Bluetooth is but one of a number of new wireless networking technologies operating under Part 15 of the FCC Rules.  Bluetooth is not a product name per se, but is a consortium of companies that are committed to developing a standard of the same name, and to market products adhering to that standard.  The vast majority of these devices, Bluetooth included, are designed to operate as unlicensed Part 15 devices IN THE AMATEUR BANDS, specifically 2.4 GHz.  The actual band of operation is 2400 MHz to 2483.5 MHz, but the amateur allocation actually ends at 2450 MHz.  The forthcoming problem is not so much the nature of the devices, as they operate under strict emission and power levels, but the sheer number of devices predicted to be in use soon.  This is not something to worry about in the future, it is something to worry about NOW, as the industry predicts 58 million devices in use worldwide by year end, with a forecast of several billion in use by 2004.  The industry sees the potential for noise and interference due to saturation in the 2.4 GHz band and are already working on prototypes in higher bands that also encompass amateur allocations.

 

The following article is ©2000 Portablelife.com Inc. and is reprinted with permission.

 

Everyone seems to be talking about Bluetooth. It's in the high-tech headlines. Companies brag about it. But what the heck is it, exactly?

Bluetooth is a technology that uses short-range radio to transfer data. Its job is to make it easy for gadgets like phones, pocket computers, laptops and so on to talk to each other and do it cheaply, without draining a device's batteries. 

Bluetooth is not a product. It's a specification, or set of instructions, for companies to use when making products so that those products work together. The specification is promoted by Intel, IBM, Toshiba, Ericsson, Nokia, Microsoft, Motorola, Lucent and 1,882 associate member companies. These companies have banded together to form the Bluetooth Special Interest Group to evangelize and enforce the spec. More than 1,300 companies are currently building Bluetooth support into their products, so widespread support for the technology is a foregone conclu

Right now, there's a trickle of Bluetooth-capable gadgets coming out. Soon there will be a flood. 

The closest thing currently in use that's like Bluetooth is an older technology called infrared. You'll find infrared technology in your laptop, Palm organizer, Windows CE handheld and other gadgets. Infrared uses flickering beams of light invisible to humans to send data from one device to another. But because it's light, two devices have to be pointed at each other in order for the technology to work. Bluetooth is better because it doesn't require pointing and shooting - the communication goes in all directions. Here's a more detailed comparison of infrared and Bluetooth. 

Bluetooth products will contain Bluetooth microchips, which have very small, built-in transceivers. Within the next couple of years, you'll find Bluetooth chips built into: 

Phones: One phone will function as a landline phone at home and in the office, but a cell phone when you're outside. Use a headset with your cell phone or home phone without plugging in. Your phone will identify you at security checkpoints at the office and elsewhere. Walk up to a soda machine and get a cold drink without putting any money in. Your Visor will identify you via Bluetooth, and the coke machine bills your credit card.

Handheld organizers: Instead of placing your pocket computer into a cradle to synchronize it with your desktop computer, Bluetooth would enable them to sync whenever they get within 30 feet of each other, automatically and without any action on your part. 

Laptops: Wireless connection? Just open your laptop and log on. It'll connect to the 'net via that cell phone in your pocket. When you're in the office, you'll connect to the company network. 

Other devices: Some companies would love to build Bluetooth chips into homes, offices, cars, toll booths, airplanes - wherever data flows and security and identification are important. 

All the Bluetooth wrinkles haven't been ironed out yet. What happens, for example, if Bluetooth is successful, and everybody's using it? If you're in a room full of people and want to exchange virtual business cards, how to you keep everyone in the room from getting your phone number? And if you can beam messages, so can McDonalds. What's to prevent companies from Bluetooth-spamming you everywhere you go?

While the industry works on those and other issues, you can take action to prepare for Bluetooth as well. For example, next time you buy an organizer, consider one with an expansion slot. For example, the Palm Vx does not have expansion capability, but the Handspring Visor does. Companies like Widcomm are already working on Bluetooth Springboard modules.

The same goes for your next laptop and phone purchase: Check to see which options support Bluetooth. Because once you get one device with Bluetooth, you're going to want more.

And keep checking Portable Life for additional news about Bluetooth. It's a technology that will change your life.



W2XX's home