BLUETOOTH TECHNOLOGY IN
WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS
Synopsis:
Introduction
Network Topology
Working of Bluetooth
Architecture
Technical Specifications
Advantage
Disadvantage
Application
Bluetooth vs World
Conclusion
Introduction:
Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard invented by Ericsson in 1994 for exchanging data
over short distances using short-wavelength UHF radio waves (Range: 2.4 to 2.485 GHz) from
fixed and mobile devices. This is in the globally unlicensed (but not unregulated) Industrial,
Scientific and Medical (ISM) 2.4 GHz short-range radio frequency band.
The devices use a radio broadcast communications system, they do not have to be in visual line
of sight of each other; however, a quasi optical wireless path must be viable.
Network Topology:
The Bluetooth system supports both point to point and point to multipoint connections.
PICONETS: Bluetooth radios connect to each other in piconets, which are formed by a master
radio simultaneously connecting up to seven active slave radios [3 bit address] in an Ad-hoc
manner. There can be up to 256-parked slaves [8 bit address], which like the active members are
synchronized to the master clock. Each piconet has a unique hopping sequence.. In forming a
piconet, the master radio shares its Global ID with the other radios, which then become slaves
and provide all the radios with the correct hopping pattern.
Working of Bluetooth:
Basically, Bluetooth is the term used to describe the protocol of a short range (10 meter)
frequency-hopping radio link between devices. These devices implementing the Bluetooth
technology are termed Bluetooth - enabled. Documentation on Bluetooth is divided into two
sections, the Bluetooth Specification and Bluetooth Profiles.
The Specification describes how the technology works (i.e. the Bluetooth protocol
architecture),
The Profiles describe how the technology is used (i.e. how different parts of the
specification can be used to fulfill a desired function for a Bluetooth device).
Architecture:
Operating in the 2.4 GHz ISM (Industrial-Scientific-Medical) band available all over the world,
Bluetooth is a short-range radio communications protocol with a nominal
operating range of 10 meters at transmitting power of 0 dBm (1 mW). Bluetooth is
designed to be fully functional in a noisy environment where it must combat interference
from microwave ovens, baby monitors, cordless phones, or wireless LANs also operating
in the same frequency band. Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) scheme is
used to achieve this.
. Bluetooth hardware consists of an analog radio transceiver and digital control
logic while the Bluetooth software layers sits on top of this to manage the logical linkage
and flow of data (Fig. 4).The Link Controller (LC) performs baseband processing and
physical layer protocol enforcement that governs frequency hopping, transmitting and
receiving of different packet types, error correction, and inquiry/paging modes. The LC
manages the various states of connection and the lowest level of services for applications
to build upon, collectively known as Profiles. The Link Management (LM) layer is
responsible for most of the connection management. Service Discovery Protocol (SDP) is
a tool that informs upper layer applications of available services and their characteristics.
RFCOMM is a Bluetooth-specific implementation for serial port emulation. RFCOMM
emulates the RS-232 data and control signals over Bluetooth to provide a virtual COM
port for applications that require a serial port infrastructure.
Technical Specification:
SPECIFICATIONS
Frequency band 2.4 GHz ISM band
Modulation Gaussian shaped BFSK
Range 10 -100 m
Physical layer FHSS
Coverage Omni-directional. Non line of sight transmission
Data rate 1 Mbps/723 Kbps
Hopping rate 1600 hops/sec at 1 hop/packet
Channels 79/23 channels
Channel length 625 microseconds long
Data packet Up to 2,745 bits in length
Reliable and secure Good. Link layer authentication and encryption
Cost $ 20 aims at $5 endpoint
Power 0.1 W (Active)
Acceptance SIG have about 2500 member companies
Data / Voice support One asynchronous data channel (732.2 kbps and
reverse 57.6 kbps) OR Three simultaneous
synchronous voice channels (64 kbps) OR
Simultaneous asynchronous and synchronous
channels.
Piconet 1 master and 7 slaves
Scatternet Up to 10 piconets in a scatternet
Links SCO and ACL links
Advantages:
Low Power Consumption • Works in noisy environments
No line of sight restriction • Reliable and secure
The 2.45 GHz ensures universal compatibility. Also complies with airline regulations
The qualification and logo program ensure higher quality
Very Robust as the radio hops faster and uses shorter packets
Disadvantages:
Too many unfeasible applications so do we really need it ?
No handoff / handover capability
Initial stages so it needs to prove its worth
Few analog or FH cordless phones have designed to operate at the 2.4GHz band.
Certainly interference exists in between, but more serious effects would be exerted on
analog 2.4GHz cordless phone
Applications:
Bluetooth has a varied number of applications. Each application has a corresponding profile.
Some of them are named as follows
• Mobile phones • Laptops, desktops, pda’s
• Digital cameras • Printers
• Home networking • Data access points
• Music • Office equipment
• Medical • Senior assisted living
Bluetooth vs World:
IrDA, Home RF, and IEEE 802.11 all compete in the same short-range wireless space.
Fortunately, none of the technologies can match Bluetooth’s balanced offer of high
performance and low cost. Also operating in the 2.4 GHz space as IEEE 802.11 and
Bluetooth, however Home RF has not received the same industry backings, and there are
regulatory obstacles preventing its upgradability to future higher capacity services.
Conclusion:
Bluetooth technology is a short-range wireless specification aimed at simplifying
communications among Internet devices and between devices and the Internet. In conclusion it
can be said that Bluetooth refers not only to a technology but also to a standard and a
specification. The take off that Bluetooth has taken is remarkable, capturing the attention and
money of major corporations throughout the world. If it can live up to its expectations and satiate
the needs of a global market in an easy and inexpensive way , it promises to become a uniting
force in the wireless world and endow us with the freedom of mobility like never before.
