An Apple patent filing published on Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office details a wireless network sharing technology that leverages low-power Bluetooth instead of Wi-Fi, making it a prime candidate for small devices like the much-rumored “iWatch.” In its application for “Network access using short-range connectability,” Apple proposes a method by which a device can connect to, and share a network with, a second device via low-power communications, such as Bluetooth. Specifically mentioned in the document is a primary device that has the ability to establish a connection with a remote network, but may not have a built-in radio transceiver, as would a smartphone. A second device, which has such a radio, is paired to the first and can provide the necessary communications access by allowing the first device to pair and share data over protocols such as Bluetooth.
