Bluetooth and Its Benefits

Bluetooth and Its Benefits

Bluetooth is a method of wireless communication between electronic devices. You can think of it like Wi-Fi, radio or Infra-red in that it has a similar effect, although it is not the same technology. Many phones, computers, tablets, televisions and speakers are provided with Bluetooth these days, because it is convenient and obviates the necessity of messy, trailing wire connections.

Bluetooth is typically used to connect a phone to a computer, a computer to a TV and speakers to a multimedia device such as a home movie centre or stereo system. Bluetooth devices, once introduced to one another, will usually connect automatically when they are within a certain distance – often thirty feet or so, but sometimes a lot less.

Despite these benefits, Bluetooth is quite cheap to implement, so if you are buying a new device and have the option of including it in the package, it really is worth considering, even if it has Wi-Fi

However, Bluetooth is not as standard as Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi just works across different devices and manufacturers, but this is not always true with Bluetooth, no matter what you are told. I know, because my old Samsung phone will not connect to my old Kindle (3^rd Generation), but I have been assured that modern devices are more friendly and more compatible.

I don’t know, but it sounds the way to go. However, buyer beware!

Something else that I have been told but cannot corroborate, is that Bluetooth uses a technique known as ‘frequency hopping’ with low-power signals, which means less interference to surrounding electrical items and better economy, which obviously means longer battery life. Wi-Fi, on the other hand, is a notorious power-sucker.

For example, Bluetooth is the usual means of communication between hands-free in-car phone kits and wireless headphones in the office.

Bluetooth devices can also be networked and grouped, so that within the catchment area, you can establish group chat, intercom networks as you like. A bit like the old Walkie-Talkies. This could be useful in a large house, a restaurant or a hotel, or just a way for children in bed to communicate with their parents downstairs. These groups are called PAN or Piconets.

Due to the low cost of Bluetooth, its current proliferation, and the backwards compatibility of modern implementations of the Bluetooth protocols, it is fairly safe to say that Bluetooth is here to stay, so get on board, and look for ways that this very useful, but not so well technology can be useful to you,

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop.

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Bluetooth and Its Benefits