What You Should Know about Bluetooth

by  |  On September 29th, 2014  |  In Car Tech, Tips & Guides

Bluetooth is a wireless technology that allows two compatible devices to communicate with each other. In an automobile, it lets you operate a mobile phone “hands-free,” meaning you don’t have to hold the phone while making or taking a call or accessing the phone’s address book.

While Bluetooth has become the auto-industry standard for hands-free phone technology, compatibility varies from phone to phone. To make matters worse, the interface and features vary from car  to car. In this article we review the basics of Bluetooth technology in automotive applications.

Compatibility and Interface

First, you want to make sure that your phone is compatible with the car you’re considering. Most automakers provide an online list of phones that they’ve tested and are certified to work with their Bluetooth systems.

Your car’s interface to your phone and other Bluetooth devices will consist of dashboard controls, steering-wheel switches or a touch screen or a combination of these. Since Bluetooth controls will be your main point of contact for the system, make sure they’re easy to operate.

Bluetooth technology in automotive applications

Features

There are many Bluetooth features offered by automobile manufacturers today.  Some of the most common are:
Steering-Wheel Buttons: Nearly every Bluetooth system has this feature, which allows you to answer or initiate calls without taking your hands from the wheel.

Voice Activation: Many Bluetooth systems let you make a call via voice activation. Rather than having to input numbers using a touch screen, dashboard or center-console controls, you say a number or a name in an address book.

Address Book: Some systems allow you to download your phone’s address book, which is convenient. Additional address-book features include identification of multiple numbers for a single contact (typically those are home, work and mobile). Some even assign “voice tags,” which are nicknames that can be used with a voice-activation system.

Redial, Call History: Like most mobile phones, many Bluetooth systems let you redial a number as well as view a call history and a list of missed calls.

Call Waiting and Three-Way Calling: Some Bluetooth systems support call waiting so that you can answer an incoming call if you already have someone on the line. The three-way calling feature allows the driver to loop two callers into a conversation.
Streaming Audio: A former cutting-edge feature that’s becoming more common is Bluetooth Audio which allows streaming music from a compatible device to the car’s stereo system. This is great for wirelessly accessing music stored on a device, and it also permits you to stream Internet radio services such as Pandora from a smartphone.

Text Messaging: Some systems now allow you to receive and reply to text messages. The system reads an incoming text aloud via text-to-speech technology. Ford’s Sync system can answer text messages with pre-defined responses such as “Can’t talk right now” and “Call you later.” Hyundai’s BlueLink system allows you to dictate text-message responses via voice recognition.

Bluetooth was once found only on high-end cars, but now it’s nearly ubiquitous as either a standard or optional feature on all but the most basic entry-level cars. If it’s important to you when shopping for a car, check to see if it’s standard equipment on the trim level you’re interested in.

Source: Lynch Family of Dealerships

My name is Bilal Amjad. I am a professional content writer and SEO executive. I have 2 years experience in this field.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

© Copyrights 2009-2016 Today Auto News - All Rights Reserved

Theme by Templates Craze