A few people immediately think of a wireless keyboard or mouse when they hear the word Bluetooth. But the more common mental image is that of an awkward device you stick in your ear to wirelessly use a wireless phone. Odd, when you think of it like that isn’t it – wireless for your wireless phone? But that’s precisely the sort of thing for which Bluetooth is best suited, since it’s a wireless protocol for exchanging data over short distances using short length radio waves.
All three of those first thoughts on applications are accurate, of course. They’re just not complete. Not by a long shot. Bluetooth, you see, is all grown up, and it’s taking over the world of data in entirely new and unexpected ways.
“Bluetooth – version 4.0 and those preceding it – is about liberating data from your devices,” explains Mike Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), a consortium of 13,000 companies who collaborate on the creation and promotion of Bluetooth wireless technologies. “From an enterprise perspective, there is much data we collect that never makes it to the light of day – contact info at tradeshows, sales call notes recorded and never reviewed again – and Bluetooth can liberate that information so that it can be put to use.”
If you suspect from that explanation that cloud computing is involved in this Bluetooth evolution, you would be right. Essentially, data collected over many devices will move to the cloud via Bluetooth, be analyzed, and then redistributed as (and where) needed.
The network effect of Bluetooth is undeniable, says Foley. It’s opening up the lines of communication between billions and billions of devices; Bluetooth is in over 5B devices today, and next-gen Bluetooth will be in all mobile phones by the end of next year. “So we expect to see the enterprise ride the wave as Bluetooth unlocks more and more data,” says Foley.
The Four Faces of Bluetooth
Essentially, the Bluetooth SIG now offers a portfolio of Bluetooth technology in varying combinations: singularly, as Bluetooth “classic,” “high speed” and “low energy,” or all together in Bluetooth version 4.0.
Which version is “best” is entirely dependent on the needs of the manufacturer. If the device is driven by a button-cell battery, then Bluetooth with the low energy feature would be the best choice. If the ability to send large data-intense files quickly is needed, then Bluetooth with the high speed feature makes sense. Bluetooth “classic” is still a best fit for the needs of most existing applications, such as voice-driven applications and quick short communications.
“Mouse and keyboards will definitely benefit from next-generation Bluetooth,” says Keith Schaub, president of Wireless SOC Test, a startup that provides RF consultations, training, and application test solutions. The current Bluetooth classic uses too much power thus restricting adoption, he says. “Low power Bluetooth will enable many new market applications, including game consoles, headsets, mice and keyboards, remote sensing, exercise equipment, and medical monitoring – to name just a few.”
Bluetooth in the Enterprise
“The enterprise embraced the use of Bluetooth in mice and keyboards, in file sharing applications from PC to PC, in headset applications for sales forces and call centers, but true widespread enterprise adoption is still underway,” says Foley.
The delay in enterprise adoption is partly due to security concerns and partly due to availability problems. Version 4.0 was released in July 2010, more than six months later than anticipated, according to ABI Research. Jonathan Collins, an ABI analyst, says the delay gave a market advantage to rivals, ranging from low-power Wi-Fi to proprietary wireless protocols.
“Probably the best example of enterprise use is in proximity tags to control access to phones, PCs, and other enterprise infrastructure,” says Paul Williamson, product marketing manager of Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy at CSR, a provider of multifunction connectivity and location platforms including Bluetooth, GPS, FM, Wi-Fi (IEEE802.11), UWB, NFC and other technologies to fully integrate radio, baseband, and microcontroller elements. “The tag can identify the user and ensure that products recognize the user’s personal settings.”
Longer term, he says, Bluetooth has potential in AV and HVAC building remote control. Specialties such as enterprise medical will use Bluetooth Low Energy.
Foley maintains that Bluetooth is “extremely secure wireless technology,” an assessment with which many security pros almost agree. Most enterprises and consumers are frightened by common myths surrounding the technology yet remain unaware of the real vulnerabilities. And, as is the case with any widespread technology, Bluetooth attacks are on the rise; threats exist where none have been seen before, such as car-hacking via GM OnStar and Ford Sync systems.
Despite such concerns, although Bluetooth adoption will be led by the consumer space, it “will become compelling to enterprise, as platforms such as tablets and phones support the technology and apps can be used to deliver enterprise solutions,” says Williamson.
There will also be plenty of opportunity for advertisers and marketers to capitalize on the rise in popularity of Bluetooth-enabled devices. For example, brick and mortar stores can install a box device in their stores; anyone walking past it (with Bluetooth enabled on a cell phone) can receive special offers and coupons from the store. Cell phone users are not obligated to accept the messages, but odds are many will in order to get extra price breaks. Also, the messages are stored on the phone in case users want to refer to them later.
Yes, Bluetooth has come a very long way from simply providing hands-free calling. It’s on its way to morphing into an invisible but always present servant embedded in nearly every daily-use technology, both in and out of the workplace. Consider it one more important move towards pervasive computing and yet another cloud enabler. Before much longer, humans and technology will not be easily separated entities.
