Bluetooth Concepts

Bluetooth is a wireless communication technology that allows devices to communicate with each other, within a range of up to approximately 100 meters. The discovery process enables devices to query other devices about the services they offer. If a device offers more than one service, the user can select the services they want to use from that particular device. This technology enables devices to communicate without physical cables. Wireless headsets and hands-free calling devices, GPS devices, modems, and keyboards are prime examples of devices using Bluetooth technology.

Note   The range varies depending on the signal strength of the device.

Bluetooth has adopted a common data and object specification that enables devices to communicate over a wireless connection in a standard way. This allows applications to use typical interfaces when exchanging data, business cards, and calendar entries.

The Bluetooth stack implementation is modular. It is a general-purpose software stack, and is linked by default, or modularized to meet specific usage scenarios and OEM needs. In Microsoft® Windows® CE, the primary way an application can use Bluetooth is through the Winsock interface, which exposes RFCOMM protocol. Virtual COM ports are also exposed, but this interface is designed to be enabled under existing OS services such as UNIMODEM, GPS, or terminal emulators. By using various protocols and profiles, Bluetooth can be implemented to perform the following tasks:

• Connect to a modem through a cellular phone.
• Connect to a local area network (LAN) access point.
• Enable object exchange and synchronization using the Object Exchange Protocol (OBEX).
• Use wireless headset and hands-free devices to handle calls on a cellular phone.
• Transfer data from a desktop computer to a mobile device over a wireless connection.

For more information about Bluetooth technology, see this Official Bluetooth Wireless Info Web site.

In this Section

• Winsock Extensions (Windows CE)
  Provides information on how to use Bluetooth by using Winsock interfaces.
• Creating a Connection to a Remote Device Using a Virtual COM Port (Windows CE)
  Describes the procedure to connect to a remote Bluetooth device by creating a virtual COM port.
• Creating a Connection to a Remote Device Using Winsock (Windows CE)
  Describes the procedure to connect to a remote Bluetooth device by using standard Winsock functions.
• Discovering Bluetooth Devices Using Winsock (Windows CE)
  Describes the procedure to scan for remote Bluetooth devices by using standard Winsock functions.
• Querying Service Capability on Remote Bluetooth Devices (Windows CE)
  Describes the procedure to retrieve the supported services of a remote Bluetooth device by using standard Winsock functions.
• Registering a Bluetooth Service (Windows CE)
  Describes the procedure to register a new Bluetooth service by using standard Winsock functions.
• Parsing an SDP Record Using COM Interfaces (Windows CE)
  Describes the procedure to parse an SDP record by using COM interfaces.
• Searching SDP Attributes Using COM Interfaces (Windows CE)
  Describes the procedure to search an SDP record and retrieve service attributes, such as the RFCOMM channel identifier, by using COM interfaces.

See Also

Bluetooth

Last updated on Friday, April 22, 2005

© 2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Send feedback on this topic to the authors.