OBEX is a protocol used for exchanging binary objects between devices, often paired with ad-hoc wireless links. It can run on most transport, TCP/IP, and Bluetooth® devices and is built into many communication devices. OBEX uses binary transmissions and session support to resume transactions.
OBEX is an acronym that stands for OBject EXchange, a protocol mainly used in the field of communication technologies. As the Infrared Data Association maintains this protocol, it is also known as IrOBEX or Infrared OBEX.
Primarily designed to exchange binary objects between particular devices, this protocol is designed to work like HTTP in that it allows the user to connect to a server in much the same way. Once logged in, the user can make a request or provide items to transfer. Some of the items you may choose to provide include files, images, calendar entries, and business cards.
OBEX is usually paired with and optimized for ad-hoc wireless links. There was a time, however, when it was reserved for infrared connections only. Today, the protocol can run on most transport, TCP/IP, and Bluetooth® devices. Bluetooth® is an industry specification form used for wireless personal area networks (PANs).
Most modern communication devices have OBEX built in. Personal digital assistants (PDAs) were the first communication devices to run using this protocol, but it can also be found in many brands of cell phones. A number of office machines and computer operating systems also support the standard.
OBEX is often referred to as session protocol or binary HTTP protocol. With its binary transmissions, it uses a length value in binary format, also called Headers. Binary transmission allows information to be exchanged in reference to a particular request or object.
With session support, the protocol can branch a single transport connection into several other related operations. In other words, if a transaction has been closed, using OBEX can resume the transaction with all information left intact.
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