Wireless Home Networking - Index of

� Motorola Bluetooth hands-free car kit
� Jabra BT800 Bluetooth headset
� Belkin Bluetooth Universal Serial Bus (USB) adapter
Although intended as a wireless replacement for cables, Bluetooth is being
applied to make it possible for a wide range of devices to communicate with
each other wirelessly with minimal user intervention. The technology is
designed to be low-cost and low-power to appeal to a broad audience and
to conserve a device’s battery life.
Wi-Fi versus Bluetooth
Chapter 3: Bluetooth and Other Wireless Networks
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are designed to coexist in the network, and although
they certainly have overlapping applications, each has its distinct zones
of advantage.
The biggest differences between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are
� Distance: Bluetooth is lower powered, which means that its signal can
go only short distances (up to 10 meters, or a bit more than 30 feet).
802.11 technologies can cover your home, and in some cases more,
depending on the antenna you use. Some Bluetooth devices operate
under a high-powered scheme (called Class 1 Bluetooth devices), which
can reach up to 100 meters. Most home Bluetooth devices don’t have
this kind of range, mainly because they’re designed to be battery powered,
and the shorter Class 2 range of 10 meters provides a better tradeoff
between battery life and range.
� Speed: The latest versions of Wi-Fi can carry data at rates in the hundreds
of megabits per second; the fastest existing Bluetooth implementations
have a maximum data rate of 3 Mbps. So think of Wi-Fi as a networking
technology that can handle high-speed transfers of the biggest files, and
Bluetooth as something designed for lower speed connections (such as
carrying voice or audio signals) or for the transfer or synchronization of
smaller chunks of data (such as transferring pictures from a camera
phone to a PC).
� Application: Bluetooth is designed as a replacement for cables: that is, to
get rid of that huge tangle of cables that link your mouse, printer, monitor,
scanner, and other devices on your desk and around your home. In fact,
the first Bluetooth device was a Bluetooth headset, which eliminated that
annoying cable to the telephone that got in the way of typing. Many new
cars are also outfitted with Bluetooth so that you can use your cell phone
in your car, with your car’s stereo speakers and an onboard microphone
serving as your hands-free capability. Pretty neat, huh?
53