Where is Bluetooth in the Internet of Things?

Bluetooth is an old technology and has been around for more than a decade. And amidst all the developments in mobile connectivity, wireless communications and the rapidly growing Machine-to-machine communication technology, others wonder what has happened to this good old way of connecting devices. Has it been totally replaced with another technology? Certainly, some other similar or related inquiries may surface as the discussion on what happened and is happening with this technology goes around the tech world and among those fond of Bluetooth. But the answer to this question is NO. Bluetooth has not been totally eradicated. At least not yet.

Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), a non-profit organization that oversees the development of Bluetooth standards and the body responsible for licensing Bluetooth technology, through its Marketing Officer, Suke Jawanda said that Bluetooth is a wireless communication technology that allows people to conveniently connect their devices with other devices and its role is evolving not only allowing devices to talk with one another, but providing a seamless communication between devices, local applications and the cloud.

For most people, Bluetooth is used for transferring files, contacts, even voice transmission on a low power operation. It can also be used to control other devices wirelessly. A Bluetooth enabled device can connect to another Bluetooth enabled device and they can communicate without any intervention or wired connection, allowing machine-to-machine communication. One basic example of this is how Play Station consoles pair with wireless Bluetooth-enabled keyboards and mice. This ability of Bluetooth to connect to other devices with low power requirement is actually its edge in becoming an integral part of the Internet of Things. Recent advancements allow Smartphones to connect to devices such as Smartwatches, home equipments, chargers and even cars via Bluetooth technology. The latest version available is Bluetooth 4.1, which offers the most advanced super-low power communication used in most mobile accessories, wireless sensors, wellness devices, and consumer products. This technology is also known as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or Bluetooth Smart.

As the Internet of Things becomes more and more widespread, and with the integration being made possible with machine-to-machine communication, BLE or Bluetooth Smart is undeniably marking its territory in the low powered connectivity market. It has some competition in the market such as NFC and Wi-Fi Direct, however it does not have the range restriction that NFC has and BLE still has much lesser power consumption than Wi-Fi Direct. In other words, Bluetooth still has a considerably better future in the world of wirelessly connected things.

SIG remains optimistic about it and said, "Given the advent of Bluetooth Smart – its performance, low cost, simplicity and ubiquity – it's become the preferred wireless technology for OEMs to replace niche or proprietary technologies," Jawanda further added, "If you want to connect to a few billion devices your customer probably already has in the palm of their hand, then Bluetooth and BLE is the technology."

By far, Bluetooth Low Energy is the most rapidly adopted technology in the wireless communications history. This leaves developers and programmer more room to explore on the capabilities of this technology. SIG has also released a free developer kit that contains codes and instructions that will help them in developing programs for Bluetooth hardware and design mobile applications that makes use of the kit.

Headed by CEO, Clovis Lacerda, LeadingQuest and Parlacom, one of the largest investment arms for companies in South America, believes that developing a more sophisticated Smart Bluetooth model that has enhanced capabilities, particularly in the area of less power consumption and further bringing it down, is a considerably better move for the hardware and tech industry rather than completely eradicating it from the market. He further emphasizes that Bluetooth technology forms part of the hardware revolution and are still being used by some of the most popular gadgets in the market today.