Bluetooth 3.0 + HS: Compromising Your Security at 24 Mbps
On April 21, 2009, the Bluetooth 3.0 specification was adopted by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). This new specification includes new attributes such as:
*High speed data transfer of large files (~24 Mbps) *Bluetooth low energy
The new specification achieves these new attributes by including an 802.11 radio, aka Wi-Fi, that allows lower energy usage when attempting to transfer large amounts of data. While ultra-wideband (UWB provides ~480Mbps) was widely rumored to be included in the upcoming specification, it was absent from the final release. Utilizing the Wi-Fi radios will increase the data transfer speed, which results in a lower per bit energy usage. The Bluetooth radio will still be utilized for the initial operations such as device discovery, initiating connections, and profile configurations. The result is that Bluetooth 3.0 devices will utilize the appropriate radio to minimize power consumption.