Wireless Hotspot Players Cool On Bluetooth
One Bluetooth vendor, nevertheless, has been setting up Bluetooth hotspots at regional mobile trade shows to demonstrate that the technology can be used for more than wireless printing and device-to-device communications capabilities. Irvine-based Anycom plans to set up hotspots at the Pocket PC Summit in Philadelphia later this month. The company will be demonstrating Bluetooth Internet connectivity as well as printing and peer-to-peer applications, such as gaming.
"We're showing people that it works, that it's an option," said Anycom President and CEO Tom Pocsics.
Experts, however, are lukewarm on the strategy and say Anycom will have better luck with its printing and other device-to-device communication demonstrations. They say Wi-Fi, also known by its IEEE specification, 802.11b, already has a solid footing in the hotspot market, and there is little incentive for operators to add Bluetooth.
Andrew Weinreich, chairman and founder of Joltage, New York, an aggregator of wireless hotspots in the United States, believes a lack of available Bluetooth hardware makes it unlikely the technology will be adopted by hotspot operators.
Ron Reich, director of strategic investments at Intel Capital, also is skeptical about Bluetooth as a potential hotspot technology since Wi-Fi has already secured a foothold.
"I've looked at a lot of business plans based on dual 802.11b and Bluetooth access points, but these companies have all since moved to 802.11b," he said.
Still, Anycom's Pocsics pointed out that Bluetooth technology is just ramping up in the United States. In Asia, where wireless technology is more mature, several wireless operators are looking to use Bluetooth access points in a number of creative ways, he said.
Pocsics noted that dual 802.11b and Bluetooth access points are under construction in Asia, accommodating users of both technologies and providing voice capabilities in crowded areas to overcome overloaded cellular lines. In this environment, the hotspots are connected to PSTN lines to handle outgoing voice traffic.
Red-M, Englewood, Colo., has developed a number of Bluetooth industrial-grade access points that support data and voice. The company plans to demonstrate in-building voice-over-Bluetooth technology in the third quarter. Red-M also provides dual 802.11b and Bluetooth connectivity.
Anycom sells access points that cover approximately 165 feet for about $699. The company also offers Bluetooth peripherals and is one of a number of vendors attempting to bridge the gap between the two technologies. IBM recently unveiled plans to support Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in its ThinkPad series of notebooks. Intel Labs also has been testing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Pocsics said Bluetooth offers some advantages over Wi-Fi for wireless connectivity. Although slower than Wi-Fi,about 500 Kbps vs. Wi-Fi's 11 Mbps,Bluetooth tends to draw less power.