Bluetooth

Bluetooth uses the same 2.4 GHz frequency that the IEEE 802.11b wireless networks use, but, unlike those networks, Bluetooth can select from up to 79 different frequencies within a radio band. Bluetooth is a short range protocol that includes three classes, namely, 1 m, 10 m, and 100 m. Unlike 802.11b networks where the wireless client can only be associated with one network at a time, Bluetooth networks allow clients to be connected to seven networks at the same time. However, one of the main reasons that Bluetooth never succeeded like the 802.11b standard did is because of its low-bandwidth capabilities and a lack of range.

Bluetooth, by its very design, is not intended for the long ranges or high data throughput rates that 802.11 wireless networks have. This is largely due to the fact that the hop rate of Bluetooth devices is about 1600 hops per second with an average of a 625-µs dwell time, thus producing exceptionally more management overhead than 802.11. Although this exceptionally high hop rate does tend to make Bluetooth resistant to narrow band interference, it has the undesirable side effect of causing disruption of other 2.4-GHz-based network technologies, such as 802.11b and 802.11g. This high hop rate causes all-band interference on these 802.11 networks and can, in some cases, completely prevent an 802.11 wireless network from functioning.