Bluetooth over 802.11: High-Speed Bluetooth in the Fast Lane

During the 2008 Global World Congress in Barcelona, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group announced that it was developing an innovative method of radio substitution to optimize short-range wireless connectivity solutions. Specifically, the announcement stated that classic Bluetooth architectural elements such as protocols, profiles, security, and pairing will be instructed to move on top of an already present 802.11 radio, sending bulky entertainment data, music, video, and photo files at a much faster rate in consumer devices. The increased data transfer capability will be utilized temporarily; and when the speed of 802.11 becomes overkill, the connection will return to normal operation on a Bluetooth radio for optimal power management and performance. The Bluetooth SIG has dubbed the new high-speed Bluetooth architecture “Alternate MAC/PHY” or AMP, and it is already working on the new specification. (The core specification enabling AMP architecture is expected to be published to SIG members by mid-2009.)

You must be a subscriber to Bluetooth, Location Devices, NFC, Wi-Fi, Wireless Connectivity, or ZigBee to view the Bluetooth over 802.11: High-Speed Bluetooth in the Fast Lane Insight.

To find out more about subscribing:

Contact a representative about purchasing options.