Bluetooth Overview

This is a guide to the Symbian OS Bluetooth subsystem. You can either read it from start to finish, following the links as chapters coming back to this top level page to move on to the next chapter or you can just jump around to the parts that contain the information you are looking for. I would suggest that if this is your first time reading this documentation set you should at least tour all the links. You may find the entire development process shortened by what you learn in these pages.

In this overview

We will look at the Symbian OS Bluetooth subsystem, which is made up of the following:

• Short Link Services(Short Link Services)

  • Short Link Collection

  • Short Link Protocol Plugins Collections

  • Serial Comms Server Plugins Collection

• Networking Services

  • Networking Plugins

    • Bluetooth PAN Profile

  PAN is not actually a part of Networking but is included with it in the system model to support the idea that it is 'just another networking interface'.

What is Bluetooth

This subsystem provides support for Bluetooth, a short-range radio communications technology, standarised by the Bluetooth SIG in the form of the v2.0 Bluetooth Specification.

Bluetooth Functionality is provided as components of the Symbian OS Bluetooth subsystem.

The Bluetooth SIG have defined a software stack that compliant software must adhere to in order to be Bluetooth certified, thus ensuring interoperability between devices. This section discusses the Bluetooth Protocol Stack as implemented within the Symbian OS Bluetooth subsystem. See the Introduction to Bluetooth Protocols and the Bluetooth Stack overview for more information.

Here you are introduced to Bluetooth profiles, shown which are implemented, supported and omitted, and pointed to the Bluetooth components where the profiles are realised. See the Bluetooth Profiles in Symbian OS guide for more information.

Lets begin with a quick look at the Symbian OS system model. Bluetooth components are on the OS Services layer in the Comms Services block. Most Bluetooth components belong to the Short Link subblock except for the Bluetooth PAN Profile, which is a member of the Networking subblock in the Networking Plugins collection.

Bluetooth Components are presented here in relation to the system model. Assume that the root for the remainder of this section is the Comms Services block of the OS Services layer.

This subblock contains components and collections of components that provide short link and serial comms services including USB, IR, OBEX and of course Bluetooth.

Short Link Collection

The Short Link collection contains a number of Bluetooth specific components including:

• Bluetooth Protocol Client APIs

• Bluetooth Manager

• Bluetooth SDP

• HCI Framework

• Bluetooth Profiles

• Bluetooth Remote Control Framework

For more information see the Short Link Collection guide.

Short Link Protocol Plugins Collection

This collection contains the plugin and replaceable Short Link components including a Bluetooth plugin and an IrDA plugin.

• Bluetooth Stack PRT Component

For more information see the Short Link Protocol Plugins Collections guide.

Serial Comms Server Plugins Collection

The Serial Comms server plugins provide appropriate emulation for RS232 serial communications through RFComm.

• Bluetooth CSY Component

In addition to the Bluetooth CSY this collection also has a CSY plugin for USB and IrDA.

For more information see the Serial Comms Server Plugins Collection guide.

Bluetooth PAN Profile

The Bluetooth Pan Profile plugin provides a framework for creating network enabled applications that use Bluetooth for the physical link. Although the PAN profile supports three role configurations: PANU, GN and NAP, Symbian OS has implemented the first two. An application running on a Symbian device in PANU role can connect to a NAP device but Symbian devices can not themselves be configured in the NAP role.

Please see the Bluetooth PAN Profile guide for more information.