Bluetooth technology is a method of wireless that connects a device to another devise without the use of a cable. It is a radio interface that enables electronic devices to communicate with one another at a short range distance like 10 meters. Small, cheap radio chips are plugged in electronic devices like printers, computers, mobile phones and many others to enable them use the Bluetooth technology. It uses a radio range of around 2.5 Giga-hertz. The technology allows a theoretical bandwidth of about 1 megabyte per second. However, this bandwidth can allow several devices to be connected and communicate with one another in a system referred to as piconet. This paper discusses the Bluetooth technology from its inception into the technology sector to the present. The paper also looks at the benefits and the merits and demerits of using Bluetooth as well as its security issues. Finally, we look at the contribution of Bluetooth technology in furtherance of technological advancement.

Bluetooth technology is one, among the recent advances of technology that have been embraced at a very high speed. Shepherd (2001) asserts that the chips for connecting Bluetooth devices to make them Bluetooth enabled are cheap and readily available. This has made many people even the disadvantaged in the society to embrace the technology. Shepered (2001) further reiterates that the method of operation of the technology is not complicated and, therefore, many people find it easy to use. The incorporation of the technology into even very simple mobile devices has made it to be accessible to the very last man in the society.

The history of the Bluetooth technology is traced to the 10^th century when the Danish king, Herald Bluetooth managed to unite the Norway and Denmark. However, real history of the Bluetooth technology dates back to 1994 at Erickson in Sweden and 1998 with the formation of the Bluetooth Special Interest group (Bluetooth, 2013). This group was founded in 1998 by Intel, Nokia, IBM, Erickson and Toshiba with a view to expanding the Bluetooth technology. Specifically, the agency was formed to define, shape and promote the Bluetooth specification and reposition it in the marketplace. By the end of the year, the Bluetooth SIG had welcomed members and the name Bluetooth was adopted as the official name for the technology.

By the following year, 1999, the Bluetooth SIG released the Bluetooth 1.0 specification and the engineers received the “Best of Show Technology Award”. By the year 2000, several advances were made (Bluetooth, 2013). The first mobile phone using the technology was released in to the market. Accompanying was the first personal computer Bluetooth card, first headset and the first chip to integrate radio frequency. The technology was incorporated in the printers and laptops by the tear 2001. First car kit with speech recognition using the Bluetooth technology was also discovered. In the same year, the Bluetooth SIG adopted the status of a non-stock, not-for-profit corporation.

By the year 2002, the first device using the Bluetooth technology was invented. A camera using the technology also appeared in the market. The Bluetooth wireless products also in this year rose to 500(Bluetooth, 2013).

The 10^th anniversary of Bluetooth SIG was held in the year 2008 with remarkable progress being noted with the technology. More than 2 billion Bluetooth products had been shipped. Bluetooth members had reached 10,000. In 2009, the Bluetooth SIG made double progress with introduction of version 3.0 and 4.0 in the same year. By the present day, Bluetooth SIG members have hit a high of 20,000, with Bluetooth product shipment hitting a mark higher than 2.5 billion.

The operation of Bluetooth enabled devices is simple although its technological processing is complex to a layman. The devices operate without restriction in the 2.4 Gigahertz Industrial Science Medical (ISM) band (Hewlett Packard (HP), 2004). Frequency hopping is a technology that Bluetooth enabled devices use so as to reduce interference and eavesdropping from other networks that may be using the ISM band. This system of frequency hopping enables data to be divided into smaller portions that are referred to as packets (HP, 2004). Receivers and transmitters then exchange a data packet at a frequency. The transmitter and the receiver hop it to another frequency so as to exchange another packet. The process is repeated until transmission of all the data is complete. The speed at which Bluetooth devices work gives them an advantage from interference by other ISM devices HP (2004) records that Bluetooth enabled devices function at a speed of 1600 times per second.

Bluetooth devices work in topologies referred to as scartternets and piconets (HP, 2006). A piconet consists of Bluetooth devices connected together where one of them is the setter of frequency hopping patterns. The other devices then synchronize their signal to that of the frequency setter. The piconet technology can allow up to a maximum of eight devices. Each piconet with a primary and several secondary devices usually has a characteristic set frequency so as to distinguish it from other piconets.

Two or more piconets can be linked through a Bluetooth enabled device known to form a scatternet. The device acts as a master piconet and it sets the hopping patterns of the other piconets. This system uses the feature of the Bluetooth devices, that of point to muiti-point communication capability. Two link systems have been devised to connect the master to the slave piconets. These are the Synchronous Connection Oriented (SCO) link and the Asynchronous Connection-Less (ACL) link. The SCO type of link is used I the voice traffic with a data rate of 64 kilobytes per second. On the other hand, the ACL is used in data transmission and has data speed rates of up to 723 kilobytes per second.

The Bluetooth protocol stack encompasses the Bluetooth radio, baseband and the Link manager protocol among others. The Bluetooth radio is the one that specifies the air interface including the frequency, the transmission power, the modulation scheme and the hopping frequency. The baseband is for establishment of connection within a piconet. It also addresses timing, power control and packet format. The link manager protocol is the one that establishes the links, for example, the link between piconet interconnections. It also manages the ongoing links and the ongoing links. Negotiation of the baseband packet size, encryption and authentication are also done by the link manger protocol. The device discovery protocol is the one that handles the information of the device and even queries for service characteristics between two Bluetooth devices.

There is a specific way in which Bluetooth enabled devices establish connections. When a Bluetooth enabled device reaches a new environment, it makes an inquiry to establish the access points that are available (Kansal, 2002). Paging is the baseband procedure that the device then invokes. The purpose for this is synchronization of the available access point to offset the frequency hop and the phase. The device then establishes a link, and uses the Service Discovery Protocol (SDP) to establish whether the available assess point is accessible. If the access point is restricting access to some devices, then communication will not be possible between the two devices.

The fact that Bluetooth technology is for transmission of information, data protection and security is of vital importance and is a concern for all people. However, security of information is guaranteed in the use of Bluetooth technology. According to Kansal (2002), a standard provides a mechanism that restricts access and only the registered devices are allowed to access a device. Access control measures are usually implemented to ensure that a person’s information is protected. Kansal (2002) reiterates that long encryption keys are usually availed to enhance the security of the information that is being transferred.

Bluetooth security has been classified into three modes: the link level enhanced security, the service-level enhanced security and the non-secure mode. The device security level can be trusted or untrusted. Service security levels can be, open to all devices, authentication only or authentication and authorization. The confidentiality service allows protection of information compromise that may be caused by eavesdropping. In this service, only authorized devices can be able to access of view the data.

(Science & Technology, 2011). Battery life is prolonged. This is because Bluetooth enabled devices do not consume as much power as much as some of the other wireless devices. With Bluetooth technology also, it is easy to switch communications between several adjacent meters. Bluetooth technology also, offers additional safety in that there is electrical isolation between the meter and the PC. There is also ease of communication as one will not need a communications cable.

We conclude that Bluetooth technology is a fast way of device to devoice communication that uses wireless technology. The method offers security measures and it is safe. Its development is owed to the Bluetooth SPG. Its advancement is continuous

References

Bluetooth. (2013). History of the Bluetooth special interest group. Retrieved from http://www.bluetooth.com/history

Hewlett Packard Development Company Limited. (2004). Bluetooth wireless technology basics. Palo Alto, CL: Hewlett Packard Development Company Limited.

Kansal, A. (2002). Bluetooth premier. Horsham, UK: Red-M.

Shepered, R. (2001). Bluetooth technology in the home. Electronics & Communication Engineering Journal.  13 (5). 195-203.

Science & Technology. (2011). Advantages and disadvantages of Bluetooth technology. Retrieved from http://science-techno12.com/2011/06

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