Ipaq 2215 and Bluetooth

[kosmicki]

I am at last within a few months of getting a PPC, and was wondering:

How good is the useable range of an Ipaq 2215 with a class II BT dongle? (Yes I know, 10m, but I want to hear distance from someone who has done it)

And, does using a class I adapter on PC help improve the range any?


- Koz

/first post, but not first time here

[Anthony Caruana]

My experience with a Billionton usb dongle has been that in an open office environment with no barriers between me and the BT dongle that you can defineitely get colse to the 10 meters.

At home, where there are a couple of walls between the BT dongle and my lounge room it is not useable. Within the same room it's fine.

[Brad Adrian]

I haven't used exactly the same setup you mention, but when in a crowded meeting room I've been able to detect Bluetooth phones from more than 10m away.

[kosmicki]

I'm considering putting whatever dongle i get on a 10ft USB cable and having it perched right near the doorway, so it would cover the room, and hopefully manage to get a signal all the way down the hall into the living room. (about 20ft) Near line of sight.

Or do you think a cable of that length would degrade the signal?

[mredd27]

I have about 8m (~25ft) of USB cable connected to a hub at the opposite end of the room to my PC so I can keep my printer, scanner etc. out of the way in a cupboard, and my bluetooth dongle worked perfectly on the end of that.

Regarding the bluetooth radio's range, I find that it will connect in any room adjecent to or just below the dongle's location but the connection was slow and after a while it disconnects itself because the signal is just too weak. In the end I gave up and just bought wireless network PCI and CF cards to give myself an ad-hoc connection with my PC. It now works all around the house and in much of my garden, but it does drain the battery fast.

[kosmicki]

Yeah the battery is one of the main reasons I'm thinking of going with bluetooth. The other is that I want the CF slot for a big CF card (1-2GB) but those SDIO WIFI 'cards' (the gum I like is bigger) are beginning to look good. Small and compact enough its not a hassle to carry around.

If the power requirements drop a bit more I'll look into one of those. Of course I can just plug it in if i'm sitting on the couch, but it makes as much sense to me as a laptop with a 2 hour battery life. (Like a big bridge battery)

Anyone used one of those SDIO wifi cards? (I'm searching for reviews right after I post this)

[jump23]

I have a 2215 and a belkin class 1 adapter and I can get it to work anywhere in my office at work. It's probably 70' or so through numerous walls. I can active sync or BT network and print anywhere in the building.

[kosmicki]

Oooooh. Thats nice to know. One last question I think, one I could not find anywhere else. What is the battery life you get with the BT radio on? I really appreciate all the helpful comments :mrgreen: Thanks!

[americaneagle]

To back up what everyone else said. Get the Dongle as high as you can! It works great when above solid objects :D Otherwise it's no go.