Here is what we know about Bluetooth right now.  If you have a question and would like it answered please add it in and hopefully someone will know the answer.

 * Q: What hardware is available right now (March 2001)?
 * A: Short answer, not much.  Longer answer is that there is a lot of stuff that we've heard about that is in beta or early release but pretty much all that is available for the end users budget is a pcmcia card  [[http://btsws.digianswer.com/btsws/faq.asp#whereisbtsws|from DigiAnswer]] which costs about $160-$180.
 * A: (February 2002) A bit more. The [[http://www.compaq.com/products/handhelds/pocketpc/H3870.html|iPaq 3870]] runs Pocket PC 2002 and has an integrated bluetooth radio which is available for about [[http://www.mobileplanet.com/product.asp?dept%5Fid=2621&pf%5Fid=MP965207&listing=1|$650]]. For the PC, the [[http://www.tdksys.com/bluetooth/USB_adaptor/USB_adaptor.html|TDK USB Bluetooth Adapter]] is popular. 3COM also has a [[http://www.3com.com/products/en_US/detail.jsp?tab=features&pathtype=purchase&sku=3CREB96|USB adapter]] for [[http://www.us.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10311026&hdwt=30701&loc=101|$125]]. Ericsson sells the [[http://www.ericsson.com/t39|t39]] and the [[http://www.ericsson.com/t68|t68]] tri-band GSM cell phones with integrated bluetooth (available in the US via ebay.com). [[http://www.palmos.com/dev/tech/bluetooth/|Palm Inc.]] is close to releasing a bluetooth SD I/O card for $150. 

 * Q: What frequencies does bluetooth use?
 * A: 2.4GHz is cut into 79 channels of 1MHz each, more specifically: 2402MHz + k where k = 0,1,...,m-1 where m=79 (m=23 in certain countries). 75 of 79 channels must be used in a pseudo-random pattern with no more than 0.4 seconds of use per channel in a 30 second period.  Bluetooth hops 1600 times per second!

 * Q: What is the operating range?
 * A: 10 meters

 * Q: What speed does it move data at?
 * A: The maximum one-way speed is 723.3kps downstream with a simultaneous 57.6kbps upstream.

 * Q: How strong is the transmitter?
 * A: Max peak output power: 1 watt (30 dBm) (same as 802.11).

 * Q: How sensitive is the receiver?
 * A: A receiver must attain a bit error rate of 0.1% or less with an input signal of -70dBm or lower. note this is much less sensitive than an 802.11 receiver.

 * Q: Will it interfere with 802.11b?
 * A: Common knowledge seems to expect, and show, some problems but we've heard about some tests which have been done to debunk this.  Supposedly BlueTooth can co-exist quite happily with 802.11b gear.

Data is from 'Bluetooth Revealed' by Miller & Bisdikian PH/PTR.

-- DonPark

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