BLUETOOTH SIG STATEMENT ON WI-FI DIRECT

Following the Announcement from the Wi-Fi Alliance Concerning Wi-Fi Direct,

Bluetooth SIG Executive Director Michael Foley Issued this Statement:

BELLEVUE, WA – October 21, 2009– The announcement of Wi-Fi Direct, from the Wi-Fi Alliance, has resulted in confusion in the wireless industry. Not too long ago, it was well understood that Wi-Fi was the best technology for wireless LAN (i.e. connecting a personal device to the Internet) andBluetoothwireless technology was best suited for wireless PAN (i.e. connecting personal devices to each other). However, once 802.11 andBluetoothradios both started appearing in a single device, such as a mobile phone or personal computer, the question quickly arose regarding how the 802.11 radio could be leveraged to enhance PAN scenarios. The answer to this question was theBluetoothv3.0 + HS specification adopted in April 2009 by the Bluetooth SIG. This specification defines how an 802.11 radio can be utilized in conjunction with aBluetoothradio. The combination of the two radios results in a complete, power efficient system that utilizes the best features of each technology to deliver personal area networking scenarios.

TheBluetoothv3.0 + HS specification does not utilize Wi-Fi. It utilizes 802.11 which is a specification published by the IEEE. Utilizing existingBluetoothfeatures, such as easy pairing and profiles, enables complete solutions that are useful and make sense for consumers familiar with the technology they have used over the years in the more than three billionBluetoothproducts already in the market.

A Wi-Fi Direct connection is simply that: a network connection between two devices. Consider plugging a PC and printer into a switch using Ethernet cables and trying to print a picture. (Recall the original name of Wi-Fi was wireless Ethernet.) While the two devices will have network connectivity and, assuming there is IP infrastructure in place (DHCP, DNS, etc.) or they auto IP the same way, they will have the potential to communicate utilizing the IP protocol. Now, all one has to do is install an IP port for the printer and install the driver. In the home environment that isn’t too bad because the consumer probably has the printer’s driver and setting up the port once isn’t overly burdensome. However, in the home the consumer most likely has an access point and would rather make the printer available to all PCs in the house so one would most likely connect to the network via the access point instead of Wi-Fi Direct. When mobile, a driver most likely isn’t available and even if it was, installing it to print once is overly burdensome for the consumer. Once the printer is installed on the PC and the driver loaded, the picture can then be printed. Similar ease-of-use limitations occur when any popular scenario is explored.

Conversely, two products implementingBluetoothtechnology leverage standardized profiles. For the example above, one typically right clicks on the picture to be printed and selects “print” or “send to.” The printer is then discovered and the picture prints without requiring additional drivers or software. Simple. Easy. Effective.

Clearly, there are multiple solutions available for IP service discovery. Any of these could be utilized to simplify the IP-based printing scenario described above. Unfortunately, having multiple service discovery solutions overly complicates the scenario for the consumer. It is highly unlikely that manufacturers will converge on one solution. Instead, the consumer will have to understand which solution their products implement and only purchase compatible ones. Thus the Wi-Fi Direct distinction will mean very little to the consumer. Instead, they will have to understand whether they have an UPnP, Bonjour, DLNA, SLP or fill-in-the-blank product.  With aBluetoothsolution, the consumer simply needs to know they haveBluetoothenabled products.

AboutBluetooth® Wireless Technology

Bluetoothwireless technology is the global short-range wireless standard for personal connectivity of a broad range of electronic devices. The technology continues to evolve, building on its inherent strengths – small-form factor radio, low power, low cost, built-in security, robustness, ease-of-use, and ad hoc networking abilities. This evolution now provides manufacturers and consumers with three options for connecting wirelessly – classicBluetoothtechnology for use in a wide range of consumer electronics;Bluetoothhigh speed technology for the transfer of video, music and photos between phones, cameras, camcorders, PCs and TVs; andBluetoothlow energy technology for low power sensor devices and new web services within the health and fitness, personal device, automotive and automation industries. More than eight newBluetoothenabled products are qualified every working day and more than 19 millionBluetoothunits are shipping per week. There are nearly three billionBluetoothdevices in the marketplace and that number climbs daily, making it the only proven wireless choice for developers, product manufacturers, and consumers worldwide.

About the Bluetooth SIG

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), comprised of leaders in the telecommunications, computing, consumer electronics, automotive and network industries, is driving development ofBluetoothwireless technology and bringing it to market. The Bluetooth SIG includes Promoter group companies Ericsson, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia and Toshiba, along with over 12,000 Associate and Adopter member companies. The Bluetooth SIG, Inc. headquarters are located in Bellevue, Washington, U.S.A. For more information please visitwww.bluetooth.com.

TheBluetoothword mark and logo are registered trademarks and are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc.

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