How Bluetooth Printers Work

People are always looking for new and better technologies to improve their lives.  Lately, many consumers have been seeking different methods to decrease the amount of wires in their networks.  One technology that is increasing in popularity is Bluetooth technology.   Devices that are Bluetooth enabled detect and interact when their low powered radio signals are within range of each other forming a personal area network or “pan”.  Some Bluetooth devices transmit signals as far as 33 feet (10 meters) while other devices with stronger signals have the ability to transmit as far as 328 feet (100 meters).  Bluetooth devices do not have to be in the same room in order for them to interact.  They can be on different sides of a wall and even on different floors of a building.  As long as devices are within range of each other, they can transmit up to 3 Mbps of data to each other.  While one Bluetooth device converts data into radio signals the other device converts the radio signals back into data.

Printers can be Bluetooth ready which means a Bluetooth receiver is built into the unit while others allow a Bluetooth printer adapter to be plugged into its USB or parallel port to make it Bluetooth capable.  Bluetooth capable printers are able to receive wireless transmissions from popular handheld devices such as Bluetooth PDAs or Windows laptops, and enable printing of photos or documents directly from compatible devices.  Multiple devices can send print jobs to the same printer enabling a wireless home or office network printer.