future internet Article 25 Years of Bluetooth Technology Sherali Zeadally 1,*, Farhan Siddiqui 2 and Zubair Baig 3 1 College of Communication and Information, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA 2 Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA 17013, USA 3 School of Information Technology, Deakin University, Geelong 3216, Victoria, Australia * Correspondence:
[email protected] Received: 12 August 2019; Accepted: 2 September 2019; Published: 9 September 2019 Abstract: Bluetooth technology started off as a wireless, short-range cable replacement technology but it has undergone significant developments over the last two decades. Bluetooth radios are currently embedded in almost all computing devices including personal computers, smart phones, smart watches, and even micro-controllers. For many of us, Bluetooth is an essential technology that we use every day. We provide an insight into the history of Bluetooth and its significant design developments over the last 25 years. We also discuss related issues (including security) and Bluetooth as a driving technology for the Internet of Things (IoT). Finally, we also present recent research results obtained with Bluetooth technology in various application areas. Keywords: bluetooth; internet of things; low-energy; mesh; networking; protocol; security 1. Introduction The Bluetooth radio technology was developed by L. M. Ericsson in 1994. The standard is named after the King of Denmark, Harald Blaatand (“Bluetooth”). Major mobile phone manufacturers and technology providers comprising IBM, Nokia, Intel, Ericsson, and Toshiba created the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). The aim of the group was to invent an open specification for wireless technologies of short range. Bluetooth SIG continues to oversee the Bluetooth technology today.