| Bluetooth Profiles |
In order to use Bluetooth, a device must be compatible with certain Bluetooth
profiles. These define the possible applications and uses of the technology.
List of applications
More prevalent applications of Bluetooth include:
- Wireless control of and communication between a mobile phone and a
hands-free headset or car kit. This was one of the earliest applications to
become popular.
- Wireless networking between PCs in a confined space and where little
bandwidth is required.
- Wireless communications with PC input and output devices, the most
common being the mouse, keyboard and printer.
- Transfer of files between devices with OBEX.
- Transfer of contact details, calendar appointments, and reminders
between devices with OBEX.
- Replacement of traditional wired serial communications in test
equipment, GPS receivers, medical equipment, bar code scanners, and traffic
control devices.
- For controls where infrared was traditionally used.
- Sending small advertisements from Bluetooth enabled advertising
hoardings to other, discoverable, Bluetooth devices.
- Seventh-generation game consoles�Nintendo Wii,
Sony PlayStation 3�use Bluetooth for their respective wireless controllers.
- Dial-up internet access on personal computer or PDA using a data-capable
mobile phone as a modem.
- Receiving commercial advertisements ("spam") via a kiosk, e.g. at a
movie theatre or lobby
Bluetooth vs. Wi-Fi in networking
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi have slightly different applications in today's offices,
homes, and on the move: setting up networks, printing, or transferring
presentations and files from PDAs to computers. Both are versions of unlicensed
spread spectrum technology.
Bluetooth differs from Wi-Fi in that the latter provides higher throughput
and covers greater distances, but requires more expensive hardware and higher
power consumption. They use the same frequency range, but employ different
multiplexing schemes. While Bluetooth is a cable replacement for a variety of
applications, Wi-Fi is a cable replacement only for local area network access.
Bluetooth is often thought of as wireless USB, whereas Wi-Fi is wireless
Ethernet, both operating at much lower bandwidth than the cable systems they are
trying to replace. However, this analogy is not entirely accurate since any
Bluetooth device can, in theory, host any other Bluetooth device�something that
is not universal to USB devices, therefore it would resemble more a wireless
FireWire.
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