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Bluetooth Technology

Bluetooth Technology

Did you know that Dr. Jaap Haartsen invented bluetooth while working at Ericsson in 1990?

Bluetooth technology was invented in an Ericsson laboratory in Lund, Sweden in 1990 and has become a global standard for short-range wireless connections. Today, the technology is used not only in mobile phones and PCs, but in almost all consumer electronics, medical devices, fitness equipment, cars and homes, etc.

Dr. Jaap Haartsen is named by the European Patent Office "The Father of Bluetooth". Haartsen says, “Bluetooth technology has become a standard for device-to-device communications. Although frequently contested, it has become a huge success that I did not foresee.”

Dr. Haartsen worked with a team of Ericsson engineers to bring Bluetooth to market. His closest partner, Sven Mattisson, recalls their assignment: "We wanted to replace cables without using more power than a cable."

Today, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group has its world headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, with offices around the world. Their purpose is to encourage the research, development and implementation of Bluetooth software technology.

Wifi and Bluetooth technologies are often confused because they are indeed similar, both are forms of wireless communication, but there are differences between them.

The difference between Bluetooth and Wifi:

Bluetooth is a technology designed to enable short-range wireless communication between electronic devices, such as between a laptop and a smartphone or between a computer and a television. Bluetooth works using radio frequencies rather than the infrared spectrum used by traditional remote controls. As a result, Bluetooth eliminates the need not only for a wired connection, but also for maintaining a clear line of sight to communicate between devices.

Wi-Fi is similar to Bluetooth because it also uses radio waves for high-speed data transfer over short distances without the need for a wired connection.

Wi-Fi works by breaking a signal into pieces and transmitting those pieces over multiple radio frequencies. This technique allows the signal to be transmitted at a lower power per frequency and also allows multiple devices to use the same Wi-Fi transmitter.

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi differ in purpose and capabilities - Bluetooth enables short-distance data transfer between devices. For example, it is commonly used in mobile phone headsets, allowing hands-free phone use. Wi-Fi, on the other hand, allows devices to connect to the Internet. Bluetooth limits the number of devices that can connect at a time, while Wi-Fi is open to more devices and more users. In addition, Bluetooth, because it only requires one adapter on each connecting device, tends to be simpler to use and requires less power than Wi-Fi, although this comes at the expense of range and data transfer speed, where Wi-Fi usually exceeds the capabilities of Bluetooth.

Did you know that Bluetooth technology uses "slaves"?

When Bluetooth devices connect to each other (for example, your phone and wireless speaker), it is known as a master-slave relationship. One device is the "master" and all the other devices are "slaves". The "master" transmits information to the "slaves". A master can have up to 7 slaves, which is why your computer can be connected via Bluetooth to several devices at the same time (for example, a wireless keyboard, mouse, printer, speaker, etc.). When devices are connected together via Bluetooth, it is called a "piconet".

Article published by Daniela Popa