Bluetooth

Bluetooth technology is the global wireless standard enabling the Internet of Things (IoT).

Created in 1994, Bluetooth^® technology was conceived as a wireless alternative to data cables by exchanging data using radio transmissions.  Bluetooth technology was created as an open standard to allow connectivity and collaboration between disparate products and industries.

Bluetooth allows high quality streaming

One of the most popular applications for Bluetooth historically has been wireless audio—headsets and hands-free connectivity in cars to wireless speakers and headphones that stream music from your phone or tablet. This uses a version of Bluetooth called BR/EDR (bit rate/enhanced data rate) that is optimized for sending a steady stream of high quality data (.

Bluetooth Smart allows creation of smaller sensors

With the advent of Bluetooth Smart (BLE or low energy), developers are now able to create small sensors that run off tiny coin-cell batteries for months, and in some cases, years. Many of these Bluetooth sensors use so little energy that developers are starting to find ways to use scavenged energy, like solar and kinetic, to power them—a potentially unlimited life from a power perspective. This allows you to find Bluetooth technology in billions of devices today, everything from phones to headsets to basketballs and socks—the use cases are limited only by a developer’s imagination.

BR/EDR and Bluetooth Smart are fundamentally different. Bluetooth Smart is not only low energy but, even more importantly, built on an entirely new development framework using Generic Attributes, or GATT. GATT is extremely flexible from a developer’s perspective and can be used for just about any scenario.  As a result, Bluetooth Smart not only connects devices together in an ultra-power efficient way, but also directly connects devices to applications on your smartphone, PC or tablet. It’s the low energy and GATT features which are at the heart of the current IoT boom. They are also at the heart of Bluetooth, making Bluetooth Smart the perfect fit for the IoT.

Bluetooth SIG works to ensure interoperability

Bluetooth technology is built upon a core specification and layered with different services.

Bluetooth Technology Basics

How does Bluetooth work?A Bluetooth device uses radio waves instead of wires or cables to connect to a phone or computer. A Bluetooth product, like a headset or watch, contains a tiny computer chip with a Bluetooth radio and software that makes it easy to connect. When two Bluetooth devices want to talk to each other, they need to pair. Communication between Bluetooth devices happens over short-range, ad hoc networks known as piconets. A piconet is a network of devices connected using Bluetooth technology. The network ranges from two to eight connected devices. When a network is established, one device takes the role of the master while all the other devices act as slaves. Piconets are established dynamically and automatically as Bluetooth devices enter and leave radio proximity. 

Are there different kinds of Bluetooth?There are actually several “kinds”—different versions of the core specification—of Bluetooth. The most common today are Bluetooth BR/EDR (basic rate/enhanced data rate) and Bluetooth Low Energy (low energy). You will generally find BR/EDR in things like speakers and headsets while you will see Bluetooth Smart in the newest products on the market like fitness bands, beacons—small transmitters that send data over Bluletooth—and smart home devices.

What can Bluetooth do?Bluetooth can wirelessly connect devices together. It can connect your headset to your phone, car or computer. It can connect your phone or computer to your speakers. Best of all? It can connect your lights, door locks, TV, shoes, basketballs, water bottles, toys—almost anything you can think of—to an app on your phone. Bluetooth takes it even further with connecting beacons to shoppers or travelers in airports or even attendees at sporting events. The future of Bluetooth is limited only to a developer’s imagination.

What makes Bluetooth better than other technologies?The short answer is because Bluetooth is everywhere, it operates on low power, it is easy to use and it doesn’t cost a lot to use. Let’s explore these a bit more.

• Bluetooth is everywhere—you will find Bluetooth built into nearly every phone, laptop, desktop and tablet. This makes it so convenient to connect a keyboard, mouse, speakers or fitness band to your phone or computer. 
• Bluetooth is low power—with the advent of Bluetooth Smart (BLE or Bluetooth low energy), developers were able to create smaller sensors that run off tiny coin-cell batteries for months, and in some cases, years. This is setting the stage for Bluetooth as a key component in the Internet of Things.
• Bluetooth is easy to use—for consumers, it really can’t get any easier. You go to settings, turn on your Bluetooth, hit the pairing button and wait for it start communicating. That’s it. From a development standpoint, creating a Bluetooth product starts with the core specification and then you layer profiles and services onto it. There are several tools that the SIG has to help developers.
• Bluetooth is low cost—you can add Bluetooth for a minimal cost. You will need to buy a module/system on chip (SoC)/etc. and pay an administrative fee to use the brand and license the technology. The administrative fee varies on the size of the company and there are programs to help startups.