Bluetooth Technical Operations

Posted on October 31st, 2008 in Bluetooth | No Comments

Bluetooth is a high speed, low powered wireless link technology that’s designed to connect phones or other portable equipment together with little to no work required by the user. Unlike infrared, Bluetooth doesn’t require line of site positioning to work.

Current prototype circuits are contained on a board that is 0.9 cm square, with a much smaller circuit board being developed.

Bluetooth GPS Receiver

When one Bluetooth device comes in contact with another, they will automatically exchange addresses and details of capability. Then, they can establish a 1 MB link with security that they will use as required. The protocols involved with handle both data and voice, with a very flexible topography.

The technology achieves its goal by embedding tiny, non expensive short range transceivers into the devices available today. The radio operates on the 2.45 GHz frequency band, and supports up to 721KBps, along with three voice channels.

Each devices offers a unique 48 bit address from the IEEE 802 standard, with the connections being point to point or multipoint. The max range is 10 meters, although it can be extended to 100 meters by increasing the power. The devices are also protected from radio interference by changing their frequencies, also known as frequency hopping.

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Advantages And Disadvantages of Bluetooth

Posted on October 29th, 2008 in Bluetooth | 1 Comment

Bluetooth has a lot to offer with an increasingly difficult market place. Bluetooth helps to bring with it the promise of freedom from the cables and simplicity in networking that has yet to be matched by Local Area Network.

In the key marketplace, of wireless and handheld devices, the closest competitor to Bluetooth is infrared. Infrared holds many key features, although the line of sight it provides doesn’t go through walls or through obstacles like that of the Bluetooth technology.

Unlike infrared, Bluetooth isn’t a line of sight and it provides ranges of up to 100 meters. Bluetooth is also low power and low processing with an overhead protocol. What this means, is that it’s ideal for integration into small battery powered devices. To put it short, the applications with Bluetooth are virtually endless.

Disadvantages
Bluetooth has several positive features and one would be extremely hard pressed to find downsides when given the current competition. The only real downsides are the data rate and security. Infrared can have data rates of up to 4 MBps, which provides very fast rates for data transfer, while Bluetooth only offers 1 MBps.

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10 Benefits Of Bluetooth

Posted on October 27th, 2008 in Bluetooth | No Comments

Below, are 10 benefits and reasons to use Bluetooth technology.

1. Wireless
As you probably already know, there are many benefits and advantages to using wireless devices. Along with improving safety as a result of cutting down wires you don’t need, wireless also offers you plenty of other advantages. When traveling with your laptop or other wireless devices, you’ll no longer have to worry about bringing connection cables.

2. Bluetooth is not expensive
The technology of Bluetooth is cheap for companies to implement, which results in lower costs for the company. These savings are then passed from the company on to you.

3. Bluetooth is automatic
Bluetooth doesn’t have you set up a connection or push any buttons. When two or more devices enter a range of up to 30 feet of each other, they will automatically begin to communicate without you having to do anything.

4. Standardized protocol
Bluetooth is standardized wireless technology, meaning that a high level of compatibility among devices is always guaranteed. Bluetooth will connect devices to each other, even if they aren’t the same brand or same model.

5. Low interference
Bluetooth devices almost always avoid interference from other wireless devices. Bluetooth uses a technique known as frequency hopping, and also low power wireless signals.

6. Low energy consumption
As a result of Bluetooth using low power signals, the technology requires very little power and will use less battery or electrical power as a result. This is an excellent benefit for mobile devices, as Bluetooth won’t drain the battery.

7. Sharing voice and data
The standard for Bluetooth will allow compatible devices to share data and voice communications. This is great for mobile phones and headsets, as Bluetooth simplifies driving and talking on your cell phone.

8. Instant PAN (Personal Area Network)
You can connect up to seven Bluetooth devices to each other within a range of up to 30 feet, forming a Personal Area Network. For a single room, you can also set up multiple Personal Area Networks.

9. Upgradeable
Upgradeable is the standard for Bluetooth. There are newer versions of Bluetooth in the works, which offer many new advantages and backward compatible with older versions.

10. The technology stays
Bluetooth technology is a world wide, universal wireless standard. With it being as popular as it is, you can count on it being around for years to come. As more and more devices start to use Bluetooth technology, more manufacturers will be eager to make their products compatible. A chain reaction will occur, making Bluetooth the standard for cutting edge wireless.

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Pick A Wireless Network

Posted on October 21st, 2008 in Tips & Tricks | No Comments

In crowded urban areas, it is common to find multiple available wireless networks that are in the same location. To make a selection, right-click the Wireless Network Connection icon in the System Tray and select View Available Wireless Networks from the pop-up menu. Each network is listed according to its SSID (Service Set Identifier). The listing also includes pertinent information such as signal strength and security status.

Unsecured networks require no password or encryption key, but security-enabled networks require additional information before you can connect. If a security-enabled network is in your preferred list, WinXP may automatically supply any necessary information. Now, you can select a network and click Connect.

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Keep Drivers Up-To-Date

Posted on October 19th, 2008 in Tips & Tricks | No Comments

Drivers are small pieces of software code that allow an operating system to access wireless adapters and other hardware. Unlike many other types of drivers, those used for wireless technology constantly undergo changes and improvements. A driver that worked flawlessly last month may not be able to connect to a new or improved wireless access point today. Before hitting the road, check the Web site of the manufacturer of your wireless adapter or your laptop for driver updates.

Keep a copy of the old drivers on your laptop or on a CD. You never know when an older version of a wireless driver may prove more stable and usable than a newer one.

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Revive Your Wireless Adapter

Posted on October 17th, 2008 in Tips & Tricks | No Comments

If you see a big, fat, red X on the Wireless Network Connection icon in your System Tray, then your wireless adapter has been disabled. This can happen for a number of reasons; some of the more common are laptop power management features, which disable network adapters for longer battery runtimes; manually turned off adapters; and loose or disconnected adapters. Re-enable or reset the adapter as applicable and click the Wireless Network Connection icon in the System Tray. In the Network Connection window, right-click the icon for the target connection and select Enable from the pop-up menu. After a short time, usually less than a minute, the wireless connection should be restored.

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Control Automatic Connections

Posted on October 15th, 2008 in Tips & Tricks | No Comments

Whenever you connect to a new wireless network, Windows XP adds it to a list of preferred connections. Over time, this list can get cluttered with entries, at least some of which are in the same geographic location. You can easily end up connecting to the Wireless Network A when you thought you were connecting to the Hotspot B.

WinXP creates the list, but you can control the order of preference. You can also determine whether your computer should make an automatic connection. Click the Wireless Network Connection icon in the System Tray. In the Wireless Connection Status window, click Properties. Next, you want to select
the Wireless Networks tab. The order of the entries in the Preferred Networks list controls the order of preference when multiple networks are available. Click a network to select it and then use the Move Up or Move Down buttons to change its position.

Occasionally, the circumstances may dictate that you don’t use a preferred connection. To prevent WinXP from automatically connecting to a preferred network, click the network to select it and then click Properties. Select the Connection tab. Remove the check mark next to Connect When This Network Is In Range and click OK.

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