• Bluetooth Standards

    The Bluetooth standards comprise over 1,500 pages of specifications. It's easy to get bogged down. If you want to use these standards, you need to have some idea of the application for which you intend to use Bluetooth. The standards divide into two groups: core specifications and profile specifications.

    The core specifications give you the layers of the Bluetooth protocol architecture. Those layers consist of core protocols, cable replacement and telephony protocols, and adopted protocols.

    Core Specifications

    Radio

    Details the air interface. Specifies the 2.45 GHz frequency range with 79 1 MHz channels to be used by frequency hopping. Specifies the modulation scheme and the transmit power.

    Baseband

    Specifies protocols for establishing a connection in a piconet, addressing, timing, packet format, and power control.

    Link Manager Protocol (LMP)

    Specifies protocols for establishing and managing links between Bluetooth devices including authentication, encryption, and packet size.

    Logical Link Control and Adaptation Protocol (L2CAP)

    Specifies protocol for adapting upper-layer protocols to the baseband layer.

    Service Discovery Protocol (SDP)

    Specifies protocol for two Bluetooth devices to query each other and learn about services offered.

    Cable Replacement Protocol (RFCOMM)

    Specifies the protocol for presenting Bluetooth as a virtual serial port to make cable replacement as transparent as possible.

    Telephony Control Protocol (TCS BIN)

    Defines the call control signaling to establish speech and data calls. Defines mobility-management procedures as well.

    Adopted Protocols

    These are already existing protocols that can be used by Bluetooth. They include PPP, TCP/UDP/IP, OBEX, and WAE/WAP.

    Profile Specifications

    The profile specifications take you from there to discuss various applications of the core protocols. A profile specification should include a description of which core specification aspects are mandatory for a particular application, which are optional, and which do not apply.