The origin of the name Bluetooth is a bit unusual. In the late tenth-century, the Viking king of Denmark and Norway was Harald Blaatand (or Bluetooth). His claim to fame was unifying the warring tribes of Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Centuries later and in keeping with the spirit of unification, a prominent Swedish telecom company called Ericsson developed the Bluetooth technology in 1994 to unify conflicting mobile phone and computer technologies to enhance connectivity among mobile devices.

So what's Bluetooth? Technically, Bluetooth is a low-power-consumption wireless technology that enables users to connect to a variety of devices, such as digital cameras, notebook PCs, mobile devices, audio equipment and printers, without the need for cables. Connecting two or more devices creates a personal area network (PAN), also known as a piconet. Bluetooth leverages short-range wireless technology—generally within a 30-foot range—to create a PAN, making wireless communications fast and simple.

Wireless connectivity issues can arise between differing electronic devices all speaking different "languages," which can impact consumers who depend heavily on uninterrupted, seamless connections. Bluetooth enables you to conduct business in a cable-free, on-the-go manner, at any time and from anywhere.

Today, as the popularity and demand for mobile devices and cable-free connections continues to increase, the need to make all of these technologies communicate and work together is vitally important. As a result, Bluetooth's automatic and wireless capabilities satisfy many of our connectivity needs.

How can Bluetooth benefit my business?

Bluetooth supports and improves mobility, saving you time by enabling you to quickly create connections between devices. The following are some popular applications for Bluetooth technology:

• File transfers: You can exchange photos and documents between handheld devices, and between those devices and computers, over Bluetooth connections.
• Printing: A Bluetooth-enabled printer enables you to print documents or images directly from a notebook PC, camera phone or digital camera, without the need for a cable.
• Keyboards and mice: You can use a Bluetooth-enabled keyboard and mouse with your computer to eliminate a few cables.

• Wireless headsets: A wireless headset enables you to safely talk on the phone while driving, keeping both hands on the wheel. You can place and receive calls with the push of a button or using voice commands, depending on your headset and phone model.

Wireless headsets are also popular for hands-free phone conversations in and out of the office. For example, the convenience of a headset enables you to take notes or check information on your computer or handheld device during a phone conversation.

• Car kits: Several manufacturers offer hands-free car kits, which enable you to voice-operate your cell phone and talk on the phone through your car's audio system. Many car kits display caller IDs, pictures and other information on a screen mounted on the dashboard.

The use of wireless devices and their accessories may be prohibited or restricted in certain areas. Always obey the laws and regulations regarding the use of these products.

• Handheld navigation: Portable global positioning system (GPS) devices are available with Bluetooth built in, enabling you connect to a personal digital assistant (PDA), a Smartphone or notebook PC running navigation software.

• Wireless access points: With Bluetooth wireless access points you can use a notebook PC or PDA to access the internet and send and receive email. Some models include a universal serial bus (USB) port to enable printing to a USB-connected printer.

Comparing Bluetooth to other wireless technologies

Businesses can take advantage of various Bluetooth applications, and for good reason. Some of Bluetooth's main advantages are that it's:

• Automatic
• Inexpensive
• Wireless

But Bluetooth isn't the only wireless technology available—infrared (IR) and Wi-Fi technologies play a significant role also.

Understanding Bluetooth and infrared

IR refers to light waves of a lower frequency than the human eye can receive and interpret signals. You encounter infrared each time you use your television remote control, for example. Although IR wireless communications are inexpensive and easy for manufacturers to incorporate into devices, this technology has its downsides. For example:

• IR generally works only between two devices at a time—you can't simultaneously send information from one IR-enabled device to many IR-enabled devices.
• IR is a "line-of-sight" technology that cannot penetrate walls, requiring an open path between devices. For example, you have to point your remote control to your DVD player or your television for it to operate the device.

Bluetooth solves problems that are inherent with IR technology. By using Bluetooth, you can communicate with multiple devices that are within range, without being in a direct line of sight to operate.

Comparing Bluetooth and Wi-Fi

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are both wireless technologies that use the 2.45 gigahertz (GHz) radio frequency but serve different purposes in wireless networking. Wi-Fi has a stronger signal, covers greater distances and provides higher throughput. These enhanced capabilities make Wi-Fi an excellent complement to or replacement for wired local area networks (LANs). However, Wi-Fi also requires more expensive hardware and a more complicated setup configuration compared to Bluetooth, in addition to using more power.

Although Bluetooth and Wi-Fi operate on the same frequency range, they use different multiplexing schemes to avoid communication collisions.

Now that you understand common uses of Bluetooth technology and how it differs from IR and Wi-Fi, read on to learn about the evolution of Bluetooth's specification and features.

When Jaap Haartsen and Sven Mattisson developed the Bluetooth specification in1994, both were employees at Ericsson Mobile Platforms. They based the Bluetooth specification on a technology known as frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS), which is a method of transmitting signals by quickly switching frequency channels during transmission. The advantages of using FHSS include:

• Resistance to narrowband interference
• Increased security by decreasing the probability of intercepting signals—intercepting FHSS signals is difficult
• Shared frequency bands with other transmission types results in little interference

In 1998, during the early stages of Bluetooth specification development, a Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) was established by several large telecommunications and information technology vendors, formalizing the specifications developed by Haartsen and Mattisson. Today, more than 8,000 member companies and organizations around the world participate in the Bluetooth SIG.

Exploring Bluetooth versions

The early days of Bluetooth included versions 1.0 and 1.0B, which made Bluetooth communications possible but presented device incompatibility issues that delayed widespread use of the technology. The SIG resolved many of the problems with the release of version 1.1, which added support for non-encrypted channels as well as Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), a measurement of power in received radio signals.

Bluetooth version 1.2 included a number of feature enhancements, including a faster transmission speed of up to 1 megabits per second (Mbps), improved resistance to radio frequency interference, the Host Controller Interface (HCI) and support for three-wire Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART), among other features. In addition, version 1.2 was backward-compatible with version 1.1.

The next version of Bluetooth offered many improvements over the previous versions. Launched by the SIG in 2004, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR incorporates an Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) of up to 3.0 Mbps, lower power consumption, more bandwidth and is also backward-compatible with version 1.1.

Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR caused confusion in the marketplace when released. Many vendors began promoting their equipment simply as "Bluetooth 2.0," which technically means the equipment is version 1.2 with bug fixes and doesn't necessarily include EDR's faster transfer rates. The only way to ensure a device is fully compliant with Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR is to carefully read the device's specification sheet.

This brings us to the current Bluetooth version as of this writing, 2.1 + EDR, which is also completely backward-compatible to version 1.1. In 2007, the Bluetooth SIG adopted version 2.1, which includes the following features:

• Sniff subrating: Reduces power consumption and/or battery life by three to 10 times when devices are set to sniff power mode, particularly on human interface devices such as keyboards, mice, joysticks, trackballs and so on
• Near Field Communication (NFC) cooperation: Automatically pairs two Bluetooth devices when they're brought within close proximity to one another, such as 1 inch, or tapped together
• Secure simple pairing (SSP): Improves the simplicity and security of the pairing process, using public key cryptography called Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) to avoid eavesdropping attacks
• Extended inquiry response: Provides more details early in the connection process, enabling better filtering; details include the list of services the device supports, the name of the device, time of day and pairing information
• Encryption pause resume: For purposes of stronger security, enables an encryption key to be refreshed while devices remain connected longer than 23.3 hours, which is equal to one Bluetooth day.

Now that you've explored Bluetooth from its inception, let's move on to how Bluetooth works.

Bluetooth-enabled devices are programmed so that when they come into range of one another, they conduct an electronic communication. First, they determine which device is in control (called the master). Once the communication has completed, the Bluetooth devices form a piconet, or PAN, which is an ad hoc network of devices equipped with Bluetooth technology within a range of about 30 feet. A piconet has one master device to which seven active slave devices can connect.

Imagine two office cubicles side by side, each with a personal computer, keyboard, mouse and printer. Each device is equipped with Bluetooth and is capable of creating its own piconet to talk between the master device and slaves. In addition, each device is programmed with an address that falls within a range of addresses designed for that particular device. The various devices engage in the same operation, linking up with like devices.

There could be several independent piconets operating with no difficulties, because each changes its frequency of operation thousands of times per second. If there is confusion, it happens within a fraction of a second, and the devices' software immediately corrects any problems.

When a foreign device tries to communicate with a piconet without being configured as a master or slave to that specific network, it's ignored.

Bluetooth-enabled devices communicate on the same 2.45 GHz radio frequency as many other devices and appliances, such as microwave ovens. However, Bluetooth devices avoid collisions with those devices by sending out weaker signals—around 1 milliwatt (mW).

Understanding Bluetooth profiles

A Bluetooth profile is a wireless specification that governs how one Bluetooth device provides a certain service or communicates specifically with another Bluetooth device. For example, a Bluetooth printer profile contains information about receiving files and printing text and graphics. Bluetooth devices supporting the same profile can exchange data with one another; therefore, a mobile phone and wireless audio headset would support the same profile. Many Bluetooth profiles are available, and each device uses a subset of profiles that are appropriate to the services it provides. Table 1-1 lists some common Bluetooth profiles.

Table 1: Common Bluetooth profiles.

Check each device's user manual to see which Bluetooth profile(s) it supports.

Creating Bluetooth connections

The process for establishing a Bluetooth connection between devices is simple and follows these general steps:

1. Power on each device and enable Bluetooth connectivity.
2. Put each device in Bluetooth discoverable mode.
3. Pair the devices to create a trusted relationship.

The specific instructions vary for different devices, so check your user guide for details. However, there are some common principles and processes that apply across all devices, which are described in the following sections.

Handheld devices

For most Bluetooth-enabled devices, there's no need to install additional software or hardware. You just launch the connectivity configuration on the device's user interface, and then turn on Bluetooth, which activates the device's Bluetooth radio. Ensure the device is in discoverable mode and wait for it to identify other devices within range that are visible and in discoverable mode.

After turning on Bluetooth on a handheld device, a Bluetooth symbol appears on the device's screen. The built-in Bluetooth software should enable you to change the device name, discovery mode and authentication details for connecting with other devices.

Headsets

Bluetooth headsets are some of the easiest devices to pair with. Just turn on a PDA and a Bluetooth headset, enable discoverable mode on the PDA and wait for it to find the headset and then select the appropriate command on the PDA to accept the pairing. Once the devices are paired and trusted, they'll automatically find each other in the future after you power them on and bring them within range of one another.

Computers

Depending on your computer's operating system, different Bluetooth configurations apply. Most modern operating systems include Bluetooth drivers that support Bluetooth profiles.

The following are common operating systems and the processes for connecting Bluetooth:

• Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) and earlier: Older computers without built-in Bluetooth connectivity require an add-on card or dongle, and you must install the driver software that comes with your Bluetooth product. The driver software is equipped with utilities to configure the Bluetooth properties as well as to communicate and authenticate with other devices on the Bluetooth network.

Bluetooth add-on cards and dongles are explained in the next section.

• Windows XP SP2 and later: These Windows versions have built-in Bluetooth support. Just click the Bluetooth icon in the system tray to access all of the Bluetooth network utilities. In Windows Vista, for example, the Bluetooth Devices dialog box appears. Click Add on the Devices tab to start a wizard that searches for and connects to other Bluetooth devices.
• Linux: For Bluetooth to operate on a Linux box, you must have a recent Linux kernel and install the BlueZ Bluetooth support package (stack) from a command line. If you're using the KDE or GNOME desktops, you can download the KDE Bluetooth Framework or GNOME Bluetooth packages to run on top of the BlueZ stack. These packages provide graphical user interface (GUI) Bluetooth network utilities.

Adapters

Some computers and related peripherals don't come with built-in Bluetooth connectivity. If your device has a USB or Secure Digital (SD) port, you can buy a Bluetooth USB adapter, called a dongle, or Bluetooth add-on card to provide Bluetooth capabilities. Once the dongle or card is installed, the procedures for making Bluetooth connections are similar to devices with embedded Bluetooth connectivity.

A detailed look at pairing

To ensure security and privacy over a Bluetooth connection, it's necessary to authenticate Bluetooth devices before sharing information. To achieve this, the device generally prompts the owner to acknowledge a pop-up alert before letting the data access the network.

You establish a trusted relationship between two Bluetooth devices by pairing them. To accomplish this, the Bluetooth utility software should have a menu item called Pair/Set up New Device or something similar. The device then searches all devices in proximity and asks you to select the device from the search results. You should then be prompted for the security code, which is the default code that came with the device or a unique code you entered when you initiated the device. Once the security is confirmed, the two devices are paired.

Now that you're familiar with connecting Bluetooth devices, the next section explores some of the attacks that can occur over Bluetooth connections and how to protect your personal information and device against these attacks.

Security is important in any wireless network, and the Bluetooth specification was designed with security in mind. Making Bluetooth connections with authentication and pairing are common methods for certain tasks and create a reasonably secure environment. However, as with all technology, some devices are still vulnerable to attacks.

Whereas some hackers pose nothing more than a nuisance, malicious hackers may attempt to steal your personal information or render your device useless. The bottom line is to ensure that you protect your Bluetooth devices from the following types of attacks:

• Bluejacking: A hacker creates a phone book entry or electronic business card with a short message in the Name field, such as "Hi there" or "You've been bluejacked," and sends a text message to another Bluetooth user within range. The message displays on the receiver's screen, causing concern.
• Bluesnarfing: A hacker uses special equipment to gain control of your Bluetooth device to steal data or overwrite information.
• Bluebugging: This type of attack involves hacking into a Bluetooth device without notifying or alerting the user and using the commands of that device. A hacker can place phone calls, eavesdrop, send and receive text messages and connect to the internet—all without the owner's knowledge.

Bluejacking is usually harmless and can be avoided by rejecting or deleting the message. In addition, you can protect your Bluetooth device against all of these attacks by turning off your Bluetooth radio or setting your device to non-discoverable mode when not using an active Bluetooth connection. In addition, you can install a Bluetooth firewall or antivirus software.

Now that you understand Bluetooth's beginnings and how it operates, let's look at the future of Bluetooth.

Bluetooth's evolution is phenomenal, from being a simple cable replacement technology to supporting entire networks of devices. You can expect Bluetooth to continue to gain ground with the telecommunications industry, SIGs and standards bodies working toward expanding coverage areas up to 300 feet and increasing data rates to 100 Mbps (within a 30-foot range) and almost 500 Mbps (in very close proximity).

Bluetooth 3.0, code-named "Seattle" and currently under development, will also include these significant enhancements:

• Broadcast channel: This capability will create "information points" from which Bluetooth users pull information, moving away from the current object push model.
• Alternate MAC/PHY: This protocol will use 802.11 (Wi-Fi) connections to transport large amounts of data at high speed, returning to ordinary Bluetooth operation to conserve energy when the transfer is complete.
• Quality of Service (QoS): QoS improvements will enable video and audio data to be transmitted at a higher quality.
• Frequency range change: Bluetooth 3.0 will operate in the 6 to 9 GHz range but will be backward-compatible with devices operating in the current 2.45 GHz range.
• Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology: UWB will enable high bandwidth communications, such as video streaming from media servers.

The advancements in Bluetooth technology made over the last few years and those coming soon may greatly change the wireless landscape, affecting which primary technology everyone uses in business and for personal purposes.

In summary

Given the evolution of this technology, from version 1.0 through its current version of 2.1 + EDR and the planned 3.0, Bluetooth is well-established and here to stay. This quick lesson covered the major Bluetooth business and technology functions and capabilities. In particular, you learned how Bluetooth works, how to create Bluetooth connections and key differentiators between Bluetooth and other wireless technologies.