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The History Behind the Name: Harald Bluetooth
The concept of the current so-called Bluetooth was introduced as early as 1989. This breakthrough idea to create a pair of wireless headsets was invented by Dr. Nils Rydbeck who was the Chief Technology Officer at Ericsson Mobile, and inventor Dr. Johan Ullman. Due to the fact, however, that, as you know, cords and wires are exasperating!
It was a big project and hence they made Dr. Jaap Haartsen a part of the project. He would five years later be the engineer to make the breakthrough and emerge with the original protocol.
The technology was not perfected until a few years later, in 1999, when they launched their first hands-free headset to the world at the Comdex computer exposition and trade show in Las Vegas. It won even Best of Show Award!
The Bluetooth Logo
The Viking King Connection
Three companies Intel, Ericsson and Nokia were then at work individually to develop short range radio technologies. As the invention was still at its initial stages, they could determine that the best course of action was to establish one wireless standard.
Jim Kardach who worked at Intel has coincidentally read a historical book on how the Viking King Harald Bluetooth Gormsson united Denmark and Norway. This tale led Kardach to suggest naming this single short-link device which would connect communications as Bluetooth.
And why the king was named so, (suppose you are asking yourself how the king got the nickname) legend has it that he had a rotten tooth that was bluish in color.
When they came up with the logo, they also paid tribute to the great Viking king. Oh, just seems a B to me, okay? However, when you take a closer look (and you may happen to know the Nordic alphabet), you will notice that the logo consists of two various symbols that mean the initials of the king: 1. Harald Bluetooth: 1. $ and 2. B.
How the Technology Works
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is the transmission of data between your router (source) and your device.
Bluetooth
The Bluetooth sends information between two gadgets. In a nutshell, when two things are connected by a Bluetooth option, they can converse! Bluetooth and Wi-Fi have this communication that is measured in Gigahertz (GHz), and in both cases, the frequency is typically 2.4(GHz) frequency. That is to say those radio waves are traveling at a very high speed 2.4 billion waves per second! That is why, as you know, when you, say, flick on your Bluetooth mouse the cursor begins to fly around your computer screen within a second!
Power and Range
Though Bluetooth remains operational at the lower 2.4 GHz frequency, it operates only over relatively shorter distances and consumes significantly less power of as little as 1 milliwatt of power. Those miniature laser pens that your cat is so fond of? They emit 5 milliwatts and that will demonstrate to you how feeble 1 milliwatt can be.
Bluetooth does not require as the power as Wi-Fi since it is not actually working that hard. The best part is though that Bluetooth can be able to connect to 8 devices simultaneously and not be affected by other wireless devices such as the garage door and the baby monitor. That can occasionally be a problem with Wi-Fi.
The Piconet and Frequency Hopping
To take some real-life example, you are listening to music with your laptop through your wireless headphones, at the same time typing with your wireless keyboard. In that range of frequencies, there are 79 different frequencies consumed by the Bluetooth transmitters in your computer and devices.
After all, in order to make sure that your music does not interfere with your keyboard, it varies 1,600 times per second! This is referred to as frequency hopping.
When you attempt to have a connection between a Bluetooth device and your phone, there is a kind of dialogue that occurs between the two of you. They give their data and concur on whether they require to share information or one requires to dominate the other.
Once this brief digital communication is complete, and the two devices have decided on what to do, they become linked with each other to create a network known as a piconet. When their connection is established then they start their frequency hopping to constantly remain connected and prevent interference. You can even go to another room and take a device with you and it will keep going (unless you go too far that is).
Bluetooth Security and Health Concerns
Bluetooth has become such a massive aspect of our lives and in most occasions we do not even notice it. And since you are asking yourself what devices are Bluetooth nowadays, you are nearly right; phones, headphones, speakers, TVs, cars, tablets, you name it!
It would be an interesting sight to see them all at work. Picture that "piconet" of radio frequencies stirred in every one of these Bluetooth gadgets in your house. Your mouse and computer talking to each other, your Bluetooth speaker talking to your phone, etc. And what is still better is the fact that none of them so uncivilly interfere with the conversation of the others!
And that is not just due to frequency-hopping. It is also due to the fact that every device has got an individual unique address programmed by the manufacturer. Therefore even on the occasions that your wireless mouse receives a message sent by your television the mouse will automatically disregard the message since they are not on the same address.
Bluetooth Security Threats
similar to any other wireless networking arrangement, the concern that always comes out legitimately is that of transmitting personal information through radio waves and that information coming to the wrong hands.
At the beginning of its inception, Bluetooth was quite simple to make someone gain access to your data without their authorization. However, this technology has proved to be a lot safer with time. The manufacturers are not ignorant of the risks, and thus they have already done a great deal to ensure that the devices are more secure against security threats. As an example, nearly all personal devices that we use allow the so-called trusted devices, which allow you to share data without permission with some devices, and with others, you require permission to see your information.
Nevertheless, spam cannot be forgotten. One is known as blue jacking in which an individual or organisation is able to forward their electronic business card or an advertisement to you in the form of a text message via Bluetooth. It is what mostly occurs in areas of publicity where everybody is making use of their phones. You can also make sure that it does not happen to you by ensuring that your Bluetooth device is not discoverable once you are out there.
Bluetooth Users Health Concerns
However, unfortunately, it has not been adequately researched and studied about Bluetooth whether it is harmful to people or not. It is also very difficult as Bluetooth waves are not the only components of wireless smog that surrounds us on a daily basis.
This will come as a relief though: the level of non-ionizing radiation that the Bluetooth headphones emit is far lower than that of a standard cellphone. Therefore, in case of concern concerning Bluetooth and its impact on your health, you are better to sacrifice your phone first (and even your phone is not a reason to worry also).
We have regulatory bodies such as The Federal Communication Commission that is established to ensure that the population is not exposed to too many radio frequencies by our appliances. They ensure that the manufacturers of cell phones do not distribute the gadgets in a manner that exceeds the number of radio waves that the human body can take in just a single device. Such a figure is referred to as the Specific.