Pocket PC ActiveSync Over Bluetooth: Step by Step

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.bluetoothnews.com/features/ActiveSync.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.bluetoothnews.com/featur.../ActiveSync.htm</a><br /><br /></div>Well, we're still <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=19436&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0">discussing whether or not Bluetooth is dead</a>, but if you'd like to resurrect your Bluetooth device and give wireless ActiveSync another try, this walkthrough by David Shier might help you along.<br /><br />"Some users of Pocket PCs have reported difficulties getting ActiveSync to work over a Bluetooth link. This article provides an illustrated, step-by-step procedure to get it working quickly and easily. Our goal here is to achieve the Bluetooth SIG's goal of less than five minutes from out of the box to operation. In addition, we hope to provide some understanding of why it all works the way it does..."

[Don Tolson]

Good description, Phil. Thanks.

The software provided with my Belkin W8T001 v2 USB Bluetooth adapter made it even simpler than that, but you're right about having to be careful about the COM Port.

Biggest hassle I had was configuring the network adapter to allow Internet access sharing. Mine kept wanting to route it through the Bluetooth device, rather than the existing LAN connection in my laptop!

Other than that, it was pretty straightforward and pretty stable. The only nit I find occassionally now is that sometimes my USB-connected mouse gets shut down sometimes when I power on the laptop. It seems to have something to do with the way the two USB ports (one withe Bluetooth adapter and the other with the mouse) interact. I'm hoping Belkin will find a way to let me use their new Bluetooth mouse with the W8T001 adapter...

[JustinGTP]

also at http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=449 from freitasm has some excellent tutorials as well. Thats how I got everything working so nicely. Thanks freitasm

-Justin.

[rpommier]

BT Activesync is all fine except that it seeps like a bit of a hack. Now maybe I have something wrong, but once I've connected my 2210 via activeync, I have to initiate the sync from the PC. Pointless, with WiFi it's possible to initiat a sync from the PPC.

Now it does work if I have activesync set to autosync, but I like leaving it manual.

Rod

[freitasm]

BT Activesync is all fine except that it seeps like a bit of a hack. Now maybe I have something wrong, but once I've connected my 2210 via activeync, I have to initiate the sync from the PC. Pointless, with WiFi it's possible to initiat a sync from the PPC.

Now it does work if I have activesync set to autosync, but I like leaving it manual.

Rod

Yes, that's how it works. ActiveSync will follow its configuration. It should really have another box "On Connection/Always when BT Sync".

The problem is that Activesync is not using Bluetooth. It's using a serial port. Bluetooth is just the cable replacement there, so there's no such a thing as ActiveSync "knowing" this is a Bluetooth connection coming in.

Interesting that mRouter (used by Symbian mobile phones) "knows" that a port is a Bluetooth one, not a physical port. ActiveSync could work the same way.

[bspline]

I managed to get Activesync over Bluetooth working, but not without trouble. Somehow, BTStack is loading after the Activesync component, so when Activesync loads, the Bluetooth COM port (4 as it is) does not exist.
Then Activesync loads up the dreaded "Get Connected" Wizard, which ends up disabling *both* USB and COM ports.
I then wait for everything to load (BT including) and re-enable USB and the BT Com port. Everything works now.

But if someone would care to shed some light on why this is happening, I could do without having to manually enable/disable stuff everytime I boot the computer.

[ctmagnus]

Not actually having used BT yet, I must say: Very well written! I should get a dongle next time I'm in the city. Unfortunately, this computer is only on part of the day so I'd end up using WiFi to connect to the Internet the rest of the time.

[theon]

In conjunction with the other thread by Ed on whether BT is dead, this will be interesting to see wheter BT is more understandable to the average person or not.

[juni]

Following the instructions I got it to work in one go. :)

[Bajan Cherry]

As for me, I just followed the instructions given by bluetooth manager on my iPaq 2215 and it worked. No problems atall. However, using iPaq 3650 with belkin bluetooth cf card was a different story altogether.

[daS]

Wow, a reference on the front page! 8) Thanks Jason!

And thank you to those that wrote in on this thread with the kind words about the article. While receiving Microsoft's MVP award this year is really cool, the real reward for spending time on such articles is the feedback from the user community.

[JustinGTP]

I can intiate active sync from my Pocket PC without being in the same room that the actual PC is in. It works perfectly. I have also a network connecting via bluetooth that I can set up on my PPC, also in another room.

Justin.

[Warwick]

I have been using BT Activesync with a TDK USB Adaptor and my 3870 since I got it, never had a problem yet.

I love it, and I think its alive and kicking.

[picard]

lucky you with widcomm drivers on the pda. i'am stuck with microsoft BT on my mio558 without any BT manager or network profile :cry: i hope ms will upgrade... in the meantime it's faster wlan with more battery drain for me.