06-12-2003, 06:30 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Why Has 802.11 Flourished and Bluetooth Failed?
"The crux of the problem is that 802.11 represents the Internet and Bluetooth represents the faux Internet, and getting to know the difference gives us an understanding of what the Internet really is. On the surface, both promise connectivity without wires. That's really all 802.11 promises.
The Bluetooth story sounds much better. It promises to get rid of that tangle of wires on our desk and it will allow us to have a wireless headset that works with our cellular phone. We can connect our PDAs to our cellular phone and connect to the Internet and we can synchronize our cellular phone with our desktop and on and on. Unfortunately, Bluetooth synchronizes to the desktop only if you are at the desk--and that's the crux of the problem."
Bob sure says "crux" a lot. :lol: This article should spark some interesting debate. I recently installed an Iogear Bluetooth dongle on my desktop PC, then tried to get my iPAQ 5450 to talk to it, and gave up after 30 minutes. The Iogear product is great, and the iPAQ Bluetooth manager seems intuitive, but it's still too hard, still too illogical. Sigh.
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06-12-2003, 06:36 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 80
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Quote:
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I recently installed an Iogear Bluetooth dongle on my desktop PC, then tried to get my iPAQ 5450 to talk to it, and gave up after 30 minutes.
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Same thing to me. I got a mitsumi usb bluetooth dongle thinking I am all without wire from now on. Bluetooth is still too hard even for die hard techies. Maybe it tries to do too many things at the same time? One good thing at least, I gave up after 2 days. :cry:
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06-12-2003, 06:41 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 390
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Imagine if PPC2003 has Bluetooth support built-in. For example, in file manager, you could tap & hold and tap "Send via Bluetooth" and select the recieving PPC...  THAT would be an awesome use of Bluetooth! Besides, has anyone noticed that the new HP models ALL will have Bluetooth...? :wink:
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06-12-2003, 06:45 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 262
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Bluetooth is hard, not intu�tive, but once you get it working it's great...it's cool to be able to sync over bluetooth or install apps without having to put my ipaq in the cradle. What I have discovered though is that BT connection between a PDA and a phone seems to work best, everything else is alot harder to set up, even for power users
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06-12-2003, 06:47 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,041
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My experiences with Bluetooth have been 50/50. To setup devices to talk with each other can be a test of patience. Being a techie for about 20 years... If it's a pain for me to set this up, I can't imagine for someone who isn't a techie.
The manufacturers need to make it easier for devices to see and talk to each other. Plus the quality of Bluetooth tends to vary greatly as well. I bought a Bluetooth headset for my Bluetooth phone and it worked pretty good for a few months, then the static started coming in and it just became useless.
I have a Belkin USB Bluetooth Adapter and it works great! Install the software, plug in the device and it works! Easy to setup with other devices and the range seems to be very good.
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06-12-2003, 06:53 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,819
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Part of the problem is that Bluetooth makers have yet to really market the technology. I can't tell you how often I have to explain to users what the difference between the two (WiFi and Bluetooth) technologies are.
On a similar note, I spend all last Sunday at my inlaws house trying to get their new deskjet 995c printer which has bluetooth built into it to work with their desktop. Why can't these things be "plug in and play"? :twak:
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06-12-2003, 06:56 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 90
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Part of the problem with Bluetooth is that it's designed to work without any sort of base station. Normally when you're connecting wirelessly using 802.11 you're connecting from a client to a base station - the idea of bluetooth is that two individual devices can talk directly to each other without the need for any 'third party'. I know 802.11 can do Ad-hoc mode directly been two cards but my experience of trying to get that to work is simular to what people term 'the bluetooth experince!' (if not worse).
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06-12-2003, 06:56 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 437
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Jason and Nobody: so where have you been having the problems on the BT Dongle?
Have you tried getting any help from forums?
Maybe we can help you out right here.
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06-12-2003, 06:56 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 77
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Bluetooth is a bit flakey and not simple enough to use. Tried using an USB bluetooth dongle from Wavelinker with the 5450 and I cna it to connect OK and sync but the connection is flakey and the connection is dropped after a short time. Wonder if Activestink has a hand in this.... :twisted:
Wifi is easy as pie and the connection is stable, it rocks to do some cauch-crusing with Thunderhawk and a wifi connection... :clap:
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06-12-2003, 06:59 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,768
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BT
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Originally Posted by denivan
Bluetooth is hard, not intu�tive, but once you get it working it's great...it's cool to be able to sync over bluetooth or install apps without having to put my ipaq in the cradle. What I have discovered though is that BT connection between a PDA and a phone seems to work best, everything else is alot harder to set up, even for power users
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The same thing can be done via WiFi (and it is faster)....
BT is a great concept and because it is low-power, a better suited technology to low-bandwidtch connectivity needs. I suspect however that with communication based technology moving more and more to a packet-switched network based on IP (see mobile carriers like Sprint) that the WiFi concept will eventually surpass BT. Although not designed for it originally, IP can accomplish the same tasks of a PAN and just as easily replace wires.
I suspect in the end, BT and the existing WiFi will be replaced by a hybrid protocol that does both better.
__________________
Jonathan (JonnoB)
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke
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