Bluetooth cuts the cord

The interoperability question

Questions of interoperability have delayed Bluetooth adoption longer than anyone expected. In March 2001 at the CeBit show in Hanover, Germany, organisers tried to create the largest Bluetooth network to date, but without success. Major manufacturers such as Motorola, Ericsson, Siemens, and Microsoft had a difficult time getting their devices to work together.

More recently, the standard has made strides toward seamless interoperability. Version 1.1 of the Bluetooth standard includes core conformance test requirements that ensure some level of agreement with the spec. In addition, to be qualified, new products must meet interoperability tests against predefined profiles. Perhaps most effective are the quarterly unplug fests, where manufacturers test their devices with those of other vendors. Also, the Bluetooth SIG is working toward a category called Designated Product Interoperability Testers (DPIT), which would require that products be able to operate with products from specific manufacturers.

Bluetooth took another hit earlier this year when Microsoft announced that it wouldn't support the specification in its upcoming XP operating system. However, the company has promised to support Bluetooth later this year if production-level Bluetooth hardware and software is available.

Mobile phones and notebooks
Now that many of the holes in the specification have been filled and interoperability efforts are clearly defined, a significant number of products may come to market by year's end. Today, several Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones are available, as are PC cards that add Bluetooth functionality to notebooks. But notebooks that more closely integrate Bluetooth are nearly available.

Compaq, for example, has announced that in August it will ship its new Evo notebooks with a multiport module with both Bluetooth and 802.11b capabilities. Meanwhile, mobile phones are more readily available: Motorola's Timeport 270 and Nokia's 6210 phones support Bluetooth with an add-on module, while Ericsson plans to ship its Bluetooth-integrated T39 phone this summer.

Bluetooth may not have arrived just yet, but it appears to be right around the corner. While most enterprises will choose to take a wait-and-see attitude, IT managers should give Bluetooth a serious look. While all companies want to ensure that products are available, that they work together, and that security won't be compromised, IT managers should be proactive and test solutions as they become available. Adding a few access points in strategic areas, such as conference rooms or remote offices, might put your company ahead of the Bluetooth curve.

Contents

1.  Intro      2.  Applications and products      3.  Competing wireless standards      4.  The interoperability question

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