Difference Between Bluetooth and Wireless

Bluetooth vs Wireless

Wireless is an umbrella term that covers all communications that employ electromagnetic waves. This includes radios, satellites, GPS, and a lot of others. But when most people say wireless, they are often referring to wireless networking or better known as Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth each have their own uses. Whereas wireless is used to connect a computer to a network, Bluetooth is generally used to connect to devices together in order to facilitate the transfer of information. It could be a phone sending a file to another or a laptop streaming music to a stereo Bluetooth headset.

There is a key difference between the when it comes to speed and range. As Bluetooth is meant for communicating between two devices only, its range doesn’t go beyond a few meters; except class A devices. The range was intentionally reduced to minimize security problems. With wireless, a greater range is better since it would allow for greater mobility to those that are connected to the router. Speed is also essential for wireless networking as it means faster transfer of files and more users that can be accommodated at once. Bluetooth does not really need that much bandwidth since the amount of data that is usually being transmitted is very low.

The most common use for Bluetooth nowadays is as cable replacement. A lot of devices now use Bluetooth to lessen the number of cables that are usually needed. Headsets, mice, GPS receivers, game console controllers, and a lot of other devices use Bluetooth as an alternative to having messy cables. Even syncing between a PC and a phone can be done via Bluetooth. Because of this, the number of devices that have Bluetooth far outnumber those that have wireless LAN. Almost all phones and laptops that have wireless capabilities also have Bluetooth in them. This widespread implementation can also be attributed to the very low cost of Bluetooth devices. Unlike wireless LAN which is often looked at as a high end addition to phones, Bluetooth is often treated as standard.

Summary:

1. Wireless LAN is generally used for PC-PC communications while Bluetooth is commonly used for connecting accessories
2. Wireless LAN is meant for longer distances while Bluetooth is intended for short distance use only
3. Wireless LAN is much faster compared to Bluetooth
4. Bluetooth is more widespread compared to wireless LAN
5. Bluetooth is cheaper to implement than wireless LAN

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