Bluetooth and 802.11b

[Bob Edwards]

John Griffiths wrote:
> how many wireless nodes does a small apartment need???
> 

It's not always a question of how many. Bluetooth and 802.11b are
quite different. Some PDAs and phones have Bluetooth built in and so you either
do Bluetooth or don't have wireless connectivity to these devices.

The main advantages of Bluetooth are:
  - very low power - can run on batteries all day (my phone goes 4 days between
	charges even with Bluetooth operating)
  - very local access - any Bluetooth "server" "knows" that your device must
	be no more than about 5 - 10 metres away (less if through walls).

People are proposing using the WAP browser in a mobile phone to control all
sorts of consumer equipment over Bluetooth. The consumer equipment (home 
entertainment systems etc.) knows when you come within range and sends you a 
WAP message to let you know what the options are - pretty neat actually - all 
authenticated and encrypted etc. (although the security is yet to be properly 
evaluated).

In the case of my Compaq iPaq, if I want wireless connectivity, I either:
  - buy a "sleeve" and a 802.11b CF card and drain my batteries quickly, or
  - use irDa (no thanks!), or
  - use the built-in Bluetooth which can get me up to about 750kbits/sec.

A D-Link USB Bluetooth dongle costs about $85 and is supported under RH8.0.

Cheers,

Bob Edwards.