Short-Range Wireless Connectivity: A Complementary Comparison (cont.)

by Puneet Gupta

Bluetooth vs. SWAP

Currently SWAP has a larger installed base compared to Bluetooth but it is believed that Bluetooth is eventually going to prevail. Bluetooth is a technology to connect devices without cables. The intended use is to provide short-range connections between mobile devices and to the Internet via bridging devices to different networks (wired and wireless) that provide Internet capability. HomeRF SWAP is a wireless technology optimized for the home environment. Its primary use is to provide data networking and dial tones between devices such as PCs, cordless phones, Web Tablets and a broadband cable or DSL modem. Both technologies share the same frequency spectrum but do not interfere when operating in the same space. As far as comaparison whith IrDA is concerned, SWAP is more closer to Bluetooth in it's scope and domain. So the comparison between Bluetooth and IrDA holds good to a large extent between these two also.

A quick glance comparison between these technologies is presented in Figure 2 below.

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