How does Bluetooth technology work
A Bluetooth
device works by using radio waves instead of wires or cables to connect with
your cell phone, smartphone or computer. Bluetooth is a wireless short-range communications technology standard found in millions of
products we use every day – including headsets, smartphones, laptops and
portable speakers.
Bluetooth technology is a
short-range wireless communications technology to replace the cables connecting electronic devices, allowing a person to have a
phone conversation via a headset, use a wireless mouse and synchronize
information from a mobile phone to a PC, all using the same core system.
Bluetooth Basics
How Bluetooth Works Applications and Advantages
Bluetooth technology
used for communication between a single master device and maximum of 7 slave
devices, within 30 metres, Bluetooth works by the simple principle of sending
and receiving data in the form of
radio waves. Every Bluetooth enabled device has a card-like attachment known as
the Bluetooth adapter. It is this Bluetooth adapter that sends and receives
data. A Bluetooth adapter has a particular range of connection. Bluetooth working & principle. Bluetooth is a
technology whereby devices communicate wirelessly to achieve data transfer at
the rate of 720 kbps within a range of 10 to 100 meters. Now, about how Bluetooth works. Bluetooth Special
Interest Group manages and maintains the Bluetooth Standard.
Many Bluetooth devices that you may already use
- Smartwatches
- Fitness Trackers
- Game Controllers
- Headsets
- Smart Home Devices
- Wireless Keyboard
- Printers
- Virtual Reality Headsets
- Selfie Sticks
- Segway
Depending on who you ask, Bluetooth wireless technology’s history starts
over one thousand years ago, in the Second World War, or in the early 90s. The
name is the link to the distant past. “Bluetooth” is derived from the nickname
of King Harald Blåtand a Dane who (somewhat violently) brought together warring
factions in what are now Denmark, Norway, and Sweden into a single kingdom.
King Harald reigned from 958 to 986 and got his nickname from his penchant for
eating blueberries - although the less charitable claim his teeth were dyed
blue from chewing the (presumably frozen) flesh of his slain enemies.
However, the frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) technique upon
which Bluetooth wireless technology bases its communication protocol is
accredited to a patent issued in August 1942. Entitled “Secret Communication
System,” the patent details a FHSS technique for a radio-controlled torpedo.
Because the radio signals hopped across the radio spectrum, an enemy couldn’t
jam the signal.
The most notable aspect of the patent – apart from the fact that the
U.S. Navy didn’t follow it up because it mentions a piano keyboard as part of
the explanation and the top brass thought that an actual musical instrument
would have to be fitted into each weapon––is that it was taken out in the name
of Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, better known as Hedy Lamarr, the beautiful
Hollywood actress. Lamarr, together with co-inventor George Antheil, a pianist
and Hollywood composer, first came up with the concept of frequency hopping.
(It’s probably no coincidence given Antheil’s musical training that their
system used 88 different carrier frequencies, equal to the number of keys on a
piano.)
The birth of the SIG
But it is to 1994 that Bluetooth wireless technology really traces its
roots. That year, Ericsson, the Swedish telecommunications company, came up
with the idea of replacing the tangle of RS-232 cables that were then commonly
used to communicate between instruments with an RF-based ‘wireless’
alternative.
Other companies including Intel and Nokia had also hit on the idea of
wirelessly linking cellphones and computers at around the same time. In turn
each company realised that to have any chance of universal interoperability
(allowing products from different companies to connect because they used a
common RF protocol) the technology would need to be standardised and driven by
a Special Interest Group (SIG). The companies met at the Ericsson plant in
Lund, Sweden, in December 1996 to agree on the formation of a SIG.
According to electronics trade magazine EETimes, it was at that meeting that the
technology got its name when an Intel engineer called Jim Kardach suggested the
codename “Bluetooth” seemed fitting. He explained that just as as King Harald
had brought together warring tribes the companies would be uniting cellphones,
computers, headsets and any other devices that could support a wireless link.
The suggestion was that Bluetooth would continue to be used until the marketing
people came up with something better. They never did. The Bluetooth logo also
owes its formation to King Harald being made up of the runes (letters of the
ancient Germanic alphabet used by the Danes) forming his initials.
The Bluetooth SIG was officially formed with five companies
- Ericsson
- Nokia
- Intel
- Toshiba
- IBM
in 1998 and Version 1 of the technology was launched a year later. By
2005, Version 2.0 (with Enhanced Data Rate) had been ratified, the SIG had
welcomed its 4,000th member and shipments had reached 5 million per week
(doubling just one year later).
Then in June 2007, the Bluetooth SIG acquired the Wibree Alliance, a
Nokia-led initiative that included Nordic Semiconductor and which had set out
to develop an ultra low power (ULP) form of wireless connectivity – using much
less power the Bluetooth wireless technology – that could communicate with
cellphones.
Nordic and others brought their expertise in ULP wireless connectivity
to the SIG enabling it to develop a form of Bluetooth wireless technology –
initially dubbed ultra low power Bluetooth and later Bluetooth low energy –
that complemented the existing version but could run using coin cell batteries.
In 2010 the latest version of Bluetooth wireless technology, Version
4.0, (which included Bluetooth low energy as a hallmark element) was ratified
and soon after the two types of chip described in the core specification
Bluetooth v4.0 and Bluetooth low energy ICs became available.
Today, Bluetooth wireless technology is incorporated into billions of
chips in thousands of applications, and Bluetooth low energy extends its
usefulness to a huge new sector of devices powered by coin cell batteries.
After nearly two decades of development, cumulative Bluetooth product shipments
have passed 2.5 billion, membership has reached 19,000 and the technology is
maturing into a product that has a very bright future indeed.
EDITOR'S PICK
Qualcomm vs Apple: the race to own Bluetooth audio
In 1988 the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) was formed, which to
this day publishes and promotes the standard and its subsequent revisions.
Bluetooth SIG initially only included Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Nokia, and Toshiba,
but reached 4,000 members by the end of its first year. The group now contains
over 30,000 member companies at various levels of influence.
The first consumer Bluetooth launched in 1999. It was a hands-free mobile
headset which earned the technology the “Best of Show Technology
Award” at COMDEX. The Bluetooth 1.0 specification also officially
launched that year, leading to the release of the first Bluetooth-equipped
chipsets, dongles, mice, wireless PC cards, and mobile phone in 2000. The first
Bluetooth mobile phone was the Sony Ericsson T36, but it was the revised
T39 model which actually made it to store shelves in 2001. It offered customers
a 101 x 54 Monochrome LCD display, tri-band GSM connectivity, WAP internet,
and enough memory to store up to 1,000 contacts.
Bluetooth 1.x
Bluetooth v1.0 and v1.0B were plagued with problems, compatibility
issues, and, by today’s standards, a very slow maximum data of 1 Mbps. Only
devices that belong to the museum use the first generation of Bluetooth, so
there’s no chance of you actually encountering one in your local electronics
store.
Bluetooth 2.x
After a few additional revisions of the first generation of Bluetooth,
the Bluetooth Special Interest Group released Bluetooth v2.0 in 2004. It
featured an Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) for faster data transfer speeds of up to 3
Mbit/s and became the most popular variant.
Bluetooth 3.x
In 2009, the Bluetooth SIG adopted Bluetooth v3.0 + HS.
The HS stands for High-Speed, allowing for theoretical data
transfer speeds of up to 24 Mbit/s. This is possible because Bluetooth 3.0
allows applications to run over an alternate radio, like the one used by Wi-Fi
devices. Other notable enhancements include the introduction of Enhanced
Retransmission Mode (ERTM), the use of alternative MAC and PHYs for
transporting Bluetooth profile data, and various updates to the power control
feature. Bluetooth 3.0, also known as high speed, is significantly faster
than Bluetooth 2.0. Many wireless headphones operate with 3.0 technology which
allows for a faster transfer rate at 20 megabits per second, as well as
enhanced power control.
This means that a smartphone can adjust to operate at the minimum power
level needed to still retain a quality connection with your wireless
headphones. Moreover, while still increasing the power if the Bluetooth
connection if you were to move the phone further from the headphones.
Bluetooth 4.x
Finally, in 2010, Bluetooth v4.0 introduced the support for collecting
data from Low Energy (LE) devices. This new feature was aimed specifically at
the health care, fitness, beacons, security, and home entertainment industries,
and its impact is all around us. Basically, every wearable device or smart home
appliance you buy uses Bluetooth low energy (also marketed as Bluetooth Smart)
to reduce its power consumption and, at the same time, maintain a similar
communication range to the older generation of Bluetooth.
Additional revisions of Bluetooth v 4.0—Bluetooth v 4.1 and Bluetooth v
4.2—introduced certain key features for the internet of things, including
privacy updates via firmware, increased co-existence support for LTE, bulk data
exchange rates, and many others.
When Bluetooth 4.0 was developed, the upgrade boasted a number of
additional features like improved connectivity and range. However, what is most
advantageous for audiophiles and really anyone especially interested in the
internet of things is the Low Energy protocol.
Bluetooth 4.1
Bluetooth Low Energy protocol means you can rock your wireless Bluetooth
headphones a lot longer. Bluetooth LE allows smart devices to remain connected
for longer periods of time without draining the battery. Bluetooth 4.1 took LE
to another level. The 4.1 technology, which is currently featured in headphones
like the MEE x7 Plus earbuds and others, can better manage their power and that
of the device they are paired to by automatically powering up and down based on
a power plan. Older versions of Bluetooth technology often interfered with
other wireless technology, like 4G LTE communication, but the latest
development was also made to fix that problem.
Bluetooth 4.2
The latest iteration of Bluetooth is 4.2 technology. According to CSR , point two upgrade is said to dramatically increase speed 2.6x faster which
means super speedy downloads that compared to older Bluetooth versions. I doubt
whether there is any opposition to this feature. In addition privacy upgrades
have been included, meaning system’s like Apple’s iBeacon can’t automatically
track you unless you have enabled the system to do so with your device. Hmm…
sounds like anti-Apple stalking technology.
The 4.2 technology is currently featured in the iPhone 6.
Bluetooth 5.0
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group announced Bluetooth
v5 in June 2016. According to their press release, Bluetooth v5 “will be called
Bluetooth 5 and will include significantly increased range, speed, and
broadcast messaging capacity.” The goal is to “deliver robust, reliable
Internet of Things (IoT) connections that make full-home and building and
outdoor use cases a reality.”
Bluetooth 5 will transform the way people experience the IoT by making
it something that happens simply and seamlessly around them, said Mark Powell,
executive director of the Bluetooth SIG. Powell expects Bluetooth 5 to “make
beacons, location awareness, and other connectionless services an even more relevant
part of an effortless and seamless IoT experience.” The release of Bluetooth 5
is expected to happen either late this year or early next year.
