How to Connect Bluetooth Devices

Bluetooth, since its launch was considered as a wonderful alternative to the RS232 cables. Before we start answering the question 'How to connect bluetooth devices?', let us try to study some features about this technology.

Bluetooth Technology Features
Bluetooth is a wireless technology that can be used over short distances. The typical range within which a bluetooth device can function is 100 metres. Bluetooth devices operate in the radio frequency range. The typical frequency of a bluetooth device is 2.4GHz. It is designed to solve the purpose of a simple, easy and secure way of data transfer.

Connecting Bluetooth Devices
The question; how to connect bluetooth devices can be answered in two parts. First part will deal with connecting a bluetooth device to the operating system of your computer and the other part will deal with transferring data from one bluetooth device like a mobile phone to another.

Connecting Bluetooth Devices to your Computer
For installing a bluetooth device on your computer, you need to install the bluetooth drivers. Let us try to understand the process with reference to the Windows XP (Service Pack 2) operating system. There are Microsoft bluetooth drivers available, on the official website of Microsoft. For installing these drivers, you can follow the following steps. Here, I assume, that you have an Internet connection.
Step 1: Right click on My Computer.
Step 2: Go to Properties.
Step 3: Click on the Advanced Tab and select Device Manager.
Step 4: Under the section Bluetooth radio, you can select the drivers that need to be installed.
Step 5: Right click on those drivers and select update or install.

Once the bluetooth drivers are installed you can use the Add Bluetooth Devices wizard in order to connect bluetooth devices to your cell phone. If your computer does not contain the bluetooth facility, you can use a USB bluetooth dongle to perform the task. These dongles come along with the drivers CD. You can install all the required drivers from this CD. You can now connect any other bluetooth enabled device to your computer, using the Add Bluetooth Device, wizard.

Connecting Simple Bluetooth Devices
When you are trying to send data from one bluetooth device to the other, suppose two cellphones, then the process becomes even more simple. You simply have to turn on the bluetooth facility and select the option to send files via bluetooth. Your cellphone will automatically search for the available bluetooth devices within its range. For this, the bluetooth facility of the other device also needs to be turned on. Your cellphone will show you the name of the other devices that are in the vicinity. You can simply select the destination device and send the files.

Advantages of Bluetooth Technology
The first and most important advantage of the bluetooth protocol is that it is wireless. It can send data within a range of 100 meters. The range may not be large but it is still higher than what you can access through the RS 232 cables. The bluetooth technology is also considered very secure. The data transfer rate is quite commendable, considering that it is a wireless technology and is susceptible to losses.

Disadvantages of Bluetooth Technology
One basic disadvantage of bluetooth technology is that it consumes a lot of power. If you are using a battery backup for any communication device that has bluetooth integrated into it, then the maximum amount of power in the device will be consumed by this facility.

By simply knowing, how to connect bluetooth devices, you can bid farewell to the tangling RS 232 cables. Bluetooth was not designed with the perspective of long distance communication. The increasing demand of bluetooth printers and bluetooth dongles is an indicator to this fact. With the GPRS facility enabled in your cell phone you can access internet on your computer using the bluetooth facility. However, it has been often noticed that the rate of data transfer remains perfect for short distances, like those of two mobile devices but decreases for Internet browsing.