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Bluetooth
Whitepaper

TM

Summary
The number of computing and telecommunications devices is increasing and consequently, the focus on how to connect them to each other. The usual solution is to connect the devices with a cable to make file transfer and synchronisation possible. File transfer is required so that the user is able to type a document in, for instance, a PDA and move it later to the PC. There is also a need for synchronisation of events in the calendars of the various devices. The solution to these requirements has been to connect the devices with a cable, or sometimes to connect them using infrared light. The cable solution is often complicated since it may require a cable specific to the devices being connected as well as configuration software. The infrared solution eliminates the cable, but requires line of sight. To solve these problems a new technology, Bluetooth, has been developed. Bluetooth provides the means for a short-range radio link solution. It is the result of a co-operative effort among a number of companies all working for a cheap, simple, and low power-consuming solution with broad market support. With Bluetooth, users will be able to connect a wide range of computing and telecommunications devices easily and simply, without the need for connecting cables. The technology defines how units can communicate up to 10 meters from each other. It also defines how certain applications should be mapped onto the hardware to be compatible with Bluetooth. If this is achieved, the concept ensures that devices can operate with other Bluetooth applications and devices regardless of manufacturer. The concept can also act as a way to avoid cable solutions. Furthermore, it can also be used to enable communication between several units, such as small radio LANs. This results in a multitude of possible future user scenarios. The strength of the Bluetooth concept is that Bluetooth chips can be made very small; they are cheap and they are low power-consuming. Furthermore, there is support for the technique from a vast variety of companies. It is supported not only in the PC and mobile phone industries, but also in several other industries as well.

Bluetooth White Paper 1.1, AU-System, January 2000

Introduction
This Bluetooth white paper aims to give a good overview of the Bluetooth concept. It strives to cover technical aspects, regarding hardware, software and Bluetooth applications. It also deals with marketing aspects in relation to competing techniques. Furthermore, it describes some of the companies behind Bluetooth and some of their motives. The document begins with an introduction where the Bluetooth background and the Bluetooth standardisation organisation are described. What benefits and possibilities the technology can provide to users are handled in the section Bluetooth Cable replacement, and more. This section also gives a view of the marketing position that the Bluetooth technology enters. The Bluetooth protocol layers and their configuration is described in the section Bluetooth architecture. It A section describing the Bluetooth air interface follows it. Competing techniques and the strengths with the Bluetooth concept is then handled in the section Why Bluetooth Technical aspects. Finally, a brief look at the near Bluetooth future is done in the last section.

Background
Bluetooth technology and standards provide the means for the replacement of cable that connects one device to another with a universal short-range radio link. The technology was initially developed for replacing cables, but has now evolved into not only being a cable replacement technique but also a technique to establish connection between several units. For instance, it shows how to create small radio LANs. A study was initiated at Ericsson Mobile Communications in 1994 to find a low power and low cost radio interface between mobile phones and their accessories. The requirements regarding price, capacity and size were set so that the new technique would have the potential to outdo all cable solutions between mobile devices. Initially a suitable radio interface with a corresponding frequency range had to be specified. A number of criteria for the concept were defined regarding size, capacity and global uniformity. The radio unit should be so small and consume such low power that it could be fitted into portable devices with their limitations. The concept had to handle both speech and data and finally the technique had to work all around the world. The study soon showed that a short-range radio link solution was feasible. When designers at Ericsson had started to work on a transceiver chip, Ericsson soon realised that they needed companions to develop the technique. The associates strove not only to improve the technical solutions but also to get a solid and broad market support in the business areas of PC hardware, portable computers and mobile phones. Fear for a market situation with a multitude of non-standard cable solutions, where one cable is designed specifically for one pair of devices, was one of the motives that made competing companies join the project. Ericsson Mobile Communications, Intel, IBM, Toshiba and Nokia Mobile Phones formed a Special Interest Group (SIG) in 1998. This group represented the diverse market support that was needed to generate good support for the new
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technology. In May of the same year, the Bluetooth consortium announced itself globally. The intention of the Bluetooth SIG is to form a de facto standard for the air interface and the software that controls it. The purpose is to achieve interoperability between different devices from different producers of portable computers, mobile phones and other devices. The name Bluetooth comes from a Danish Viking and King, Harald Bltand (Bluetooth in English), who lived in the latter part of the 10th century. Harald Bltand united and controlled Denmark and Norway.

Bluetooth SIG
In February 1998, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, SIG, was founded. At the start, it consisted of the five companies mentioned above. Today more than 1300 companies have joined the SIG to work for an open standard for the Bluetooth concept. By signing a zero cost agreement, companies can join the SIG and qualify for a royalty-free licence to build products based on the Bluetooth technology. To avoid different interpretations of the Bluetooth standard regarding how a specific type of application should be mapped to Bluetooth, the SIG has defined a number of user models and protocol profiles. These are described in more detail in the section entitled Bluetooth Usage Models and Profiles. The SIG also works with a Qualification Process. This process defines criteria for Bluetooth product qualification that ensures that products that pass this process meet the Bluetooth specification.

Bluetooth White Paper 1.1, AU-System, January 2000

Bluetooth Cable replacement, and more

Why Bluetooth Marketing aspects
The removal of the cable connections between the mobile phone and its accessories was the origin of the Bluetooth concept. A computer connected to a keyboard, a mouse, a pair of loudspeakers, a PDA and so on, is a situation where a cordless solution would be useful. The need for different devices to be placed beside each other can also be eliminated. Instead, the location of devices is suddenly only limited by where to get the power supply. Another motive for the Bluetooth technology is the problems with connecting and configuring mobile devices. To connect a new device a cable is needed, often specific to the brand of the device. When the physical connection is established a complicated configuration of the connection often follows. With existing cable replacement techniques, the security of the data transmission is insufficient. These difficulties are also addressed in the development of the Bluetooth technique. The introduction of the Nokia Communicator 9000 has also been described as an event that increased interest in Bluetooth development. The Communicator reduced the complexity of connecting a mobile phone with a computer by building a two-in-one unit to solve the problem. It showed that one of the simplest ways to run data traffic via GSM was to buy a Communicator and not to buy a GSM Data interface card with cables matching both the phone and the portable computer. The combination of two devices in one was seen as a threat to the major manufacturers of portable PCs [1]. What if people started to buy communicators from mobile phone manufacturers instead of portable PCs from IBM or Toshiba? Furthermore, the introduction of Communicators "would impact sales of central processors for chip supplier Intel which dominates the PC market but doesn't have a competitive product for the likes of intelligent phones or handheld PCs" [1]. Hence, a development where the strong market position for portable PCs is maintained, is essential for the PC industry. Other motives for a new cable replacement technique are [2]: The number of users of portable PCs is increasing. This implies a larger market for cordless connection of devices. The constant shrinking of portable PCs has led to solutions where devices, e.g. CD-ROM drives, are external and need to be connected smoothly to the PC. "Mobile computers now rival desktop systems in performance" [2]. The need for a stationary PC at the office and a portable PC for travelling is decreasing. The Bluetooth technique provides a solution to the problems described above. The solution eliminates the annoying cable and its limitations regarding flexibility (often specific for a brand or pair of devices) and range. But, Bluetooth implies more than that. The technique provides the means for connecting several units to each other such as setting up small radio LANs between any types of
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Bluetooth devices. A number of user scenarios are described. They highlight more possibilities that reach far beyond just an elimination of the point-to-point cable.

Bluetooth The future is now

Alex, sales and marketing manager at Sysau Inc., is working on an important document on a PC. Sysau Inc. is a software consultant company outside London. In Alex's office, there are no cables except for the power supply to the electronic devices. Telephone, keyboard, loudspeakers, PC screen, and the PC itself, are all interfaced through Bluetooth. The removal of signalling cables has led to new ways of furnishing an office, as the CPU no longer needs to be next to the keyboard and monitor. When Mr Miller calls, Alex answers with the Bluetooth headset by tapping the answer button on the headset. Mr Miller is one of the organisers of an exhibition in New York. He asks if Alex can speak at the exhibition and present Sysau's view of new small LAN techniques. When checking the calendar, Alex notices that this is at the same time as a meeting she is scheduled to attend at the same exhibition. Still, Alex agrees to do the presentation and while heading to the travel agent, which is a few doors down the hall, the chairman of the meeting calls to remind Alex of some of the items that will be discussed at the meeting. During the call, the travel agent has finalised the air reservation and Alex instructs the travel agent to send the ticket later on as an "electronic ticket". After finishing the work and checking that the presentation is in order, Alex pockets the computer and heads for the car. While driving, the e-ticket to New York arrives on Alex's smartphone. When Alex arrives at Heathrow's parking garage, her credit card ID is transmitted via Bluetooth to the parking system. Naturally, Alex will pay wirelessly with the WAP browser and wireless-PKI services in the smartphone when parking the car at Heathrow, and renting a car in New York.. At the check-in counter, identification and check-in is done via Bluetooth. After check-in, Alex strolls to the business lounge. The doors open automatically when the Bluetooth equipment in the lounge doors detects Alex's electronic boarding pass. In order to get a map of the exhibition area, Alex connects to the Internet through the lounge LAN using Bluetooth. On the plane, Alex and an old friend are seated apart from each other, so they start chatting using their portable PCs. They talk about a computer game that Alex has not tried and after sending the game to Alex, they start playing. After a bland aeroplane dinner, Alex writes an e-mail to send home. It will be transmitted when the plane has landed and Alex's smartphone can be switched on again. At the exhibition area, Alex finds hall two, where the speakers have congregated. The organiser gives Alex and the other speakers a password that enables them to use the main video projector. As usual, the speakers use cordless Bluetooth microphones for their presentations and the convention goes as planned. Afterwards, Alex meets with Mr Scott and four others participating in a joint venture. She and the others exchange vCards via their smartphones using Bluetooth. Everyone attending the meeting is using the new Bluetooth technique where all participants form a network with their PCs so that they can work on the same document at the same time. After some minor discussions, they finish their work with the Multimedia over Bluetooth specification and Alex can dash for the plane back home.
Bluetooth White Paper 1.1, AU-System, January 2000

An Introduction to the Bluetooth air interface

To meet the requirements for the air interface a frequency band between 2.400 and 2.500 GHz was selected. Thus, the requirements regarding operating world wide, support for both data and speech and the limitations regarding physical characteristics (size and power consumption) were covered. This radio frequency band is the Industrial-Scientific-Medical, ISM band and ranges in Europe and the USA from 2.400 to 2.4835 GHz (in France and Spain only parts of this range are available). As a result, Bluetooth devices must be able to act in the range from 2.400 to 2.500 GHz and be able to select a segment in the ISM band within which they can act. The ISM band is open to any radio system. Cordless telephones, garage door openers and microwave ovens operate in this band, where microwave ovens are the strongest source of interference. Bluetooth units connect to each other forming a so-called piconet, consisting of up to eight active Bluetooth units. This and the way interference due to other units acting in the ISM band is handled, is described in the section on The Bluetooth air interface.

Bluetooth White Paper 1.1, AU-System, January 2000

Bluetooth architecture overview

This section describes the Bluetooth architecture. The complete protocol stack comprises, as seen in Figure 1, of both Bluetooth specific protocols and nonBluetooth specific protocols. In the figure, non-Bluetooth specific protocols are shaded.
vCard/ vCalendar OBEX WAE ATCommands WAP Audio UDP TCP SDP TCS

IP

PPP

RFCOMM

L2CAP HCI LMP

Baseband

Figure 1 The Bluetooth Protocol Stack

The Bluetooth architecture strategy

A number of profiles have been defined by the Bluetooth standardisation organisation. These profiles have been developed in order to describe how implementations of user models are to be accomplished. The user models describe a number of user scenarios where Bluetooth performs the radio transmission. These profiles specify how applications and devices shall be mapped onto the Bluetooth concept. A profile defines a selection of messages and procedures from the Bluetooth specifications and gives an unambiguous description of the air interface for specified services and use cases. A profile can be described as a vertical slice through the protocol stack. It defines options in each protocol that are mandatory for the profile. It also defines parameter ranges for each protocol. The profile concept is used to decrease the risk of interoperability problems between different manufacturers' products. The profile defined for exchanging of vCard information is illustrated in Figure 2, where an application, vCard, is defined to operate over a certain subset (OBEX,
Bluetooth White Paper 1.1, AU-System, January 2000

RFCOMM and so on) of the Bluetooth protocol stack. Some of the user models and their profiles are described in section Bluetooth Usage Models and Profiles.
vCARD OBEX RFCOMM SDP TCS Binary

L2CAP HCI LMP Base Band

Figure 2 The Object Push Profile

There are four general profiles defined, on which some of the highest prioritised user models and their profiles are directly based on. These four models are; the Generic Access Profile (GAP), the Serial Port Profile, the Service Discovery Application Profile (SDAP) and the Generic Object Exchange Profile (GOEP). Protocols such as OBEX and UDP have been included in the protocol architecture to facilitate the adaptation of applications using such existing protocols. This gives for instance a number of existing applications supporting UDP an interface to the Bluetooth technology.

Bluetooth Usage Models and Profiles

In this section, four general profiles GAP, the Serial Port Profile, SDAP and GOEP are defined. A number of usage models are identified by the Bluetooth SIG as fundamental, and are therefore, highlighted in the Bluetooth documentation. Some of these user models and their relative profiles are also described in this section. Note that for every user model there is one or more corresponding profiles. The Bluetooth profiles and how they are related is illustrated in Figure 3.

Bluetooth White Paper 1.1, AU-System, January 2000

Generic Access Profile TCS Binary profiles Service Discovery Profile Cordless Telephony Profile Intercom Profile

Serial Port Profile Dial up Networking Profile Fax Profile Generic Object Exchange Profile File Transfer Profile Object Push Profile Synchronisation Profile

Headset Profile LAN Access Profile

Figure 3 The Bluetooth Profiles

The four general Bluetooth profiles

The four profiles described in this section form the basis for the user models and their profiles. The profiles also provide the foundation for future user models and profiles. Generic Access Profile, GAP The Generic Access Profile, GAP, defines how two Bluetooth units discover and establish a connection with each other. GAP handles discovery and establishment between units that are unconnected. The profile defines operations that are generic and can be used by profiles referring to GAP and by devices implementing multiple profiles. GAP ensures that any two Bluetooth units, regardless of manufacturer and application, can exchange information via Bluetooth in order to discover what type of applications the units support. Bluetooth units not conforming to any other Bluetooth profile must conform to GAP to ensure basic interoperability and co-existence [3]. Service Discovery Application Profile, SDAP The Service Discovery Application Profile, SDAP, defines the investigation of services available to a Bluetooth unit. The profile handles the search for known and specific services as well as a general service search. SDAP involves an application, the Service Discovery User Application, which is required in a Bluetooth unit for locating services. This application interfaces the Service Discovery Protocol that sends and receives service inquiries to and from other Bluetooth units. Hence, SDAP describes an application that interfaces with a specific Bluetooth protocol to take full advantage of it for the direct benefit of the end-user.
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The SDAP is dependent on the GAP, i.e. SDAP re-uses parts of the GAP [4]. Serial Port Profile The Serial Port Profile defines how to set-up virtual serial ports on two devices and connecting these with Bluetooth. Using this profile provides the Bluetooth units with an emulation of a serial cable using RS232 control signalling (RS232 is a common interface standard for data communications equipment). The profile ensures that data rates up to 128 kbit/s can be used. The Serial Port Profile is dependent on the GAP, i.e. just as SDAP, Serial Port Profile re-uses parts of the GAP [5]. Generic Object Exchange Profile, GOEP The Generic Object Exchange Profile, GOEP, defines the set of protocols and procedures to be used by applications handling object exchanges. A number of usage models, described in the section Bluetooth Usage Models, are based on this profile, e.g. File Transfer and Synchronisation. Typical Bluetooth units using this profile are notebook PCs, PDAs, mobile phones and smart phones. Applications using the GOEP assume that links and channels are established, as defined by the GAP. The GOEP describes the procedure for pushing data from one Bluetooth unit to another. The profile also describes how to pull data between units. The GOEP is dependent on the Serial Port Profile [6].

Bluetooth Usage Models

In this section a number of Bluetooth usage models are described. For each usage model there is one or more corresponding profiles defining protocol layers and functions to be used. The profiles are not described in detail in this document, for more information refer to the Bluetooth standardisation documents. File Transfer The File Transfer usage model offers the capability to transfer data objects from one Bluetooth device to another. Files, entire folders, directories and streaming media formats are supported in this usage model. The model also offers the possibility of browsing the contents of the folders on a remote device. Furthermore, push and exchange operations are covered in this usage model, e.g. business card exchange using the vCard format. The File Transfer model is based on GOEP. Internet Bridge The Internet Bridge usage model describes how a mobile phone or cordless modem provides a PC with dial-up networking capabilities without the need for physical connection to the PC. This networking scenario requires a two-piece protocol stack, one for AT-commands to control the mobile phone and another stack to transfer payload data.

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LAN Access The LAN Access usage model is similar to the Internet Bridge user model. The difference is that the LAN Access usage model does not use the protocols for ATcommands. The usage model describes how data terminals use a LAN access point as a wireless connection to a Local Area Network. When connected, the data terminals operate as if it they were connected to the LAN via dial-up networking. Synchronisation The synchronisation usage model provides the means for automatic synchronisation between for instance a desktop PC, a portable PC, a mobile phone and a notebook. The synchronisation requires business card, calendar and task information to be transferred and processed by computers, cellular phones and PDAs utilising a common protocol and format. Three-in-One Phone The Three-in-One Phone usage model describes how a telephone handset may connect to three different service providers. The telephone may act as a cordless telephone connecting to the public switched telephone network at home, charged at a fixed line charge. This scenario includes making calls via a voice base station, and making direct calls between two terminals via the base station. The telephone can also connect directly to other telephones acting as a walkie-talkie or handset extension i.e. no charging needed. Finally, the telephone may act as a cellular telephone connecting to the cellular infrastructure. The cordless and intercom scenarios use the same protocol stack. Ultimate Headset The Ultimate Headset usage model defines how a Bluetooth equipped wireless headset can be connected, to act as a remote units audio input and output interface. The unit is probably a mobile phone or a PC for audio input and output. As for the Internet Bridge user model, this model requires a two-piece protocol stack; one for AT-commands to control the mobile phone and another stack to transfer payload data, i.e. speech. The AT-commands control the telephone regarding for instance answering and terminating calls.

Bluetooth core protocols

Baseband
The Baseband and Link Control layer enables the physical RF link between Bluetooth units forming a piconet. This layer controls the Bluetooth unit's synchronisation and transmission frequency hopping sequence. The two different link types defined in Bluetooth, Synchronous Connection Oriented, SCO, and Asynchronous Connectionless, ACL, described in the section Link types, are also managed by this layer. The ACL links, for data, and the SCO links, mainly for audio, can be multiplexed to use the same RF link [7].

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Audio Audio transmissions can be performed between one or more Bluetooth units, using many different usage models. Audio data do not go through the L2CAP layer (described below) but go directly, after opening a Bluetooth link and a straightforward set-up, between two Bluetooth units.

Host Controller Interface, HCI

The Host Controller Interface, HCI, provides a uniform interface method for accessing the Bluetooth hardware capabilities. It contains a command interface to the Baseband controller and link manager and access to hardware status. Finally, it contains control and event registers [8].

Link Manager Protocol, LMP

The Link Manager Protocol, LMP, is responsible for link set-up between Bluetooth units. It handles the control and negotiation of packet sizes used when transmitting data. The Link Manager Protocol also handles management of power modes, power consumption, and state of a Bluetooth unit in a piconet. Finally, this layer handles generation, exchange and control of link and encryption keys for authentication and encryption [9].

Logical Link Control and Adaptation Protocol, L2CAP

The Bluetooth logical link control and adaptation protocol, L2CAP, is situated over the Baseband layer and beside the Link Manager Protocol in the Bluetooth protocol stack. The L2CAP layer provides connection-oriented and connectionless data services to upper layers. The four main tasks for L2CAP are: Multiplexing L2CAP must support protocol multiplexing since a number of protocols (e.g. SDP, RFCOMM and TCS Binary) can operate over L2CAP. Segmentation and Reassembly Data packets exceeding the Maximum Transmission Unit, MTU, must be segmented before being transmitted. This and the reverse functionality, reassemble, is performed by L2CAP. Quality of Service The establishment of an L2CAP connection allows the exchange of information regarding current Quality of Service for the connection between the two Bluetooth units. Groups The L2CAP specification supports a group abstraction that permits implementations for mapping groups on to a piconet. An L2CAP implementation must be uncomplicated and implying low overhead since it must be compatible with the limited computational resources in a small Bluetooth unit [10].

Service Discovery Protocol, SDP

The Service Discovery Protocol, SDP, defines how a Bluetooth client's application shall act to discover available Bluetooth servers' services and their
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characteristics. The protocol defines how a client can search for a service based on specific attributes without the client knowing anything of the available services. The SDP provides means for the discovery of new services becoming available when the client enters an area where a Bluetooth server is operating. The SDP also provides functionality for detecting when a service is no longer available [11].

Cable replacement protocol

RFCOMM
The RFCOMM protocol is a serial port emulation protocol. The protocol covers applications that make use of the serial ports of the unit. RFCOMM emulates RS232 control and data signals over the Bluetooth baseband. It provides transport capabilities for upper level services, e.g. OBEX that use a serial line as the transport mechanism.

Telephony control protocol

Telephony Control Binary
The Telephony Control protocol Binary, TCS Binary or TCS BIN, is a bitoriented protocol, which defines the call control signalling for the establishment of speech and data calls between Bluetooth units. The protocol defines the signalling for establishment and release of calls between Bluetooth units. As well as signalling to ease the handling of groups of Bluetooth units. Furthermore, TCS Binary provides functionality to exchange signalling information unrelated to ongoing calls. Establishment of a voice or data call in a point-to-point configuration as well as in a point-to-multipoint configuration is covered in this protocol (note, after establishment, the transmission is from point to point). The TCS Binary is based on the ITU-T Recommendation Q.931.

Telephony Control AT Commands

A number of AT-commands are supported for transmitting control signals for telephony control. These use the serial port emulation, RFCOMM, for transmission.

Adopted protocols
This section describes a number of protocols that are defined to be adopted to the Bluetooth protocol stack. Note some of these adaptations are at the moment incomplete.

PPP
The IETF Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) in the Bluetooth technology is designed to run over RFCOMM to accomplish point-to-point connections. PPP is a packetoriented protocol and must therefore use its serial mechanisms to convert the packet data stream into a serial data stream.
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TCP/UDP/IP
The TCP/UDP/IP standards are defined to operate in Bluetooth units allowing them to communicate with other units connected, for instance, to the Internet. Hence, the Bluetooth unit can act as a bridge to the Internet. The TCP/IP/PPP protocol configuration is used for all Internet Bridge usage scenarios in Bluetooth 1.0 and for OBEX in future versions. The UDP/IP/PPP configuration is available as transport for WAP.

OBEX Protocol
IrOBEX, shortly OBEX, is an optional application layer protocol designed to enable units supporting infrared communication to exchange a wide variety of data and commands in a resource-sensitive standardised fashion. OBEX uses a client-server model and is independent of the transport mechanism and transport API. The OBEX protocol also defines a folder-listing object, which is used to browse the contents of folders on remote device. RFCOMM is used as the main transport layer for OBEX Content formats The formats for transmitting vCard and vCalendar information are also defined in the Bluetooth specification. The formats do not define transport mechanisms but the format in which electronic business cards and personal calendar entries and scheduling information are transported. vCard and vCalendar is transferred by OBEX.

Wireless Application Protocol, WAP

The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is a wireless protocol specification that works across a variety of wide-area wireless network technologies bringing the Internet to mobile devices. Bluetooth can be used like other wireless networks with regard to WAP, it can be used to provide a bearer for transporting data between the WAP Client and its adjacent WAP Server. Furthermore, Bluetooths ad hoc networking capability gives a WAP client unique possibilities regarding mobility compared with other WAP bearers. The traditional form of WAP communications involves a client device that communicates with a Server/Proxy device using the WAP protocols. Bluetooth is expected to provide a bearer service as specified by the WAP architecture. The WAP technology supports server push. If this is used over Bluetooth, it opens new possibilities for distributing information to handheld devices on location basis. For example, shops can push special price offers to a WAP client when it comes within Bluetooth range.

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The Bluetooth air interface

This section describes the Bluetooth air interface. It is a continuation of the introduction to the air interface and is based on [12].

The Frequency Hopping technique

Interference is avoided by using a frequency-hop, FH, spread spectrum technology. This technology is well suited for low-power, low-cost radio implementations and is used in some wireless LAN products. The main advantage with Bluetooth's choice of parameters is the high hop rate, 1600 hops per second, instead of just a few hops per second. The shorter packet length in the Bluetooth technology is another benefit. The frequency band in FH systems is divided into a number of hop channels. Every hop channel is just a fraction of the total frequency band. In Bluetooth one channel is used in 625 s (one slot) followed by a hop in a pseudo-random order to another channel for another 625 s transmission, repeated constantly. In this way the hopping spreads the Bluetooth traffic over the entire ISM band and a system with good interference protection is achieved. If one of the transmissions is jammed by, for instance, a microwave oven, the probability of interference on the next hop channel is very low. Error correction algorithms are used to correct the fault caused by jammed transmissions.

fn +2 f n+1 fn t 625 s 625 s

Figure 4 Frequency hop per time division

Modulation/Transmission and packet definition

A Gaussian shaped binary FSK modulation is used to reduce the transceiver complexity in Bluetooth units. Full duplex transmission capability is achieved by using time division duplex, subsequent slots are used for transmitting and receiving. The Bluetooth baseband protocol is a combination of circuit and packet switching. Reservation of slots can be done for synchronous packets. One packet typically uses one slot, but a multi-slot method is also defined in the Bluetooth specifications. Multi-slot packets can cover three or five slots. Packets are always sent on one single hop channel. That means that when multi-slot packets are transmitted the hopping frequency is reduced and there is no hop until the whole packet is sent. This is illustrated in Figure 5. The channel using the white packet
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starts the illustrated sequence with a multi-slot packet covering three slots. Note that the hopping channel after the multi-slot packet is the same (compare with Figure 4) as if there had not been a multi-slot packet.

fn +2 f n+1 fn t 625 s 625 s

Figure 5 Mulit-slot packet

Bluetooth networking
When Bluetooth units are communicating, one unit is master and the rest of the units act as slaves. The master unit's system clock and the master identity are the central parts in the frequency hop technology. The hop channel is determined by the hop sequence and by the phase in this sequence. The identity of the master determines the sequence and the master unit's system clock determines the phase. In the slave unit, an offset may be added to its system clock to create a copy of the master's clock. In this way every unit in the Bluetooth connection holds synchronised clocks and the master identity, that uniquely identifies the connection. Hops synchronised with the master can therefore be achieved as described in Figure 6. 79 hop carriers have been defined for the Bluetooth technology except for France and Spain where 23 hop carriers have been defined, because the ISM-band is narrower there.
Hop selection Hop + Phase Sequence Offset Master identity
Figure 6 The hop selection

Slave clock

The Bluetooth packets have a fixed format. A 72-bit access code comes first in the packet. The access code is based on the master's identity and the master's system clock, i.e. it provides the means for the synchronisation. This code is unique for the channel and used by all packets transmitting on a specific channel. A 54-bit header follows the access code. This header contains error correction, retransmission and flow control information. The error correction information can
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be used for correcting faults in the payload and in the header itself. Finally comes the payload field with anything between zero and 2,745 bits, i.e. up to 340 bytes.

fn +2 f n+1 fn t 625 s

Access Packet code header 72 bits 54 bits

Payload 0-2745 bits

Figure 7 The Bluetooth packet format

Radio parameters
Bluetooth units operate on the ISM band, at 2.45 GHz. The transmitting power is between 1 and 100 mW. The radio-frequency transmitters are very small. Ericsson's 1 mW Bluetooth radio module is only 10.2x14x1.6 mm. The low power consumption implies that a Bluetooth unit can operate on the power from a small battery for a long time (months). These hardware characteristics make it possible to fit a Bluetooth unit in many electrical devices. The maximum Bluetooth range is 10 m, with a possibility to extend it to 100 m. The maximum bit rate is 1 Mbit/s. Maximum effective payload is lower because the different protocol layers require data payload for signalling to their corresponding layers in the unit with which the device is communicating. Estimates have indicated data transfer rates up to 721 kbit/s.

Link types
Two types of link have been defined, Asynchronous Connectionless, ACL, and Synchronous Connection Oriented, SCO. When two Bluetooth units communicate a piconet is established (capable of handling up to eight Bluetooth devices). One device in the piconet always has the master role. Different masterslave pairs in the same piconet can use different link types. The link type may be changed during a session. The SCO links support symmetrical, circuit-switched, point-to-point connections and are therefore primarily used for voice traffic. Two consecutive time slots, up and down, at fixed intervals are reserved for a SCO link. The data rate for SCO links is 64 kbit/s. ACL links are defined for bursty data transmission, i.e. packet data primarily. They support symmetrical and asymmetrical, packet-switched, point-tomultipoint connections. Multi-slot packets use the ACL link type and can reach the maximum data rate 721 kbit/s in one direction and 57.6 kbit/s in the other direction if no error correction is used. The master unit controls the ACL link bandwidth and decides how much of the bandwidth in a piconet a slave can use. The master also controls the symmetry of the traffic. Broadcast messages are supported in the ACL link, i.e. from the master to all slaves in the piconet.
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Data packets are protected by an Automatic Retransmission Query, ARQ, scheme. This scheme implies that at every packet reception an error check is done. If an error is detected, the receiving unit indicates this in the return packet; thus lost or faulty packets only cause a one-slot delay. In this way, retransmission is in this way selective, only faulty packets are retransmitted. Since retransmission is not optimal for voice transmissions due to its vulnerability for delays, a voice-encoding scheme is used. This scheme is highly resistant to bit errors. The errors that cannot be corrected result in an increasing background noise.

Piconet and Scatternet

Any two Bluetooth devices that come within range of each other can set up a socalled ad hoc connection. When such a connection is established a piconet is formed. There is always a master unit in a piconet and the rest of the units act as slaves. Up to eight active units can form a piconet, which is defined by the channel these units share. The number of devices in a piconet is actually unlimited even though you can have only eight active devices at any given moment. There is no difference in hardware or software between a master and a slave, hence any unit can be master. The unit that establishes the piconet becomes the master unit. The roles in a piconet can change but there can never be more than one master. The master unit controls all traffic in the piconet. It allocates capacity for SCO links and handles a polling scheme for ACL links. Slave units may only send in the slave-to-master slot after being addressed in the preceding master-to-slave slot. If the master does not have any information to send in the master-to-slave slot, a packet with access code and header only is sent. That is, every slave unit is addressed in a specific order, and polling scheme, and may only send upon being addressed. In this way, packet collisions between sending slave units are eliminated.

Establishing network connections

Before a unit has joined a piconet it is in standby mode. In this mode, an unconnected unit periodically wakes up and listens for messages every 1.28 seconds. Paging messages are transmitted on 32 of the 79 (16 of 23 for Spain and France) hop carriers which are defined as wake-up carriers (the unit's identity determines which of the hop carriers it is). A connection is made by a page message if the address is already known, or by an inquiry message followed by a subsequent page message if the address is unknown. The wake-up sequence is transmitted by the master over the 32 (or 16 for Spain and France, below is the 32 hop carrier system described) wake up carriers. Initially, the 16 first hop carriers are used, if there is no response, the rest of the carriers are used. The slave's system clock determines the phase in the wake-up sequence. The slave listens for 18 slots on the wake-up carrier and compares the incoming signal with the access code derived from its own identity. If there is a match, the unit invokes a connection-set-up procedure and enters Connected mode. The master unit must know the slave's identity and its system clock. This is required to calculate the proper access code and the wake-up sequence and to predict the wake-up sequence phase. To keep track of the slaves' system clocks, a paging procedure is defined for the master unit. It defines how identities are
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transmitted between master and slave units and how the slaves' current system clocks are distributed to the master. To connect units with an unknown address an inquiry signal is transmitted initially. This signal is used to inform the master unit of the slave's identity within transmission range. The paging unit on the inquiry wake-up carriers sends an inquiry access code. Units receiving this message respond with their identity and system clock. The inquiry message is typically used for finding Bluetooth devices, including public printers, fax machines and similar devices with an unknown address. Power saving modes Three different power saving modes have been defined, Hold, Sniff and Park. They can be used if there is no data transmission ongoing in the piconet. A slave can either demand to be put in Hold mode or be put in Hold by the master unit. In Hold mode only an internal timer is running. Data transfer restarts instantly when units make the transition out of Hold mode. The mode is used when connecting several piconets or managing a low power device such as a temperature sensor. In the Sniff mode, a slave device listens to the piconet at reduced rate, thereby reducing its duty cycle. In the Park mode a unit remains synchronised in the piconet but does not participate in the traffic [13].

Scatternet
To optimise the use of the available spectrum, several piconets can exist in the same area. This is called scatternet. Within one scatternet all units share the same frequency range but each piconet uses different hop sequences and transmits on different 1 MHz hop channels. Thus, a way to optimise the data transmission capability is to keep the piconets small (i.e. few units). All piconets share the 80 MHz band, where each piconet uses 1 MHz, thus, as long as the piconets pick different hop frequencies, no sharing of 1 MHz hop channels occurs. Consequently, if a mobile user wants to connect a number of Bluetooth units to his mobile phone, the best way to get high data transmission capacity is to form as many piconets as possible in one scatternet. Every connection is using a piconet's maximum capacity (721 kbit/s). The laws of probability imply that the number of collision resulting in retransmission is so low that up to 8 piconets are possible in one scatternet.

Bluetooth security
Introducing the Bluetooth technology as a cable replacement technique exposes the need for security functionality in the wireless solution. By replacing the cable and introducing radio signals there is a need for the Bluetooth device to have built-in security to prevent eavesdropping and falsifying the message originator. Therefore, functionality for authentication and encryption has been added to the Bluetooth technology. Authentication is used to prevent unwanted access to data and to prevent falsifying of the message originator. Encryption is used to prevent eavesdropping. These two techniques combined with the frequency hopping technique and the limited transmission range for a Bluetooth unit, usually 10 m, give the technology higher protection against eavesdropping.

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Since the need for security is dependent on what kind of application is executed, three levels of security are defined in the Bluetooth concept. 1. Non-secure; This mode bypasses functionality for authentication and encryption. 2. Service-level security; Security procedures are not initiated until L2CAP channel establishment. 3. Link-level security; Security procedures are initiated before the link set-up at the LMP level is completed.

Service-level security
In the Service-level security mode, it is suggested to introduce a Security Manager that controls the access to services and units. This security mode provides the possibility to define trust levels for the services and units used respectively. The access is restricted according to the defined trust levels.

Link-level security
The Link-level security mode is based on the concept of link keys. These keys are secret 128 bit random numbers stored individually for each pair of devices in a Bluetooth connection. Each time two Bluetooth units communicate, the link key is used for authentication and encryption.

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Why Bluetooth Technical aspects

Competing techniques
There are a number of competitors to the Bluetooth technology. However, there is no obvious single competitor in all the market segments in which the Bluetooth technology can operate.

IrDA
The main competitor in the cable replacement market segment is IrDA. IrDA is an infrared interface standard providing wireless solutions between, for instance, mobile phones and PDAs. The technique is well known in the market but has had problems because some IrDA manufacturers have made implementations incompatible with standard implementations. The maximum payload in the IrDA technology exceeds the maximum Bluetooth payload. The two main disadvantages with IrDA are that it is limited to point-to-point connections (only two parties in a connection) and its need for line of sight (since it is based on infrared light).

Implementations based on IEEE 802.11

The main competitors in the market segment for wireless LAN are the implementations based on the IEEE 802.11 standard. Some of these implementations also use the frequency hopping technology. The main differences between Bluetooth and these implementations are: Implementations based on IEEE 802.11 have higher transmission capacity The number of simultaneous users is higher for IEEE 802.11-based systems The Bluetooth hardware size is considerably smaller The five Euro unit is 10 to 20 times cheaper than an IEEE 802.11 unit The number of frequency hops is considerably higher for Bluetooth than for an IEEE 802.11 implementation

Ultra-Wideband Radio, UWB

Ultra-Wideband Radio, UWB, is a new radio technology. The concept is similar to radar. Short pulses are transmitted in a broad frequency range. The information is modulated by the pulses' time and frequency. The technique is not fully developed but might be a threat to the Bluetooth concept since its superiority in capacity and power consumption. UWB prototypes indicate payloads up to 1.25 Mbit/s with 70 meters range at just 0.5 mW power consumption.

Home RF
Home RF is a technique developed by a consortium with, among others, Microsoft, Intel, HP, Motorola and Compaq. The technique is developed from the
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DECT concept and operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency band (the same as Bluetooth). The intention has been to develop a technique for the home market. There are many similarities with Bluetooth, price per unit, range, transmitting power etc. The major differences are that Home RF can handle up to 127 units per net and it uses just 50 frequency hops per second. The figures for Bluetooth are 8 and 1600 respectively.

Bluetooth strengths
The Bluetooth concept offers several benefits compared with other techniques. The main advantages of Bluetooth are: The minimal hardware dimensions The low price on Bluetooth components The low power consumption for Bluetooth connections

The advantages make it possible to introduce support for Bluetooth in many types of devices at a low price. The diversity in product offerings (mobile phones, PDAs, computers, computer hardware, notebooks etc) from companies in the Bluetooth SIG and their broad support for the technique creates a unique market position. Both hardware and device manufacturers will work for the introduction of Bluetooth in many different devices. The capabilities provided by Bluetooth, approximately 720 kbit/s, can be used for cable replacement and several other applications such as speech, LAN and so on, as described in the use cases, described in the section entitled Bluetooth Usage Models. Figure 8 indicates in what areas the Bluetooth concept can be used. Defining of specific user models and corresponding profiles combined with the four general profiles will most likely lead to a market situation where applications covered by the user models will use the defined user models and their profiles. Furthermore, it is likely that new applications will use the standard profiles and thereby avoid interoperability problems between different manufacturers.

Figure 8 Data transmission requirements

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The close Bluetooth future

It is estimated that before year 2002, Bluetooth will be a built-in feature in more than 100 million mobile phones and in several million other communication devices, ranging from headsets and portable PC's to desktop computers and notebooks. The first Bluetooth products will probably be basic cable replacement products. However, when the Bluetooth chips have entered the mass market and chips are found in a multitude of devices, several new markets will open for Bluetooth solutions. A few Software Development Kits (SDK) have now been introduced on the market. More competition on the SDK market and lower prices on Bluetooth chips will make manufacturers of electronic equipment easy to convince to insert Bluetooth support in their devices. The Bluetooth hardware dimensions and its uniform method for building applications will ensure a Bluetooth market with matching implementations regardless of brand and what country the product is designed for.

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References
[1] "Bluetooth the gap between perception and reality" Mobile Europe, September 1999 , p 14-17 "Bluetooth Technology: The Convergence of Computing and Communications", Intel Corporation, http://www.gsmdata.com/cannes99/cannespaper.htm Generic Access Profile Specification, www.bluetooth.com Service Discovery Application Profile Specification, www.bluetooth.com Serial Port Profile Specification, www.bluetooth.com Generic Object Exchange Profile Specification, www.bluetooth.com Baseband Specification, www.bluetooth.com Host Controller Interface, Functional Specification, www.bluetooth.com Link Manager Protocol, Specification, www.bluetooth.com Logical Link Control and Adaptation Protocol Specification, www.bluetooth.com Service Discovery Protocol, Specification, www.bluetooth.com "Bluetooth The universal radio interface for ad hoc, wireless connectivity", Ericsson Review No. 3, 1998 Bluetooth overview, www.bluetooth.com

[2]

[3] [4]

[5] [6]

[7] [8]

[9] [10]

[11] [12]

[13]

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Abbreviations
Abbreviation or Acronym ACL API ARQ AT-commands FSK GAP GOEP FH HCI IETF IP IrDA ISM LAN LMP L2CAP OBEX PDA PPP RF RFCOMM SCO SDAP SDP SIG TCP TCS Binary UDP WAE WAP Meaning Asynchronous ConnectionLess Application Programming Interface Automatic Retransmission Query ATtention commands Frequency Shift Keying Generic Access Profile Generic Object Exchange Profile Frequency-Hop Host Controller Interface Internet Engineering Task Force Internet Protocol Infrared Data Association Industrial-Scientific-Medical Local Area Network Link Manager Protocol Logical Link and Control Adaptation Protocol Object Exchange Protocol Personal Digital Assistant Point-to-Point Protocol Radio Frequency Serial Cable Emulation Protocol Synchronous Connection-Oriented Service Discovery Application Profile Service Discovery Protocol Special Interest Group Transport Control Protocol Telephony Control Specification Binary User Datagram Protocol Wireless Application Environment Wireless Application Protocol

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