Much of the work on network protocols for the internet of things revolves around forcing square pegs into round holes (as with LTE). But for the short-hop connections between the ‘things’ themselves, Bluetooth has come into its own, rescued from wireless headsets and moving to center stage. Its standards body, the Bluetooth SIG, is determined to keep it there by making enhancements specifically designed for emerging sectors such as wearables and connected cars. The next major iteration, Bluetooth 4.1, is due out by the end of this year, and its most important change will be the ability to connect wearables and other ‘things’ to the cloud directly, rather than via a hub. This will allow it to link devices which…