Class 1 devices are the most powerful, as they can have up to 100 mW of power, with a regular antenna giving them a range of around 130 – 330 feet. The class 2 devices are lower power, offering up to 2.5 mW of power. A regular antenna will give them a range of around 50 – 100 feet. Class 3 devices use even less power, up to 1 mW of power to be exact. With a regular antenna, they will have a range of around 16 – 33 feet. Even though you may not realize it, Bluetooth wireless technology has never been intended for anything other than short distance types of communication. With Bluetooth wireless, the short range is actually a benefit. For one, the short range will reduce the change of interference between your devices and those that belong to others who are nearby, designed to protect you and your devices. Secondly, the lower power used for short range means a longer battery life. Most Bluetooth devices will get their power from a battery, meaning that anything you can do to lengthen the battery life is very important. The wireless networking offered by Bluetooth is actually among the best, even though it uses short range communication. Bluetooth is used with wireless controllers, the internet, and even wireless headsets. For the best in short range technology, Bluetooth is extremely hard to beat. If you’ve never tried Bluetooth before, now is the time. It’s the best with wireless networking, especially for those who enjoy hands-free talking on their cell phone.
Bluetooth has a lot to offer with an increasingly difficult marketplace. Bluetooth helps to bring with it the promise of freedom from the cables and simplicity in networking that has yet to be matched by LAN (Local Area Network). In the key marketplace, of wireless and handheld devices, the closest competitor to Bluetooth is infrared. Infrared holds many key features, although the line of sight it provides doesn’t go through walls or through obstacles like that of the Bluetooth technology. Unlike infrared, Bluetooth isn’t a line of sight and it provides ranges of up to 100 meters. Bluetooth is also low power and low processing, with an overhead protocol. What this means, is that it’s ideal for integration into small battery powered devices. To put it short, the applications with Bluetooth are virtually endless.
Disadvantages Bluetooth has several positive features. One would be extremely hard-pressed to find downsides when given the current competition. The only real downsides are the data rate and security. Infrared can have data rates of up to 4 Mbps, which provides very fast rates for data transfer, while Bluetooth only offers 1 Mbps. For this very reason, infrared has yet to be dispensed with completely and is considered by many to be the complimentary technology to that of Bluetooth. Infrared has inherent security due to its line of sight. The greater range and radio frequency (RF) of Bluetooth make it much more open to interception and attack. For this reason, security is a very key aspect to the Bluetooth specification. Although there are very few disadvantages, Bluetooth still remains the best for short range wireless technology. Those who have tried it love it, and they know for a fact that Bluetooth will be around for years to come.
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