Is bluetooth a flawed technology?

Bluetooth is optimized for low-power, low-bandwidth applications in embedded situations, at the expense of range. It is in no way comparable to cordless phone technology.

Cheers, Nicholas Sherlock

Bluetooth is designed for very short range (10m) and very low power devices, you can't compare it to a cordless phone. What devices are "playing up" and how? Millions use bluetooth every day, seemingly without too much issue.

Dave :)

BTW, many cordless phones use the same frequency spectrum as Bluetooth (2.4GHz)

Dave :)

I have a bluetooth headset that is meant to be top of the line. It has trouble connecting with my phone. I've had 2 phones and both were pretty much the same although the new one is a bit more reliable. I bought a bluetooth dongle for the PC and it had so much trouble connecting with the phone I went back to usb. A customer is using it for mouse and keyboard and wants me to fix it every time I go over. I can get it working but it's always screwing up.

Michael

My understanding of it was that class 1 bluetooth is good for 100m. I use it with 12dB high gain antennas to get up to 3 KM range. I understand the standard also allows up to 3W output power.

All non comercial frequencies are unreliable. Its the nature of the business. They become worse when you get hacks near you trying to make amplifiers and super high gain antennas.

Yes, Class 1 has a nominal range of 100m I've used it in a large open factory and was lucky to get 30m.

Not that I am aware of. Class 1 @ 100mW is the highest listed:

Dave :)

There's no doubt class 1 is 100mW, but I'm sure in some pdf doc I saw, a maximum output figure of 3W was quoted it's was brought to my attention by an engineer working with Bluetooth. I just wish I could find it to give a URL!.

What brand and model phone Michael? There are some known documented incompatibilities.

Cheers, Alan

"Alan Rutlidge"

If the heavies in the industry can't get it right doesn't that indicate flawed technology? There are so many cases of bluetooth devices working with one device like a mobile phone but refusing to pair with, say, a laptop that I think that we can conclude that the answer to the OP's subject line is "Yes".

Maybe you have a strong source of local interference ?

geoff

Quite possibly so. All I can say is the Nokia to other brands problem is a reasonably known and documented one. However so far (touch wood), I've experienced little or no problems with my Motorola V3 communicating properly to my Motorola HS850 and HF850 devices.

Cheers, Alan

Knowing nokia, with their phones that implode the day after the warranty runs out, I wouldn't be suprised if it was intentional.

Is there a technical reason it's flawed? Did they use the wrong frequency or something?

The problem seems to be the protocol that allows a Bluetooth device to have an encrypted link with another Bluetooth device but not to all Bluetooth devices. You are supposed to be able to use your Bluetooth headset with both your mobile phone and your laptop but your Bluetooth mouse has not got much to say to your mobile phone. You definitely don't want a stranger's head set to talk to your devices.

This page indicates the complexity

There are 2 bluetooth platforms, Nokia and Seimans use one, the rest use the other. It's the same with home computers, there is IBM and Mac. This isn't a problem, it's manufacturers refusing to standardise.

Seems like I was right, by pure coincidence I found this in an article in PC Authority Oct 2006 page 18:

"A textbook example of how not to create a standard would have to be bluetooth. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group was so fractured by differing visions that contrasting features sets were given priority at the expense of interoperability. The industry is only now starting to sort out that mess."

Michael