BLUETOOTH® TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW

Definition
Bluetooth wireless technology is the global short-range wireless standard for personal connectivity of a broad range of electronic devices – from mobile phones and headsets to cars, MP3 players, cameras and printers.
The technology is now available in its fourth version of the core specification and continues to develop, building on its inherent strengths – small-form factor radio, low power, low cost, built-in security, robustness, ease-of-use, and ad hoc networking abilities.

Specification Version
The Bluetooth SIG adopted Bluetooth Specification Version 2.0 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) in November 2004. In March 2007, the Bluetooth SIG announced Bluetooth Core Specification Version 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) which adds improved pairing and lowers power consumption. The Bluetooth SIG is currently working on the next version of the technology which will incorporate ultrawideband technology as a high-speed alternative for manufacturers and Wibree technology as an ultra low power version of the specification Specification Make-Up Unlike many other wireless standards, the Bluetooth wireless specification gives product developers both link layer and application layer definitions, which supports data and voice applications.
Spectrum Bluetooth wireless technology operates in the unlicensed, 2.4 GHz ISM band.

Interference
Bluetooth wireless technology’s Adaptive Frequency Hopping (AFH) capability was explicitly designed to reduce interference between wireless technologies sharing the 2.4 GHz spectrum. AFH works within the spectrum to take advantage of the available frequency. This is done by detecting other devices in the spectrum and avoiding the frequencies they are using. This 'adaptive hopping' allows for more efficient
transmission within the spectrum, thereby providing the user with greater performance, even if using other technologies along with the Bluetooth wireless technology.

Range
Class 2 radios – most commonly found in mobile devices – have a range of 10 meters or 30 feet
Class 1 radios – used primarily in industrial use cases – have a range of 100 meters or 300 feet

Power
The most commonly used radio (class 2) uses 1mW of power; Bluetooth wireless technology is designed to have very low power consumption; the specification reinforces this by allowing radios to be powered down when they are not active.

Data Rate
3Mbps