This glossary is brought to you by the Bluetooth SIG.

Ad Hoc Network
A network typically created in a spontaneous manner. An ad hoc network requires no formal infrastructure and is limited in temporal and spatial extent.

Active Slave Broadcast (ASB)
The ASB logical transport is used to transport L2CAP user traffic to all active devices in the Piconet.

Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)
The A2DP Profile describes how stereo quality audio can be streamed from a media source to a sink. The profile defines two roles of an audio source and sink. A typical usage scenario can be considered as the “walkman” class of media player. The audio source would be the music player and the audio sink is the wireless headset. A2DP defines the protocols and procedures that realize distribution of audio content of high-quality in mono or stereo on ACL channels.

Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP)
AVRCP is designed to provide a standard interface to control TVs, Hi-fi equipment, etc. This profile is used to allow a single remote control (or other device) to control all the A/V equipment that a user has access to. AVRCP defines how to control characteristics of streaming media. This includes pausing, stopping, and starting playback and volume control as well as other types of remote control operations.

Beacon Train
A pattern of reserved slots within a basic or adapted piconet physical channel. Transmissions starting in these slots are used to resynchronize parked devices.

Basic Imaging Profile (BIP)
BIP defines how an imaging device can be remotely controlled, how an imaging device may print, as well as how an imaging device can transfer images to a storage device. A typical scenario involves a mobile phone being used to control the shutter operation of a digital camera.

Basic Printing Profile (BPP)
BPP allows devices to send text, e-mails, vCards, images or other items to printers based on print jobs. It differs from HCRP in that it needs no printer-specific drivers. This makes it more suitable for embedded devices such as mobile phones and digital cameras, which cannot easily be updated with drivers dependent upon printer vendors.

Bluetooth wireless technology
Bluetooth wireless technology is a wireless communication link, operating in the unlicensed ISM band at 2.4 GHz using a frequency hopping transceiver. It allows real-time AV and data communications between Bluetooth enabled hosts. The link protocol is based on time slots.

Bluetooth Baseband
The part of the Bluetooth system that specifies or implements the medium access and physical layer procedures to support the exchange of real-time voice, data information streams, and ad hoc networking between Bluetooth enabled devices.

Bluetooth Clock
A 28 bit clock internal to a Bluetooth controller sub-system that ticks every 312.5 ms. The value of this clock defines the slot numbering and timing in the various physical channels.

Bluetooth Controller
A sub-system containing the Bluetooth RF, baseband, resource controller, link manager, device manager and a Bluetooth HCI.

Bluetooth Enabled Device
A Bluetooth enabled device is a device that is capable of short-range wireless communications using the Bluetooth system.

Bluetooth Device Address
A 48 bit address used to identify each Bluetooth enabled device. Often this is referred to in technical specifications as BD_ADDR.

BD_ADDR
The Bluetooth device address, BD_ADDR, is used to identify a Bluetooth enabled device.

Bluetooth HCI
The Bluetooth HCI provides a command interface to the baseband controller and link manager and access to hardware status and control registers. This interface provides a uniform method of accessing the Bluetooth baseband capabilities.

Bluetooth Host
A Bluetooth Host is a computing device, peripheral, cellular telephone, access point to PSTN network or LAN, etc. A Bluetooth Host attached to a Bluetooth Controller may communicate with other Bluetooth Hosts attached to their Bluetooth Controllers as well.

Bluetooth Profiles
Bluetooth Profiles are general behaviors through which Bluetooth enabled devices communicate with other devices. Bluetooth technology defines a wide range of profiles that describe many different types of use cases. In order to use Bluetooth technology, a device must be able to interpret certain Bluetooth profiles. The profiles define the possible applications.