security

[mdb]

i hear that if i get a BlueTooth headset and a BlueTooth phone that i can receive my calls without needing to touch my phone. which, while it does sound funky , raises a few suspicions.

1) what if someone else brought their bluetooth-enabled phone closer to my headset than my phone ?? would my headset then answer their calls? or is there some device identification going on that only alows my phone to operate my headset?

2) if that is the case then is it still possible to write a bluetooth application on my bluetooth-enabled PC to send an audio stream to my BT headset while still being able to receive calls (i would of course turn the volume down as the call comes in!)??

thanks for you time

mdb

[Xoder]

Bluetooth includes an authentication step called "pairing", which reduces such security concerns.

I recommend against sending streaming audio to the headset (assuming this is even possible) since the maximum data rate is 728 kbps, which is nowhere near enough to send streaming audio of any reasonable quality. Also, you would miss your phonecalls, unless the headset is "smart" enough to handle multiple BT connections (like your computer's radio).

Originally Posted by mdb

i hear that if i get a BlueTooth headset and a BlueTooth phone that i can receive my calls without needing to touch my phone. which, while it does sound funky , raises a few suspicions.

1) what if someone else brought their bluetooth-enabled phone closer to my headset than my phone ?? would my headset then answer their calls? or is there some device identification going on that only alows my phone to operate my headset?

2) if that is the case then is it still possible to write a bluetooth application on my bluetooth-enabled PC to send an audio stream to my BT headset while still being able to receive calls (i would of course turn the volume down as the call comes in!)??

thanks for you time

mdb

[mdb]

could you give me some references to articles on pairing or give me a breif summary of the process. Is it possible to have 'smart' pairing so that the headset would pair with the phone, unless it and the phone were in range of the computer?

and is the quality of the audio from your phone 'reasonable'?

tia

Originally Posted by Xoder

Bluetooth includes an authentication step called "pairing", which reduces such security concerns.

...the maximum data rate is 728 kbps, which is nowhere near enough to send streaming audio of any reasonable quality...

[Xoder]

Pairing for the first time requires user input to put in a PIN code (the exact method of this differs per driver and platform). Once that's completed, the smart member of the transaction remembers the code, and often has the option to "autoconnect."

I don't really know if you could script together something like what you describe. Best of luck with it.

Originally Posted by mdb

could you give me some references to articles on pairing or give me a breif summary of the process. Is it possible to have 'smart' pairing so that the headset would pair with the phone, unless it and the phone were in range of the computer?

and is the quality of the audio from your phone 'reasonable'?

tia