Next Iteration Bluetooth set to quadruple the wireless range and double the speed

Bluetooth’s prime-time may well now be imminent, with the Internet of Things and the happy marriage of smart devices in smart homes set to sidle into people’s lives incrementally, connected gadget by connected gadget.

Bluetooth is one of those smart, helpful technologies that has been around for years, patiently waiting for its time to shine. A bit of wireless communication here, some short-wave connections there, it’s been a reliable and promising technology since the late 1990s.

Whilst at CES 2016, held during the first week of January in Las Vegas, E&T attended the Discover Blue event, organised by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). The Bluetooth SIG is the body that oversees the development of Bluetooth standards and the licensing of the Bluetooth technologies and trademarks to manufacturers. Discover Blue was the SIG’s official pre-CES event, showcasing the latest products and innovations from its member companies and developers.

The cavalcade of Bluetooth-connected products on display covered pretty much every aspect of modern human existence, such as healthcare, body awareness, medication, self-improvement, entertainment, nutrition, sports, fashion and home security. The technology is turning up everywhere, in ever-more intriguing ways – as The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper says in a 2009 episode of the TV sitcom, “Everything is better with Bluetooth”.

Stepping up to meet the challenge and demands of its wireless standard becoming a star player in an increasingly connected world, the Bluetooth SIG recently laid out its road map for 2016. Addressing some of the key concerns about Bluetooth, the intention with the next iteration of the technology is to quadruple the wireless range and double the speed. Sounds like a fine plan.

See full E&T interview with Mark Powell, Executive Director of Bluetooth SIG here