Bluetooth 3.0 Features Launched in July, 2009, the Bluetooth v3.0 + HS (High Speed) was aimed at increasing the throughput of data exchanged over a Bluetooth connection. With the combination of a 802.11 link, Bluetooth 3.0 devices can provide a maximum data transfer rate of 24 Mbps. While initial connection is made using Bluetooth frequencies, a MAC PHY 802.11 link established between devices handles the rest of the heavy data transport, enabling higher overall transmission speeds. MAC stands for 'Media Access Control' and PHY stands for the 'Physical Link Layer' of the OSI model, which describes any network. Through version 3.0, a further reduction in the power consumption of Bluetooth devices has been achieved. Through this version, the Bluetooth protocol has been applied over 802.11 frequencies, used by Wi-Fi connections, to achieve higher data throughput. To summarize, Bluetooth 3.0 essentially piggybacks on Wi-Fi frequencies to make this possible. |