getting people off streets into shop using bluetooth

[wigsy_1]

Does anyone know of any software that can be loaded onto
a pc/notebook that would allow a retailer to place it near a shop
window to send special offers to passers by with bluetooth enabled
mobiles?
Is there anything that can boost the range of the bluetooth?

Any help or opinions on this would be appreciated

[Xoder]

Originally Posted by wigsy_1

Does anyone know of any software that can be loaded onto
a pc/notebook that would allow a retailer to place it near a shop
window to send special offers to passers by with bluetooth enabled
mobiles?
Is there anything that can boost the range of the bluetooth?

Any help or opinions on this would be appreciated

Unfortunately, there is no way to boost the range of bluetooth, because you are always limited to the minimum range in the server-client pair. So you may have a Class 1 transmitter (which will give you a range of 100m), but if Joe Shmoe's cellphone only has a range of 15 feet, then you are constrained to those 15 feet. That said, if you put the transmitter in your shop's window, you should be able to tackle any reasonably-sized sidewalk.

However, you do have the "Paring" problem to deal with. Bluetooth requires both sides of a connection to agree upon a security code (generally four digits, generally very simple) to be able to create and use that connection. I suppose you could have a sign alerting your Bluetooth-enabled customers that you're transmitting and what security code they should enter, but I don't know the exact logistics of implementing this.

[Xoder]

Check that. There's always http://www.bluejackers.co.uk/howto.htm

Originally Posted by Xoder

Unfortunately, there is no way to boost the range of bluetooth, because you are always limited to the minimum range in the server-client pair. So you may have a Class 1 transmitter (which will give you a range of 100m), but if Joe Shmoe's cellphone only has a range of 15 feet, then you are constrained to those 15 feet. That said, if you put the transmitter in your shop's window, you should be able to tackle any reasonably-sized sidewalk.

However, you do have the "Paring" problem to deal with. Bluetooth requires both sides of a connection to agree upon a security code (generally four digits, generally very simple) to be able to create and use that connection. I suppose you could have a sign alerting your Bluetooth-enabled customers that you're transmitting and what security code they should enter, but I don't know the exact logistics of implementing this.