- Let's talk about wireless connections.
Most technologies regarding mobile device communications
and mobile device control are wireless.
If they are designed and configured properly,
the wireless connections can offer ease of use
and great speed.
We'll be discussing wifi, cellular, GPS,
and similar data related wireless technologies
in other videos.
But for this video, let's focus on wireless connections
used by mobile devices to communicate with accessories
and also other mobile devices.
One of the most common is Bluetooth.
This is a technology that allows users
to incorporate wearable technology
such as headsets and earbuds and smart watches and so on.
And they incorporate these
with their existing mobile device.
But the technology can go further.
For example, allowing for the streaming of music
to external speakers
or to an automobile's music system.
However, it's usually limited to 33 feet,
that's 10 meters
and that's normal for smartphones.
They use class 2 Bluetooth devices limited to 33 feet.
And you can see here, we have a screenshot
of the notification area,
the swipe down notification area of a smartphone,
and we see that Bluetooth is running.
And in another video, we'll show
how to connect to a headset,
also to an external speaker,
and to an automobile.
Next on the list is Near-field communication, NFC.
This allows smartphones to communicate with each other
via radio frequency
by touching the devices together
or in some cases, just having them in close proximity.
NFC uses the radio frequency 13.56 megahertz
and it can transmit between 100 and 400 kilobits per second.
Notice that lowercase B, that's bits.
So that doesn't sound like much.
And it does transfer slower than say, Bluetooth
but it's usually plenty for sending and receiving
contact information, an MP3s, and even photos.
Now, an NFC device can also act as a smart card,
performing payment transactions,
and it can also read NFC tags.
If you're not sure whether your device supports NFC,
check the settings in the mobile operating system.
And you can see here, it is supported.
It's not on right now, but it is supported.
And most smartphones do incorporate NFC technology.
On older devices, you can open up the case
and look near the battery to see if it's NFC compliance.
Another wireless technology
used by some smartphones and tablets is infrared or IR.
Though it's not included on many flagship smartphones
as of 2017,
some mobile devices come with a built in IR blaster
that can take control of televisions and some other devices
if the smartphone has the proper app installed.
infrared works on a different and higher frequency
than wifi and Bluetooth and so on.
So it does not interfere with those technologies
when it's used.
But because so many appliances and electronics today
are smart enabled,
the IR blaster becomes less important on today's phones.
And in fact, on this particular phone here,
it does not have an IR blaster at all.
And this is a 2017 model.
And finally, another commonly used wireless technology
is the mobile hotspot.
When enabled on a properly equipped smartphone or tablet
with a 4G connection or faster,
it allows a user to connect other systems,
desktops, laptops and other mobile devices
in a wireless fashion
through the mobile hotspot created on this smartphone.
Ultimately allowing those other computers
access to the internet.
So this can be a great way to connect your laptop
or other computer if wifi goes down.
But remember, there's usually a catch.
Many providers charge for data usage,
unless you have a corporate plan.
So, this is used
quite often as a secondary type of connection or a backup.
In addition, the further away you are from a cell tower,
the lower the data transfer rate
or even the chance of connectivity at all.
So, know the pros and cons of running a hotspot
on your mobile device before you do so.
And you can see here in this image here,
we have the mobile hotspot turned on
on this V30 phone.
It does have that capability.
And so, other devices can connect through this phone
to go out to the internet.
And we show exactly how to do that
in another video as well.
And by the way, this is different than USB tethering.
It does the same thing.
It's just that USB tethering does this with a cable,
with an actual USB cabled connection to a system.
So, know the difference between those.
USB tethering does it with an actual cabled connection,
it can only really work with one system
that you physically connect.
But the mobile hotspot, all is done wirelessly.
It's like, your smartphone becomes
a wireless access point almost.
And multiple systems can connect to the smartphone
when you do it that way.
Know the difference between USB tethering
and a mobile hotspot.
And understand the various wireless connections,
Bluetooth, NFC, IR, and those mobile hotspots.
And that's it for this video.