Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Mountain Lion Edition

Bluetooth

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:

1. 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.

2. 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 ...