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January 2001 Issue

Editor's Letter: Broadband's Expansion
By

I am reviewing the book entitled Bluetooth Demystified, by Nathan J. Muller. Bluetooth is a new wireless technology, and Muller covers both its strengths and weaknesses in a unique, tutorial format. This book should be added to every broadband engineer’s library.

Like it or not, wireless will enter our cable broadband world in a big way. System components will use Bluetooth so that home appliances will be able to communicate with the user, as well as other appliances. Bluetooth has a range of 30 feet, but its techno-novelty is its omni-directional range.

As Muller points out in the book, "Bluetooth technology is implemented in tiny, inexpensive short-range transceivers in the mobile devices that are available today, either embedded directly into existing component boards, or added into an adapter device such as a PC card inserted into a notebook computer. The Bluetooth baseband protocol is a combination of circuit- and packet-switching, making it suitable for both voice and data."

Wireless links provide a welcomed mobility, replacing unsightly wires and cables. For example, at the computer, Bluetooth may replace the wires normally needed for a printer, scanner, palm device or business card scanner.

Muller writes, "Besides eliminating the tangle of wires, the Bluetooth wireless technology also enables devices to communicate with each other as soon as they come within range, rather than requiring the user to open an application or press a button to initiate a process.... one of the main advantages of the Bluetooth specification is that it does not need to be set up—it is always on, running in the background."

The author offers protocol architectures, link management, logical link control, general profile, profile for usage models, security specifications, a futuristic third generation (G3) of wireless and an appendix listing the applicable terms and definitions.

Developed in 1994, Bluetooth is a trademark owned by Sweden-based Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson. Why is it named Bluetooth? Muller explains, "The engineers at Ericsson code named [it] Bluetooth to honor a 10th century Viking king in Denmark, Harald Bluetooth, who is credited with uniting the country and establishing Christianity. The goals of Bluetooth wireless technology are unification and harmony... enabling different devices to communicate through a commonly accepted standard for wireless connectivity."

In addition to this book, there is also a Bluetooth Web site: www.bluetooth.com. But I highly recommend you get a copy of the book too.

Back to January 2001 Issue