The original piconet was a networking type used on RM

RM plc

RM plc is a British company specialising in providing products and services to schools, colleges, universities and government education departments & agencies...

 Nimbus computers.

These days, a piconet' is an ad-hoc computer network

Computer network

A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....

 linking a user group

Wireless user group

A Wireless User Group is a Wireless community network run by enthusiasts. Most run off the shelf Wi-Fi hardware communicating in the license free ISM bands 2.4 GHz/5.8 GHz. Some do not provide Internet access, but are mainly used to participate in Internet games while avoiding data charges from...

 of devices using Bluetooth

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...

 technology protocols to allow one master device to interconnect with up to seven active slave devices (because a three-bit MAC address

MAC address

A Media Access Control address is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on the physical network segment. MAC addresses are used for numerous network technologies and most IEEE 802 network technologies, including Ethernet...

is used). Up to 255 further slave devices can be inactive, or parked, which the master device can bring into active status at any time.

Piconet range will vary according to the class of the bluetooth device. Data transfer rates vary between about 200 and 2100 kbit/s at the application.

External links

• http://perth.mit.edu/~ching/pubs/ScatternetAlg.pdf
• Masters and Slaves: Roles in a Bluetooth Piconet
• http://ntrg.cs.tcd.ie/undergrad/4ba2.01/group3/terminology.html