Bluetooth class 1 dongle vs class 2 dongle for ipag 1940

[Jolard]

Ok, I am ready to buy a bluetooth dongle, I have done my research, and discovered that they come in two main flavors, bluetooth class 1, with 100 meter range, and bluetooth class 2, with 10 meter range.

The bluetooth that is built in to the IPAQ 1940 is class 2, with the 10 meter range.

My question is if I buy a class 1 dongle, will I get greater range than a class 2? I know that the class 2 strength in the 1940 will limit me somewhat, but I want to know if the class 1 dongle on my pc would increase the range at all.

Basically I want to know if it is worth spending the extra for a class 1, or because the 1940 is class 2 it won't make a difference.

Anyone know?

[Leo the 3rd]

My understanding is that the slowest setting is chosen. Folks correct me if I'm wrong.

[Sven Johannsen]

Didn't think there was any speed difference, but here are my very generic thoughts on range.

Transmission range depends not only on transmitter power out but also on receiver sensitivity. Class 2 Tx's and Rx's are designed with a target range of 10 meters. If Class 1 achieves the greater range by a combination of increased output power and better receiver sensitivity, then certainly a Class 2 Rx will pick up a Class 1 Tx at a greater range than 10M because of the increased Tx power in class 1. If the Class 1 Rx is more sensitive than the Class 2 than it will pick up the lower power Class 2 Tx at a greater range.

So my expectation is that you will, in clinical trials, get better range with 1 Class 1 and one Class 2 than with two Class 2 devices, but in practice there are so many variables it may be hard to assess.

I certainly suspect that the reason behind Class 2 in PPCs (generally) is a concession to power consumption. The higher output power uses more power faster, something we PPC users prefer to avoid. In the PC there is no such constraint. If you have any inclination to consider a laptop and BT at some time, you could certainly benefit from the greater range of Class 1 at that time. If not, and barring any personal experiences posted here, it is going to be up to you how much more range, or the belief you will get more range is worth to you.

You know if you buy a Class 1 dongle, you won't know if the range is better unless you have a Class 2 to compare it with :wink:

[Jolard]

Thanks for the replies!

I will probably go with the class 1, mostly because they are only slightly more expensive on ebay, around $30 vs $20, so I think it is worth the extra expense.

Anyone actually have experience with this?

[Bandito]

If you purchase a Class 1 dongle, you can configure the software to reduce the power output, effectively turning it into a Class 2 dongle. I believe on some versions of the software this is done by choosing Laptop over Desktop as your device type.