How do I Compare Bluetooth Vs. a WiFi Connection to Computer Data?

Bluetooth devices are capable of transmitting computer data

Many people think of Bluetooth as simply the name of the ear pieces that go with cell phones, but it is the name of an entire category of wireless technology. Bluetooth is the name for the 802.15 wireless standard for Personal Area Networking (PAN). WiFi is the name for 802.11 standard-based wireless Local Area Networks (LAN). Both standards have been in constant development and improvement since the 1990s. Both standards are designed to carry data between different computers and devices.

Instructions

1. View the frequency bands. Both Bluetooth and WiFi use the same 2.4 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum bands. However, Bluetooth is limited to the 2.4 GHz band while versions of WiFi cards can also use the 5 GHz band for data transfer.

2. View the connection speed. In nearly all cases, WiFi connections are many times faster than Bluetooth. Both types of connections are designed to carry computer data, but WiFi typically does so at a much faster rate. For example, the Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR standard can transfer 3 Mbps of data, while most 802.11 WiFi connections transfer 54 Mbps of data.

3. View the wireless topology. Bluetooth was designed as a replacement for wires connecting point to point devices, such as headphones, mice or printers. WiFi was designed as a wireless replacement for LAN cables such as Ethernet. WiFi requires an underlying LAN structure to move computer data properly except in the case of ad-hoc links, whereas Bluetooth is capable of making quick point to point links with devices.

Tips & Warnings

• Some devices, such as laptop computers and certain smart phones, may use both types of technologies simultaneously to transmit and receive data.