2.6. Bluetooth Profiles + RFCs

Along with the simple TCP, IP, and UDP transport protocols used in Internet programming, there are a host of other protocols to specify, in great detail, methods to route data packets, exchange electronic mail, transfer files, load web pages, and more. Once standardized by the Internet Engineering Task Force in the form of Request For Comments (RFCs) [1], these protocols are generally adopted by the wider Internet community. Similarly, Bluetooth also has a method for proposing, ratifying, and standardizing protocols and specifications that are eventually adopted by the Bluetooth community. The Bluetooth equivalent of an RFC is a Bluetooth Profile.

Due to the short-range nature of Bluetooth, the Bluetooth Profiles tend to be complementary to the Internet RFCs, with emphasis on tasks that can assume physical proximity. For example, there is a profile for exchanging physical location information [2], a profile for printing to nearby printers [3], and a profile for using nearby modems [4] to make phone calls. There is even a specification for encapsulating TCP/IP traffic in a Bluetooth connection, which really does reduce Bluetooth programming to Internet programming. An overview of all the profiles available is beyond the scope of this chapter, but they are freely available for download at the Bluetooth website [5]