Bluetooth
A History of Bluetooth
Ericsson, a Swedish company, initiated the Bluetooth
Technology movement in 1994.
It was their desire to eliminate wire clutter in homes and
offices.
In 1998, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG)
was founded by five major technology companies.
IBM
Intel
Nokia
Toshiba
Ericsson
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A History of Bluetooth
Because Bluetooth was created to unite computers and
telecommunications the creators thought it fitting to
name the technology after the Danish King Harald
“Bluetooh” Blåtand.
The Viking King was famous for uniting warring
factions in Denmark and Norway and spreading
Christianity to Scandinavia.
Contrary to popular belief, "Blåtand" does not mean
blue tooth; it means dark-complexion.
It is said that the Danish king was given the nickname
Bluetooth because he was so fond of blueberries that his
teeth were stained blue.
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An Enabling Technology
What is Bluetooth Technology?
Bluetooth is an enabling technology that uses short-
range radio frequency to replace the cables
connecting portable and/or fixed devices while
maintaining high levels of security.
It can be used for a wide range of devices to connect
and communicate
Bluetooth devices connect through ad hoc networks
know as piconets.
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Piconets:
ad hoc networks
Bluetooth uses an ad hoc network. This is a group of
two or more computer systems linked together
within the same range.
Piconets is a type of ad hoc network that is
established automatically as Bluetooth enabled
devices enter and leave radio wave proximity.
One piconet allows a device to simultaneously
communicate with up to seven other devices.
Each device can also belong to several piconets
simultaneously.
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Key Features of Bluetooth
Spectrum
Interface
Range
Low power
Low Cost
Ease of Use
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Key Features of Bluetooth
Spectrum
Bluetooth technology operates in the unlicensed
industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band at 2.4 to
2.485 GHz, using a frequency hopping, full-duplex
signal at a nominal rate of 1600 hops/sec.
The 2.4 GHz ISM band is available and free in most
countries.
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Key Features of Bluetooth
Interface
Bluetooth’s adaptive frequency hopping (AFH)
reduces interference between wireless technologies
sharing the 2.4 GHz spectrum.
AFH works within the spectrum to take advantage
of the available frequency.
This is done by detecting other devices in the spectrum
and avoiding the frequencies they are using.
The signal hops among 79 frequencies at 1 MHz
intervals giving a high degree of interference immunity.
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Key Features of Bluetooth
Range
The operating range depends on the device class
Class 3 – have a range of up to 1 meter or 3 feet.
Class 2 – most commonly found in mobile devices –
have a range of 10 meters or 30 feet.
Class 1 – used primarily in industrial use cases – have a
range of 100 meters or 300 feet.
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Key Features of Bluetooth
Low power
The most commonly used radio is Class 2 and
uses 2.4 Mw of power.
Bluetooth technology has very low power
consumption.
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Key Features of Bluetooth
Low Cost
Bluetooth is free-of-charge to member companies
around the globe.
There is no cost associated with the use beyond
the cost of your device.
Bluetooth chips only cost about $3.00.
The number of Bluetooth products on the market
is multiplying rapidly. Volumes reached
approximately 500 million units at the end of 2005.
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Key Features of Bluetooth
Ease of Use
Bluetooth requires no fixed infrastructure and is simple to
install and set up.
You don’t need wires to get connected.
The process for a new user is easy
You get a Bluetooth branded product, check the profiles available
and connect it to another Bluetooth device with the same profiles.
The PIN code, used for security, is as easy as when you identify
yourself at the ATM machine.
When out-and-about, you carry your personal area network
(PAN) with you and can connect to others.
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Applications for Bluetooth
Office
Home & Entertainment
Car
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Applications for Bluetooth
Office
Bluetooth technology allows your office to connect to one
another, while eliminating the networking between
computers.
Bluetooth allows for easy file sharing in the office.
Bluetooth connects your notebook to scanners, fax machines,
printers, keyboards, and your mouse.
Automatic synchronization of your desktop, PDA, laptop
and your mobile phone. For instance, as soon as you enter
your office the address list and calendar in your notebook will
automatically be updated to agree with the one in your
desktop, or vice versa.
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Applications for Bluetooth
Home & Entertainment
Bluetooth enabled headsets.
Bluetooth allows us to have three way phones. At
home, your phone functions as a portable phone
(fixed line charge), a mobile phone (cellular charge),
and as a walkie-talkie when in range of other
Bluetooth wireless phones.
Share pictures and videos with other Bluetooth
enabled digital cameras without using a computer.
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Applications for Bluetooth
Car
Connects car to garage door.
Automatically unlocks doors.
Phone rings through car speakers.
Adjusts seat, radio, and temperature presets
according to you.
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Bluetooth’s Competition
Wireless Fidelity (WiFi)
Infrared
Radio Frequency IDentification
(RFID)
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Bluetooth’s Competition
Wireless Fidelity
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Bluetooth’s Competition
Wireless Fidelity (WiFi)
Transmits information using radio waves that can
travel up to 300 feet.
Wireless Fidelity is used in the most network
environments and has several forms.
One important aspect of WiFi is its ability to deliver
symmetrical, downstream/upstream at fast speeds.
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Bluetooth’s Competition
Advantages:
WiFi uses the unlicensed radio spectrum and does not require
regulatory approval for individual deployers.
The can reduce associated costs of network connection and
expansions.
Prices are considerably lower as competition amongst
vendors' increases.
WiFi networks can support roaming
WiFi users can work in different countries around the world
at all times.
Numerous access points and network interfaces support
various degrees of encryption to protect traffic from
interception.
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Bluetooth’s Competition
Disadvantages:
WiFi networks have limited range.
Free access points can be used by the malicious to
anonymously initiate an attack that would be
extremely difficult to track beyond the owner of the
access point.
Access points could be used to steal personal and
confidential information transmitted from WiFi
consumers.
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Bluetooth’s Competition
Infrared
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Bluetooth’s Competition
Infrared
Transmits information using short form radio wave
using direct infrared communications links through
free space.
These radio waves can go up to 30 feet.
Mainly used for wireless connections.
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Bluetooth’s Competition
Advantages
Low power requirements.
Low circuitry cost.
Can be incorporated into the integrated circuit of a
product.
Portable.
High Security.
Few international regulatory constraints.
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Bluetooth’s Competition
Disadvantages
Transmitters/receivers must be almost directly
aligned.
Has a short range.
Transmission of wires are slow.
Sensitive.
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Bluetooth’s Competition
Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID)
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Bluetooth’s Competition
RFID
RFID is an automatic identification method.
It uses tags in a chip form to store identifiers that
they relay to electronic readers.
Which is then converted the waves into data
information.
This data can be read through clothing and even the
human body.
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Bluetooth’s Competition
Advantages
Low operating costs.
Improves the efficiency and visibility of the supply chain by
automating manual processes.
Reduces shrinkage and theft.
Enables faster decision-making at the point of data capture.
Prevents the distribution and sale of counterfeit products.
Interacts seamlessly with your current information
technology.
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Bluetooth’s Competition
Disadvantages
People will influence the scope and efforts of RFID readers.
Groups of people will mill around and spread out, making
monitoring difficult.
Complicated moving routes within a building make
monitoring difficult.
Long and variable distances.
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Security & Security Concerns
Bluetooth Security
Bluetooth Security Concerns
Bluejacking
Bluebugging
Bluesnarfing
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Security
Bluetooth technology was designed with security
needs in mind. Since it is globally available in the
open 2.4 GHz ISM band, robustness was built in
from the beginning.
With adaptive frequency hopping (AFH), the signal
“hops” and thus limits interference from other signals.
Bluetooth technology has built-in security such as
128bit encryption and PIN code authentication.
When Bluetooth products identify themselves, they
use the PIN code the first time they connect. Once
connected, they are always securely connected.
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Security Concerns
Bluejacking allows phone users to send business cards
anonymously using Bluetooth wireless technology.
These business cards often have a clever or flirtatious
message rather than the typical name and phone number.
Bluejackers often look for the receiving phone to ping or
the user to react. They then send another, more personal
message to that device.
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Security Concerns
Bluebugging allows skilled individuals to access the
mobile phone commands using Bluetooth wireless
technology without notifying or alerting the phone’s
user.
This vulnerability allows the hacker to initiate phone calls,
send and receive text messages, read and write phonebook
contacts, eavesdrop on phone conversations, and connect
to the Internet.
As with all the attacks, without specialized equipment, the
hacker must be within a 10 meter range of the phone.
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Security Concerns
Bluesnarfing allows hackers to gain access to data
stored on a Bluetooth enabled phone using Bluetooth
wireless technology without alerting the phone’s user
of the connection made to the device.
The information that can be accessed in this manner
includes the phonebook and associated images, calendar,
and IMEI (international mobile equipment identity).
Only specific older Bluetooth enabled phones are
susceptible to bluesnarfing.
Without specialized equipment the hacker must be within a
10 meter range of the device while running a device with
specialized software.
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Security Concerns
What to do to protect your devices and data
If users have a phone that is vulnerable to
bluesnarfing or bluebugging, they should contact the
phone's manufacturer or take the phone to a
manufacturer authorized service point.
Users can also install anti-virus software and patches.
To ensure their data is secure, users should not
“pair” with unknown devices.
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Future Applications
Retail
Medical
Travel
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Future Applications
Retail
Any terminal can be used for financial transactions.
Almost any transaction can be made through a Bluetooth
connection device.
Through the use of Bluetooth access points, entire shopping
malls, arenas, grocery stores, restaurants, and other retail
areas could allow customers to perform financial transactions
throughout the building
Ex: Imagine holding up your phone to a vending machine and paying
for a drink or using an access point to get your movie tickets without
waiting in line.
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Future Applications
Medical
Remote patient monitoring.
The ability to monitor vital signs from outside the hospital.
This means patients can leave earlier reducing the cost of their stay.
Wireless biometric data.
Current technology uses wires to connect the sensors on the body to
the measurement equipment.
Bluetooth can eliminate the wires making it possible to perform tests
outside of the lab making the patient much more mobile.
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Future Applications
Travel
An electronic boarding pass can be issued and stored
in the Bluetooth device.
That same device could then be used to wirelessly
present the boarding pass when boarding the
aircraft, eliminating the need for a paper boarding
pass.
This device will also hold all of the passenger’s
credentials eliminating the need to have things like a
driver’s license or other forms of identification.
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Conclusion
Bluetooth is an enabling technology designed to
eliminate wire clutter in homes and offices.
It uses radio frequencies in the 2.4 GHz range to
communicate with other Bluetooth enabled devices.
It has progressed to become a popular short range
wireless technology used with computers, cars, phones,
entertainment and work.
It is inexpensive and easy to set up.
Although Bluetooth has stiff competition, its future
looks bright and new applications are being developed
all the time.
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Sources & Works Cited
Ελληνική Λίστα Ανεκδότων. 23 Sept. 2006 .
Bluejacking. Bluejacking.CZ. 29 Sept. 2006 .
"Bluetooth Overview FAQ." The Wireless Directory. 03 Dec. 2003. 29 Sept. 2006 .
"Bluetooth Tutorial - Specifications." Palo Wireless. 27 Sept. 2006 .
Communication News: USB Device Threat. Orthus Information Security Solutions. 29 Sept. 2006
.
Hattori, James. "Bluetooth Developers Aim to Usher in a Wireless Era." CNN. 01 Sept. 2000. 27 Sept. 2006
.
"History of Bluetooth." Bluetooth Technology. 19 July 2005. 29 Sept. 2006
.
"King Bluetooth." CellularOnline. 29 Sept. 2006 .
Moble. Blog.it. 29 Sept. 2006 .
The Official Bluetooth Website. 2006. Bluetooth SIG. 20 Sept. 2006 .
RFID to the rescue. IBM. 28 Sept. 2006 .
WiFiHut.com. 27 Sept. 2006 .
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