attached to each individual (sim card). would be nice to have a multiple bluetooth devices, with unique name. the u send request "who is XXX". an xxx would reply "me!!", then u could communicate to xxx using other devices. network stations are capable even on transferring u to another station while u talk and move. i think i saw small devices, like pals, with keypad, which could write messages and send them to other devices. but bluetooth have many security issues...

Smiley
Sargeant at Arms
Posts: 238
Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2004 12:29 pm

Re: What is bluetooth?

Post by Smiley » Wed Dec 03, 2008 9:37 am

Each device has a 48 bit unique address for Bluetooth.

limberly
n00b
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2009 6:11 am

Re: What is bluetooth?

Post by limberly » Fri Jun 26, 2009 1:05 am

How do i connect a bluetooth headset to a unlocked phone? I have a Samsung SCH-V890 and i want to connect to it a Bluetooth which is Motorola...The phone (Samsung SCH-V890) is for Cingular and i unlocked it for T-Mobile....Does that have to do with any Bluetooth connecting to it? The reason being is that i can connect my phone to other phones but just not to a headset. Please Help!! Thank You.
___________
keyword research ~ keyword tool ~ keyword tracking ~ affiliate elite
Last edited by limberly on Sat Jun 27, 2009 11:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
stasik
Guru
Posts: 525
Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:38 am
Location: dublin

Re: What is bluetooth?

Post by stasik » Fri Jun 26, 2009 1:19 pm

it makes no difference if the phone is licked or not. in order to connect any devide to ur phone, turn the device into pairing mode. read the manual for ur device, but usually it is done by pressing and keeping pressed the ON button. after that, search for active devices with ur phone. when the phone will find the device, it will try to pair to it. u ll need to input a password. u should find the pass/pin in ur manual, but usually its 1234, or 1122, or 0000... after that ur device is connected to ur phone and will automatically connect every time u ll turn ur device on.

Post Reply