Bluetooth is a short-range, low-power, wireless cable-elimination technology. It’s designed to connect gadgets in pairings that make sense, like cellphone+earpiece, Mac+wireless keyboard, phone+portable speaker, or Mac+cellphone (for tethering, where you connect the Mac to the phone so the laptop can get online).
Now, you wouldn’t want the guy in the next cubicle to be able to operate your Mac using his Bluetooth keyboard. So the first step in any Bluetooth relationship is pairing, or formally introducing the two gadgets that will be communicating. Here’s how that goes:
Open System Preferences→Bluetooth (Figure 15-6).
Make sure the On checkbox is turned on. (The only reason to turn it off is to save laptop battery power.) Also make sure Discoverable is turned on; that makes the Mac “visible” to other Bluetooth gadgets in range.
If you intend to send a file to another Mac, set up that other machine by visiting System Preferences→Sharing; turn on the Bluetooth Sharing checkbox.
Click the
button below the list at left (or Set Up
New Device, if you’ve never done this before).The Bluetooth Setup Assistant opens. After a moment, it displays the names of all Bluetooth gadgets it can sniff out: nearby headsets, laptops, cellphones, and so on. Usually, it finds the one you’re trying to pair.
Figure 15-6. Top: This panel reveals a list of every Bluetooth gadget your Mac knows about. Click a Bluetooth device to see details. Middle: The Bluetooth Setup Assistant scans the area for Bluetooth gadgets and, after a moment, lists them. Click one and hit Continue. Bottom: Where security is an issue, you get the chance to pair your Bluetooth device with the Mac. To prove that you’re really the owner of both, the Mac displays a one-time password, which you have 30 seconds to type into the phone. Once that’s done, you’re free to use the phone’s Internet connection without any further muss, fuss, or passwords.
Click the gadget you want to connect to, and then click Continue.
If you’re pairing a mobile phone or something else that has a keypad or keyboard, the Mac now displays a large, multiple-digit passcode. It’s like a password, except you’ll have to input it only this once, to confirm that you are the true owner of both the Mac and the gadget. (If it weren’t for this passcode business, some guy next to you at the airport could enjoy free laptop Internet access through the cellphone in your pocket.)
At this point, the phone, computer, or palmtop displays a message to the effect that you have 30 seconds to type that passcode. Do it. When the gadget asks if you want to pair with the Mac and connect to it, say yes. (If you’re pairing one Mac with another, just click Continue on both machines; you see the same passcode on both but don’t have to type it.)
Tip
Some Bluetooth phones, including the iPhone, can even get your laptop onto the Internet via the cellular airwaves. No WiFi required—the phone never even leaves your pocket, and your laptop can get online wherever there’s a cellphone signal. It’s called tethering.
This is a special setup, however, involving signing up with your cell carrier (and paying an additional monthly fee). If you’ve signed up, then turn on the third option here (Access the Internet).
When it’s all over, click Done on the Mac that will do the sending. The new gadget is listed in the left-side panel, in the list of Bluetooth cellphones, headsets, and other stuff that you’ve previously introduced to this Mac.
