Bluetooth Basics for Small Businesses

Even with the built-in 10-meter limitation, manufacturers seem to have no trouble finding innovative applications for Bluetooth. Cell phones, PDAs, and even cars offer Bluetooth connectivity.

Courier and delivery services are equipping their delivery drivers with Bluetooth "tablets" that automatically sync with computers when they return to their delivery trucks, immediately transferring package and signature data. Bluetooth is even being used to monitor critical infrastructure elements, such as water-pumping stations. Bluetooth's utility is limited only by manufacturers' imaginations — and that 10-meter range.

How it works
Bluetooth devices are equipped with tiny chips that transmit and receive data and voice information. These chips communicate with one another over a low radio frequency — 2.4GHz — on a portion of the radio spectrum known as the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical band. Radio "traffic" on these bands can be heavy, as the band is unlicensed, but Bluetooth uses a technique called "frequency hopping" to avoid interference.