Bluetooth web connections will put your smart home online

This week the folks in charge of Bluetooth have announced connectivity to the web without the need for smartphones or tablets. A new "architecture standard" is being set in place, allowing developers to send an update to Bluetooth devices that'd eventually allow them to access the web without the need for a smartphone as a conduit. That's right. Soon you'll be able to turn your coffee maker on without even being inside your house.

What's the big deal with this sort of an update? Why not just connect devices to the web using Wi-fi? These are both very good questions. The difference between connecting using Wi-Fi and connecting via Bluetooth is very small for the end consumer.

Hands-on with Sensor 1, a smart bluetooth watchdog

But! For the manufacturer, doing away with the need for an additional piece of hardware to connect to the web – that could make all the difference in the world. Being able to skip a piece of equipment in favor of making a Bluetooth connection do all the work – that has potential for lowering the price of devices of all sorts.

And, as it is with all pieces of hardware – the smaller the number of components needed, the lower the price of the end product.

Errett Koreter, Bluetooth SIG vice president of marketing, spoke up this week on the subject.

"The key value promised by the IoT is that we can make life a little better by linking technologies and giving people more knowledge and control," said Koreter. "Our new Bluetooth gateway architecture enables the IoT to do just that."

"We are extending the monitoring and control of Bluetooth enabled sensor devices to the cloud and making the data accessible."

Developers can access the Bluetooth "Gateway Smart Starter Kit" through the Bluetooth developers homepage.

Sound like something you'd like to get ahold of? What else do you want to know?

UPDATE: Thanks for the responses! We've sent questions to the Bluetooth team – let us know if there's anything else you'd like to know!UPDATE 2: Steve Hegenderfer, director of developer programs for Bluetooth SIG, answers your questions.