Bluetooth technology is now part of our daily life. We use it every day to exchange files between our devices, to listen to music wirelessly (via Bluetooth headphones and earphones ) and for many other purposes that would be almost impossible to list completely, given their vastness. But how does Bluetooth workfrom a technical point of view? How does it connect so many devices? Have you ever asked it to yourself? I really think so. But I also believe that, given your lack of training in the IT field, you are looking for an exhaustive explanation but at the same time simple and free from unnecessary technicalities. Did I guess? Well, because I am happy to let you know that you are in the right place, at a time that could not have been better.
In fact, in the following lines I will explain to you in detail what Bluetooth is, how it works and how you can use it using the numerous compatible devices available on the market. Finally, I will show you how to activate this technology on smartphones, tablets and computers equipped with the most disparate operating systems: Android, iOS, Windows and macOS.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a technological genius to learn everything: you simply have to get comfortable, carve out some free time for yourself and read everything I have to say about this very comfortable technology allows communication and exchange of data between devices wirelessly. I am sure that, at the end of the guide, you will be perfectly able to take advantage of the devices equipped with Bluetooth and also to explain to your friends how they work! Having said that, I just have to wish you good reading and have fun!
Index
- What Bluetooth is and how it works
- How to activate Bluetooth
- Android
- iOS
- Windows
- macOS
- Bluetooth car: how it works
- Bluetooth speaker: how it works
- Bluetooth printer: how it works
- How Bluetooth helmet works
- How does Bluetooth headset work
What Bluetooth is and how it works
Before getting to the heart of the matter and understanding in detail how Bluetooth works , it is good that you acquire some theoretical knowledge about this type of technology. First of all, Bluetooth is a short – distance wireless communication standard , conceived by the Ericcson company in 1994 and managed to date by the Bluetooth SIG ( Special Interest Group ), which includes, in addition to Ericcson, large technology companies such as Nokia , Toshiba and Intel .
Unlike many other names belonging to the world of technology, the term Bluetooth has nothing to do with its literal translation from English (the meaning of the term would in fact be ” blue tooth” ), but finds its origins, in a rather metaphorical, from a character of the Middle Ages: Harald Blåtand .
Harald Blåtand, in English Harald Bluetooth , was a Danish king who lived in the tenth century after Christ: with his military and diplomatic skills, he managed to unite the various tribes of his land, different in customs and cultures, in a single and compact group ” national”. The metaphor desired by the creators of the technology is precisely this: to develop a system that, just like Re Bluetooth, was able to communicate and combine completely different devices, such as smartphones, cars, computers, audio devices, input devices. (eg keyboards and mice) and so on.
Going into a little more detail, each device compatible with Bluetooth technology is equipped with a particular low energy consumption chip capable of creating a private wireless network (PAN in jargon) that can connect devices within a radius of relatively small action: to be precise, the physical coverage of a Bluetooth PAN varies from 1 to 100 meters, depending on the class of Bluetooth used in the chip. At the time of writing, the available classes are as follows.
- Class 1– has a power of 100 mW (or milliwatts ) and can cover a maximum operating distance of 100 meters as the crow flies.
- Class 2– with a power of 2.5 mW, this version of Bluetooth can cover a maximum operating distance of 10 meters as the crow flies.
- Class 3– is the version with the least wide coverage: with a power of only 1 mW, it can cover an operating distance of about 1 meter .
Generally speaking, the higher the Bluetooth class, the higher the power consumption. Most “common” devices, such as notebooks and smartphones, have a class 2 Bluetooth chip.
Another distinction that is made between the various Bluetooth types is that of the version : currently, the Bluetooth versions available range from 1.0 (the least advanced) to 5.2 (the most recent). But how does Bluetooth 4.0 or higher work?
Let’s say that, from 4.0 onwards and with the advent of the “ Internet of things ”, Bluetooth has changed a bit, going to work in a more complex way . The basis of this lies in being able to receive and process data from multiple sensors, such as those of movement and heartbeat of smartwatches for example.
However, the transition to 4.0 limited the transmission speed somewhat due to the greater amount of data, reaching 1 Mbit / s . For this reason, Bluetooth 5.0 has been designed to be faster (2 Mbit / s), as well as to extend its range , thus connecting smart objects located around it more easily.
The update to 5.1 introduced the ability to locate in space what you are connecting to, indicating (for example) which direction the smartphone is in relation to the smartwatch. The latest addition, 5.2, in addition to reducing the energy required for the connection and improving the quality of the same (useful in the case of sound transmission), also allows you to manage multiple simultaneous data streams . The difference? For example, you can connect two pairs of wireless headphones to the same device.
Clearly, to exploit the potential of each version, the chips involved in the communication must have support for the same versions of the technology: for example, to take advantage of the efficiency of Bluetooth 3.0, both devices must be equipped with chips of that version, or later version (recent generation Bluetooth chips, in fact, are backwards compatible with older Bluetooth standards). You can find the differences between the various versions of Bluetooth on this Wikipedia page .
As for the “material” transmission of data, the Bluetooth standard uses the shortwave radio band (UHF) on frequencies ranging from 2.4 GHz to 2.485 GHz and uses a master / slave approach : the master device is the one that it creates the PAN network, while the slave device is the one that remains “listening” while waiting to be added and, if placed in detectable mode , sends “signals” at regular intervals to notify its presence to the neighboring masters.
In practice, the connection operation between two Bluetooth devices is called pairing or, in Italian, pairing : the master device (e.g. the computer) scans the other Bluetooth devices within range and, under the order of the user, sends a “connection request” to the listening slave device (eg the Bluetooth mouse).
When the slave accepts the request, it is added to the PAN network created by the master and communication begins. In some cases, it is necessary to enter a security code on both devices to finalize the pairing procedure. In some cases, the pairing between two Bluetooth devices can also be performed by physical contact (in other words, by making the affected devices touch each other), using NFC technology.
At this point, you have begun to wonder how you can take advantage of this practical technology: Bluetooth is used to transfer data of different “types” between two devices. This means that a Bluetooth network can be used both for exchanging files between two devices and for carrying out input / output operations between the devices involved. The tools that make use of it are really numerous, below I will list some categories of use.
- Laptops, smartphonesand tablets – most of these devices are equipped with a Bluetooth chip and mostly function as masters. If you have a computer not equipped with Bluetooth, know that there are external adapters, even very small ones, equipped with a dedicated chip and can be connected to the computer via USB. You can find them in major physical and online electronics stores, including Amazon .
- Mice and keyboards– how ugly are cables in plain sight on the desk? Well, using a Bluetooth mouse and / or keyboard you will see them magically disappear! In addition, these devices can also be connected to “masters” not designed for use via such inputs, such as TV Box , Smart TV or game console.
- Earphones, headphones and speakers– in order to avoid cables that “fall” from the ears, sometimes very annoying, there are several devices on the market that can play audio and have Bluetooth connectivity. To get an idea, I invite you to consult my guides to buying the best Bluetooth headsets , the best Bluetooth headphones and the best Bluetooth speakers .
- Car satellite navigators and on-board computers– today, more and more satellite navigators are equipped with Bluetooth connectivity. In addition, in many cars, it is possible to connect your smartphone via Bluetooth, to use it via the integrated display and to reproduce its sounds via the speakers installed in the car. In particular, some such systems have an Android Auto or CarPlay operating system .
- Smartwatchand smartband / fitness tracker – if you love to always have your notifications in view, or do physical activity that requires continuous monitoring, these are definitely the solutions for you. And, I’ll tell you, these devices connect to the smartphone or tablet from which they are managed via Bluetooth! In this regard, I highly recommend that you check out my guide to buying the best smartwatch .
How to activate Bluetooth
Now that you have fully understood what Bluetooth is for and how this technology can be useful to you, it’s time to take action and understand how to activate Bluetooth on the most popular master devices, such as smartphones , tablets and computers .
Android
If you have an Android smartphone or tablet , activating Bluetooth is quite simple, however the procedures may be different between one Android version and another. In general, to activate Bluetooth , just call up the Android notification area , swipe from the top of the screen to the bottom, and press the Bluetooth icon (a stylized “B”) until it lights up. You can turn off Bluetooth connectivity by simply repeating the operation.
If the icon is not present, proceed as follows: press the Settings icon located in the application list of your device, select the Bluetooth item located in the Connections section and move the switch located at the top right to ON . At this point, a search for nearby Bluetooth devices is performed: press the icon of the device you are interested in pairing and follow the procedure suggested on the screen.
Unfortunately I cannot be very detailed on the pairing procedures, as they can be different depending on the device you use. What I recommend, however, is to consult the user manual of your slave device (headphones, speakers, mouse, keyboards and so on) to receive the necessary information on finalizing the pairing. To unpair a device, all you have to do is press on its icon and select the Unassociate item from the proposed menu.
In order to make your Android device discoverable for other devices, or to prepare it to receive files , simply keep the aforementioned panel open. If, on the other hand, you want to change the name with which your device is recognized from the outside, always on the Bluetooth screen , press the ⋮ button located at the top right and select the Rename this device item .
iOS
Do you have an iPhone , iPad or iPod Touch and you want to connect external Bluetooth devices, for example the AirPods or the Apple Watch ? Perfect, the procedure to activate Bluetooth on iOS is very simple! First, press the Settings icon located on the main screen of your device, tap on the Bluetooth item on the screen that opens and move the switch proposed in the next panel to ON .
Within a few seconds, you will be shown all the Bluetooth devices located nearby: then touch the item relating to the device to be connected and follow the instructions on the screen to complete the pairing procedure. The device will remain in discoverable mode as long as the Bluetooth settings panel is open. If you want to completely disable Bluetooth connectivity, go to the screen shown above and move the switch to OFF .
You can also enable and disable Bluetooth from the Control Center : all you have to do is call up the aforementioned area with a swipe from bottom to top and press the Bluetooth icon (a stylized “B”), until the outline it does not turn white or blue.
The deactivation will be done only partially: the existing connections, in fact, are interrupted until the next day and it is not possible to start new connections, except for Apple Watch and Apple Pencil (which remain connected and possibly associated), for Handoff and for the personal hotspot .
Windows
Your Windows PC has Bluetooth connectivity but you have no idea how you can activate it? Don’t worry, this is extremely simple and can be done in just a couple of clicks.
If it is equipped with Windows 10 or you can activate Bluetooth connectivity in an extremely simple way: press the icon of the notification area located at the bottom right of the screen (the one in the shape of a “cartoon) and look for the Bluetooth button (denoted by a “B” stylized) between the buttons located at the bottom of the panel. Once identified, click on it and wait for it to turn blue: from now on, Bluetooth will be active. To access the Bluetooth settings, right click on the button mentioned above and select the item Go to settings from the proposed menu.
If, on the other hand, the button is not present in the notification area, click on the Start button (the flag icon) located at the bottom left, then press the ⚙ button on the left of the menu that opens and, in the next window, select first the Devices icon and then the Bluetooth and other devices item : once this is done, set the Bluetooth switch to On and Bluetooth connectivity will be activated on the PC.
Through the aforementioned panel it is also possible to associate new devices to the computer: to do this, click on the (+) button located at the top of the window, then select the Bluetooth item from the proposed panel, wait for Windows to detect the device to be associated, click on the its icon and follow the on-screen instructions to proceed with pairing. For more information on managing Bluetooth devices in Windows 10, I urge you to check out my guide on how to turn on Bluetooth on Windows 10 .
If you have upgraded to Windows 11 , you can turn on Bluetooth by pressing on the battery and connectivity icons group. A panel will open with the Bluetooth icon, on which you can click to activate it. If you want to go to the Settings panel of the same, press the gear icon at the bottom right and then select the Bluetooth and devices item from the left column. The procedure for pairing new devices is the same as for Windows 10.
If you have an older version of Windows, however, you can access the Bluetooth features by right -clicking on the icon located in the notification area already mentioned above: in the panel that appears, you can send or receive a file by pressing the File Transfer item or add a new device by selecting the Add a Bluetooth device item .
If, on the other hand, your computer does not have built-in connectivity and you have purchased an external Bluetooth adapter , connect the device to the USB port of the PC and wait a few seconds for its drivers to be installed correctly. If the Bluetooth activation or installation operation is successful, you will see the Bluetooth symbol appear in the system notification area (the one next to the clock, so to speak) . In some cases, the Bluetooth icon is present in the notification area but not immediately visible: to view it, click on the arrow pointing upwards to show all the elements of the notification area and look for it in the box that opens.
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If the Bluetooth icon does not appear even by clicking on the arrow in the notification area, follow the instructions provided by your manufacturer for installing the adapter drivers or, alternatively, leave the device connected to the PC and rely on a program for installing missing drivers on Windows, as I explained to you in my dedicated guide .
macOS
You don’t use a Windows computer but do you have a Mac available? Don’t worry, turning on Bluetooth is just as simple, it can be done in a matter of seconds. Usually, this type of connectivity is included in MacBooks and iMacs but, if not, you can safely buy a USB adapter (I told you about it before), connect it to your computer and follow the instructions I am about to give you.
To activate it, all you have to do is click on the switch icon located at the top of the screen, then click on the Bluetooth option . Now activate the switch, wait for the Mac to find the device in question then click on it to start the pairing procedure.
If you want to always have it available in the icon bar at the top, you have to set it in this position from the System Preferences / Settings menu . Then click on the gear icon, then search for Bluetooth in the opened menu and, finally, activate the function to show the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar .
If you still have any doubts about how to activate Bluetooth from your computer, Windows or macOS, I urge you to consult my guide on how to activate Bluetooth on your PC , in which I have dealt with the topic in more detail.
Bluetooth car: how it works
The Bluetooth of cars, as a basic principle, is not so different from that of any other device, as it is used to connect one or more devices to each other. What changes is what it actually does, which is to interface your phone with the entire machine .
Usage of the device is managed through the car itself (more or less depending on how advanced the vehicle is), with notifications , music and other data being exchanged in real time. For example, if you have a playlist on your smartphone and you want to hear it in the car, you can do it via the vehicle’s radio, which will play the songs in your memory.
Do you receive a call on your device but cannot answer because your hands are full? Through the Bluetooth function you can use the speakers of the car as speakers to hear what the other person is saying to you. These are just some functions of course, but the idea is to mix your car with your mobile phone to make everything easier to manage. Things can vary depending on the car model but also cell phone, as some manufacturers may partner with car manufacturers for a more efficient and personalized service.
But how does the Bluetooth cigarette lighter work ? More or less in the same way as, once connected to the 12V cigarette lighter socket, you can connect it to the car (if equipped with Bluetooth) and use this device as a via, connecting USB sticks or external memories with the classic USB cable and play the files inside. If you want to know how to connect to the car or how Bluetooth Auto Connect works , I leave you to my guides just linked.
Bluetooth speaker: how it works
Have you just bought a new Bluetooth speaker and don’t know how to configure it? No problem, if you are wondering how a Bluetooth speaker works , you need to know that you just need to turn it on, put it in pairing mode (usually by pressing a special key or a combination of keys on the device for a few seconds, until you see a flashing LED) and then select it from the Bluetooth menu of the smartphone, tablet, computer or other device you want to connect to. Once the connection is established, all its emitted by the connected device will be “redirected” to the Bluetooth speaker.
There are also Bluetooth speakers that can be connected to each other to create stereo or multi-room systems and Bluetooth speakers with smart functions: the best known examples are the Amazon Echo , Google Home and Apple HomePods , which allow you to interact with voice assistants to get information, set timers and much more.
If you want more details on how to connect the Bluetooth speaker to your PC , TV or phone , I leave you to my guides just linked.
Bluetooth printer: how it works
Now I want to tell you about Bluetooth printers . In this case, reference is made to Wi-Fi printers which, in some cases, also have support for Bluetooth technology, with which to facilitate installation and communication with devices such as smartphones, tablets and computers (if they are also equipped with Bluetooth support, but now almost all of them are; in the case of desktop PCs, a possible lack can be easily remedied by purchasing a Bluetooth USB adapter ).
Communication with the printer via Bluetooth does not offer particular advantages over that via the classic Wi-Fi network or Wi-Fi Direct , but it can be an additional interesting option to use in certain contexts. My advice, therefore, is to evaluate the possible purchase of a printer taking only partially into account this feature.
How Bluetooth helmet works
Are you a motorcyclist and always want to be able to talk to your fellow centaurs? Then you need a Bluetooth headset for your helmet . Through them you can talk to your friends , or access a long range of functions on your mobile or other supported devices.
To give you an example, you could use this headset to listen to Google Maps directions , without having to keep your phone on your handlebar. If other motorcyclists have similar devices (even from other brands), you can connect with them as if they were two-way radios, talking and listening to them without problems. Obviously, for correct operation, the parts must be within the maximum distance allowed . You will not be able to talk to your friend from Milan in Rome only thanks to Bluetooth, but you can do so by calling him from a mobile phone and using the headset as an audio output and input.
On Amazon and other electronics stores you can buy models of earphones with microphone designed for this use.
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How does Bluetooth headset work
Are you about to buy a single Bluetooth headset or a pair of wireless headsets (what some commonly call “headphones”), such as Apple’s AirPods, and would you like to know more, or would you like advice on their possible purchase?
No problem. To find out which are the best Bluetooth headset models on the market or, specifically, the best in-ear , non-in-ear or true wireless headphones , I have prepared dedicated guides for you. Same thing if you want to know how to connect them or how to clean your Bluetooth earphones . Happy reading … and good listening!