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Does Bluetooth Cost Money?
If you find any rise in your monthly cell bill, maybe the Bluetooth costs money or other features on the phone are causing a rise. Bluetooth connects two devices wirelessly.
Bluetooth can be used to share files from one device to another or play music through the Bluetooth speaker. Bluetooth uses radio waves to compress files & sends them as signals.
Does Bluetooth really cost money?
No, Bluetooth doesn’t cost any money & won’t drive up your cell bill. Bluetooth doesn’t use cellular data, therefore it does not matter how much Bluetooth is used in a month. It is not going to impact your bill at the end of the month.
This wireless technology will only cost more if you use more electricity to charge. The amount it will cost is minimal as compared to other devices in your home. Hence, Bluetooth will not cost anything to use.
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How does Bluetooth connect devices?
It uses radio waves to connect devices. It can connect devices under a short-range, to allow these devices to share data. It acquired its name from King Harald Bluetooth from 10th century Denmark.
The king is remembered for uniting Scandinavia. Bluetooth means uniting two devices. It is a brand name & it starts with a capital letter.
The WiFi uses the same 2.4 GHz radio waves used by Bluetooth. Bluetooth connects the devices directly whereas WiFi connects devices to the same network. Bluetooth is used for devices that have an adapter in them & these devices have to pair.
The devices can only transmit data once they are paired, though they are visible. While pairing, one device will generate a number & the number has to be entered into the other device to pair. Communication can only occur between two synchronized devices.
The Bluetooth classes depend upon the strength of the signal & the range. Devices with Bluetooth have radio antennas that will allow them to send & receive signals. Bluetooth can connect devices over long-range if the transmitter is powerful.
Bluetooth class 1 device are the most powerful & they can operate at a range of 100 meters, whereas class 2 devices can connect devices up to 10 meters or 33 meters apart. The lowest powered transmitter is class 3 & connects devices up to 3.3 ft. or 1 meter apart.
What is the difference between WiFi & Bluetooth in terms of cost?
Bluetooth doesn’t rely on a central device such as a router, but WiFi does. You don’t need to spend time installing other parts in your home. The Bluetooth devices come with a built-in adapter ready to use.
You need to connect the device to the network, though WiFi doesn’t require pairing. Both technologies use the same bandwidth but rarely interfere with each other’s communication. If you turn off the WiFi & cellular data, the Bluetooth devices will still communicate & transmit data.
You can try to disconnect the device from WiFi & turn off cellular data, then play music. The music should be saved on your phone & you can hear it over a Bluetooth speaker without the need for cellular data.
WiFi will make you pay every month. This makes WiFi costly to keep in the long run, but Bluetooth doesn’t need any data or ask for monthly bills.
Therefore, WiFi is faster & can transmit higher quality audio. If you are satisfied with the WiFi bills, then go for WiFi.
Can Bluetooth connect multiple devices?
However, as compared to WiFi, Bluetooth doesn’t have a strong network but allows you to connect eight devices at the same time. The devices can connect & disconnect automatically. When this happens, the connected device forms a network called a piconet.
One of the devices known as the master controls the piconet while other devices follow the master. The connected devices use different channels with 79 channels available at 2.4 GHz radio frequency, ensuring there is no interference.
The devices needed to connect will choose a channel randomly. If the channel is in use, they will switch to another channel. When there is any interference from other appliances during connection, the devices will keep switching to another channel. Switching will ensure that there is no interference in the connection between the two devices & the connection is secure.
Two or more piconets connect & transmit information between them. Such a network is called scatternet. These connections do not need WiFi or cellular data, which makes Bluetooth an affordable wireless technology option.
Does Bluetooth Connection use cellular data?
Bluetooth doesn’t use cellular data & doesn’t even need WiFi to connect two devices. Bluetooth can’t affect your monthly bill.
The data transmissions can be seen by the two devices but are not visible on cellular or WiFi networks. Although WiFi & Bluetooth are standard on most tablets, laptops & smartphones. Both technologies can be active at the same time without interfering with each other’s functionality.
The cellular data does not record data usage when data is transmitted over Bluetooth. But, if you use Wi-Fi, IPS will record data usage & it will charge at the end of the month.
When you use Wi-Fi for streaming music, then you will have to pay for the data used. No extra data is required if you use Bluetooth to transmit the music streaming to the speaker.
Does Bluetooth cost money indirectly?
You might be eager to stream music from Pandora, Spotify, or YouTube. However, if you are fond of music, you will stream it through wired speakers.
Bluetooth is the best option to listen to music wirelessly. If you stream more music through Bluetooth, you will need to pay more for every cell bill. Bluetooth doesn’t have anything to do with more streaming of music.
You will stream more using wired speakers. You will need to pay for data transmitted from Pandora & not for the transmission of data to a speaker over Bluetooth.
If you are using apps that use data connected to Bluetooth, then Bluetooth is not responsible for increasing monthly bills.
Does Tethering cause Bluetooth to use data?
Tethering will allow you to send the internet to your laptop or PC from a smartphone. If you are outside, a smartphone accesses the internet & your laptop doesn’t, then you can tether the two & use the internet on your laptop.
Bluetooth doesn’t use any data. Before tethering, Bluetooth doesn’t transmit any data that the internet service provider will record.
Does the internet require to use of Bluetooth?
No, none of the Bluetooth-enabled devices has a built-in adapter that doesn’t need the internet to operate. If you have a Bluetooth speaker, then the sound comes from your phone to the speaker. The sound doesn’t go to the internet first & then to the speaker. The internet doesn’t play any part in Bluetooth connection.
Conclusion:-
Bluetooth is not at all involved in your huge monthly bills. You should check for the apps on your phone using data that are raising cell bills.
For iPhones, open the Settings>>Cellular & notice the list of apps using cellular data & how much they use. For android devices, open Settings>>Network & Internet>> Data Usage>>Mobile/App Data. You can see a list of apps that use data & Bluetooth will not be on the list.
A number of things you can do to minimize data usage on your phone. You can switch to an unlimited data plan & also use a billing period to monitor how much data is spent.