Bluetooth SIG Adding "Smart" 802.11 Option

February 10, 2008

Ars Technica reports that this past weekend, the Bluetooth SIG announced it would add a "smart" 802.11 option in future Bluetooth devices.

This action will reduce in a new standard entitled Bluetooth High Speed.

BHS-compatible devices with both 802.11 and Bluetooth capability will run on a single chip. Not only that, but they will be able to switch to a high speed/high power consumption 802.11 radio for larger file transfers, but will fall back to Bluetooth whenever 802.11 isn't necessary.

"This is the wireless technology equivalent of 'low hanging fruit,'" Bluetooth SIG executive director Michael Foley told Ars Technica. "What we’re doing is taking classic Bluetooth connections—using Bluetooth protocols, profiles, security and other architectural elements – and allowing it to jump on top of the already present 802.11 radio, when necessary, to send bulky entertainment data, faster. When the speed of 802.11 is overkill, the connection returns to normal operation on a Bluetooth radio for optimal power management and performance."

In terms of where this is all going, Ars Technica's Joel Hruska writes that the:

Bluetooth SIG still intends to adopt UWB (ultrawideband) technology when it becomes widely available. Long-term, Bluetooth SIG is emphasizing the growth of Bluetooth as a connectivity standard rather than focusing on Bluetooth as a unique radio technology. The organizational body's willingness to adopt multiple radio technologies in order to achieve its end goal of improving device security, communication, and speed is one example of Bluetooth's gradual transformation since the technology first became available.