Similiar to 802.11 b/g wireless and many cordless

telephone systems, Bluetooth operates on 2.4 GHz

radio signals. The 2.4 GHz band seems to be a bit

crowded, with interferences between the devices a

bit hard to avoid. Telephones are now being offered

at the 5.8 GHz frequency band, which will help to

remedy this.

The technical specifications of Bluetooth will

indicate a maximum transfer rate of 723 kbps with

a range of 65 - 328 feet, all depending on the

class of that particular device. The speed is a

fraction of what is offered by wireless standards,

so it's obvious that Bluetooth doesn't really

pose a threat to replacing your wireless network.

Applications

There are numerous products that will take advantage

of Bluetooth capabilities, such as laptops, PDAs,

headphones, and even wireless printer adapters.

A lot of laptops out there will include an onboard

Bluetooth adapter which allows the system to

connect to any Bluetooth device right out of the

box. For computers that don't have an adaptor

built right in, there are several USB adaptors

available for Bluetooth.

For an awesome technology, Bluetooth is actually

hard to compete with. For short range wireless,

Bluetooth is easily one of the best. The standard

for Bluetooth keeps getting better and better,

making it a wireless technology that will be around

for years and years to come.