14 DAY TRIAL // Until now, Bluetooth has strictly been a means of connecting two devices. Good for exchanging data between them, or for maintaining a connection to a peripheral, but not much else.
This is set to change with the release of the Bluetooth 4.2 specification, which finally allows device makers to implement true Bluetooth Smart setups.
This is owed to the new profile defined in the specification, called IPSP, which allows Bluetooth devices to use IPv6 protocols.
In layman’s terms, that means that Bluetooth can be used to connect to the Internet, without using any sort of intermediary device or app.
IPv6 for Bluetooth
This won't help your smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop PC all that much, or even your media players or other consumer electronics. They already possess Wi-Fi or physical LAN technology, so they have all the Internet access they need, and then some.
However, IPv6 for Bluetooth will definitely be a useful feature for wireless headphone sets and speakers.
The Internet of Things is a plan to link all electronic devices in a home to the cloud, and Bluetooth is now an easy way to make it happen.
Wi-Fi would help on TVs and some of the more complicated appliances, like refrigerators with touchscreens and the like. But on smaller, simpler devices and gadgets, it can be very convenient to not have to install Wi-Fi or LAN, whose great bandwidth potential would then go to waste.
Augmented Reality headsets like Google Glass might benefit as well, since every wireless link would be done through the same technology.
Other assets of the Bluetooth 4.2 specification
Greater transfer speed is a no-brainer of course. The data rate should be up to 2.5 times better, thanks to an increase in packet capacity by a factor of ten.
Superior encryption is also part of the package, with FIPS compliance allowing for secured connections when paired with home automation products or other devices.
Moreover, it will be harder to track items, so that iBeacon and other Bluetooth Low Energy beacons in stores won't constantly badger you with offers in a store (unless you have an app for it). All the while, the Bluetooth link uses less energy than ever.
Practical implementations
You can be sure that the Consumer Electronics Shows 2015 (taking place in January) and the Mobile World Congress 2015 trade show (set for March) will be the launching ground for many devices featuring the new technology, even though availability probably won't ramp up immediately.
