What Is Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator?

A Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator connects Bluetooth and non-Bluetooth embedded devices.

Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard used for exchanging data between computer devices. Such devices, due to incompatibility, may not immediately be able to connect or communicate with each other. Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerators help overcome this problem.

Definition

A Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator is a protocol set, or set of standards or guidelines, essentially used to organize and facilitate the data transfer between remote Bluetooth devices. Bluetooth Enumerators are sometimes referred to as Bluetooth dongles, or adapters.

Process

A Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator is a wireless adapter device that enables a PC without embedded Bluetooth to communicate with Bluetooth devices such as Bluetooth-enabled keyboards, mice and mobile phones. A Bluetooth Enumerator contains a Bluetooth radio, which sends out electronic signals translated by a Bluetooth device into binary code, or a series of zeros and ones a computer system can understand.

Limitations

Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerators operate only on Windows XP and later Windows operating systems. The Bluetooth Enumerator can link non-Bluetooth embedded devices to Bluetooth embedded devices within a distance of about 100 meters.

References

• MSDN: Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator
• "Bluetooth Essentials for Programmers"; Albert S. Huang and Larry Rudolph; 2007

Resources

• "Bluetooth End to End"; Dee Bakker, Diane McMichael Gilster, and Ron Gilster; 2002