Bluetooth technology is one of the most useful and used tools that exist today . Thanks to it we can perform different tasks in our homes without having to move too much. We can control different equipment through our mobile and computer providing a high level of comfort.
There are two versions of Bluetooth that are used today, with version 2.0 being the most used and with which up to 3 Mbps can be transmitted. The manufacturers of electronic equipment add this technology to their products in a mandatory way because they understand that, without it, your equipment will be out of the market.
In this article we will talk to you how this data transmission system works and how we can build an 8-node network via Bluetooth.
Index:
What is a Bluetooth connection and what uses do you currently have?
Bluetooth is a technology that uses the IEEE 802.15.1 wireless communication standard , whereby two devices can communicate with each other through a 2.4 GHz low power radio frequency and they can transmit data and voice packets in this way.
This technology was born in the research conducted by Erikson and comes the name of King Harald Blåtand and can be classified into four classes according to the range that radio frequency waves can have.
Class 1 up to 100 meters , the second category reaches up to 10 meters , class 3 has a limit of 1 meter and the last it’s for 0.5 meters .
This technology is present in mobile devices, computers, digital cameras and also in printers, so its use today is linked more than anything to the transmission of information between these devices that we have named.
But we cannot also ignore those products such as garden irrigation equipment, microwaves, security cameras, wireless speakers, car audio equipment, among others, in which we will also find the Bluetooth logo and its operation is closely related to this kind of data transmission.
How does a Bluetooth connection work? Phases of the process
To explain how the connection of two nodes via Bluetooth works, we will first have to mention the conditions that are needed for it to work.
The working conditions that this technology needs are:
- Through a physical agreement , this function must be activated in order to transmit the data we need through radio frequency.
- second condition is from a protocol point of view , where it is required as a requirement that there be mutual authorizations of the devices to be linked to each other or for one to control another equipment.
Once these two conditions are covered, the Bluetooth process is very simple since a sending device sends the data by radio waves, being received by other electronic equipment.
The latter team decodes that data according to different protocols previously assigned and translates it into a conventional format for its understanding. This happens thanks to the installation of transmitting and receiving plates that each device has.
What is the limit of data that can be passed in a Bluetooth transfer?
There are different limitations of this technology to transmit information to another device
We can name some of them: the low transfer speed, the distance between the equipment has to be correct and try to avoid interference between the devices to be connected.
With this we can conclude that the data size limit is not a weakness of the system , since all the amount of data that is needed can be transferred, the limit will be set by the ability to memory of the receiving equipment.
It is necessary to consider at this point that it is also necessary to have an important battery charge so that the mobile device is not turned off when we are making the transfer, since it will be canceled.
What are the “Piconets” in a Bluetooth system?
When we connect two devices through this technology, what we are doing is creating a small network between them, if we can connect more devices to this network we will have a computer network that will be called Piconet . The Piconet set is called Scatternet.
In which it consists of having a master device and up to 7 slaves , since no more than 8 nodes are allowed in a network formed by this technology. The master device has the function of choosing the hop to be able to maintain the link, establish the connections so that the data packets can occupy a slot in the broadcast and another slot to receive them alternately.
Finally, the most important mission of the master team is to generate an exclusive code for each of the teams or nodes, which participate in the Piconet network and a clock frequency in order to generate a frequency hopping sequence.
This type of network is very common today for those places where there are different electronic devices that need to respond to a computer to broadcast, for example, videos, music and any other entertainment element without the need to have cables to User view.
How secure is a wireless connection via Bluetooth?
Being a technology based on radio wave transmission, there is a need to take precautions so that no unauthorized device has the possibility to intercept the information we exchange or to access our device.
The best known dangers of hacking through Bluetooth technology are as follows:
- Bluejacking attack: Which is a method in which you can send messages anonymously through our mobile to different devices close to ours and that are connected with Bluetooth.
- Car Whisperers Method: This attack is based on the fact that most car audio equipment needs a 4-digit code to connect to the driver’s mobile, so they are Many easier to hack. Once this key is decrypted, the attacker has all the permissions to access the device.
- Bluebuggin access: Which consists of remotely accessing our mobile through Bluetooth allowing even to manage our entire device without us noticing.
Based on these dangerous methods, safety measures were developed, both at the device level and also for the service. Working these two variables at the same time can protect devices with this technology in a perfect way and thus do not allow the transmission of data from unauthorized users.
We recommend having Bluetooth mode activated as “not detectable” or “invisible” so that we can only connect with those devices that interest us, and also have present the identification procedures to be able to make a correct connection authorization.