Latest Bluetooth spec will connect directly to the Internet

[Shawn Knight]

Bluetooth in its existing form has plenty of practical applications including wireless headset use and speaker connectivity. The next iteration, however, is expected to be a game-changer as it’ll be able to bypass smartphones and connect directly to the Internet.

Bluetooth Special Interest Group executive director Mark Powell said Bluetooth 4.2 is all about continuing to make Bluetooth Smart the best solution to connect all the technology in your life. A new profile known as IPSP enables IPv6 for Bluetooth which opens up new doors for device connectivity.

Internet access aside, the new spec also carries a number of other new features including improved security measures. For example, equipped devices will be tougher to track meaning an iBeacon or similar Bluetooth Low Energy beacon in a store won’t be able to follow you or send offers unless you have a specific app installed or otherwise allow for it.

What’s more, the Bluetooth 4.2 features FIPS-compliant encryption which will provide a secure connection when pairing with select devices, like home automation products. It'll also be much faster as data transmission will take place up to 2.5x faster thanks to a 10x increase in packet capacity.

All of this is said to take place while consuming less power, yet another favorable characteristic.

Bluetooth 4.2 will no doubt be a boon for the Internet of Things but it’ll still be a while before it trickles down to consumer gadgets. The spec is available now (Internet access is expected within a month) which probably means we won’t see it show up in a usable form until sometime next year.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/59054-latest-bluetooth-spec-connect-directly-internet.html

 

[psycros]

This sounds pretty amazing assuming that the spec isn't full of government-mandated backdoors. The one thing that would make it even more appealing is better range. Even if this meant some kind of tradeoff it would be a good idea. Imagine if you could switch the radio preferences between "speed", "distance" and a low-power mode that gave up both options in favor of very low battery consumption (essentially current BT performance but much more efficient). I bet it could be done.

 

[Puiu]

This sounds pretty amazing assuming that the spec isn't full of government-mandated backdoors. The one thing that would make it even more appealing is better range. Even if this meant some kind of tradeoff it would be a good idea. Imagine if you could switch the radio preferences between "speed", "distance" and a low-power mode that gave up both options in favor of very low battery consumption (essentially current BT performance but much more efficient). I bet it could be done.

trust me. BT needs to be removed. it's extremely slow, has connection problems, has very short range and offers nothing that other wireless systems can't already do. I understood why people used it before smartphones existed, but now it's just something that you just use once per year.