Socket Communications Bluetooth Serial Adaptor

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://estore.shopplex.com/app/storefront.aspx?cat_id=225&inv_id=C75844&modid=30214092059015&aid=5' target='_blank'>http://estore.shopplex.com/app/stor...092059015&aid=5</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/img340108164816502.jpg" /><br /><br />"Socket`s Cordless Serial Adapter with Bluetooth Wireless Technology eliminates your conventional RS-232 serial cable, providing an easy-to-use, invisible connection. This small adapter allows any device with a standard 9-pin serial port to communicate wirelessly. It will communicate with another Cordless Serial Adapter or any Bluetooth enabled device. Take advantage of Personal Area Networking easily and quickly. You don`t need to install any drivers on the host device - just plug into the 9-pin serial port on your industrial equipment and wirelessly download the information you need to any Bluetooth enabled mobile computer (i.e., notebook, Pocket PC, Palm or Mac OS device}. Reduce costs by decreasing cycle times for equipment maintenance and servicing through easier access to serial ports in difficult or dangerous-to-access areas. Do you have cabled connections you would like to replace with a cordless solution? Attach a Cordless Serial Adapter on each side and presto - your bulky cables are gone." [Affiliate]

[powder2000]

I'm still not understanding this adapter. I remember talking about it here in a discussion thread, but, can I connect it to a gps serial cable and transmit data wirelessly? This would be very cool as I have a garmin etrex that I have no intention of getting rid of. Will this work??????

Also seems a bit pricey :roll:

[sundown]

I have the an eTrex also and was wondering the same thing. It looks like you can - "Attach a Cordless Serial Adapter on each side and presto - your bulky cables are gone."

However, I experimented with a serial-to-usb converter recently and it worked flawlessly. It's not wireless but it's better than serial.

[GoldKey]

Also seems a bit pricey :roll:

Agreed, and you would need 2 correct?

[msprague]

You would need one for the etrex and then you could connect with any bluetooth enabled device without a second.

[powder2000]

OK, I have an idea. PPCThoughs needs to review one of these babies with a ppc and etrex and see if they can get a connection :lol: Heck, I'd even be willing to review it :lol:

[hamishmacdonald]

Nice idea, but I've got a printer adaptor along the same lines that's useless to me because my Pocket PC's print application doesn't support that particular printer, and my Windows XP box will see the printer but refuses to print to it.

Won't make that mistake again. Just because a piece of hardware fits a connector doesn't mean the software will be able to use it.

[powder2000]

Ya, but you are talking printer software, which makes sense. All this claims to do is bridge a serial connection wirelessly (what bluetooth was meant to do). If I was using a cable, all I would set my software settings to was NMEA interface and the com port. I only question where this would get the power to make the connection from. You would think it would get it from the gps, but I don't think gps units are meant to power anything. When you connect by serial connection, your ppc is doing all the work, the gps is merely releasing the data. But that release of data, is powered in a small amount. Hmmmm............... I'm just thinking out loud here. What do you all think.

[nirav28]

Nice idea, but I've got a printer adaptor along the same lines that's useless to me because my Pocket PC's print application doesn't support that particular printer, and my Windows XP box will see the printer but refuses to print to it.

Won't make that mistake again. Just because a piece of hardware fits a connector doesn't mean the software will be able to use it.

Well maybe not for a printer, But a GPS should theoritically work. All a serial gps does is pass a stright NMEA format string containing information such as lat, lon, time, speed etc. Its actually the software on your PC or PPC that takes care of the plotting, waypoint calculation and displaying onto a map. Serial GPS receivers are essentially dump terminals that receive one-way data from satellites and do some basic calulcations/triangulation and format the data into a standard NMEA compliant tex string. I've yet to hear of a NMEA compliant gps serial port receiver requiring special connection drivers.

Actually , I was able to do a terminal connection using the windows terminal program into my very simple serial GPS receiver and was able to see plain text NMEA data strings in my terminal.

[EricMCarson]

Nice idea, but I've got a printer adaptor along the same lines that's useless to me because my Pocket PC's print application doesn't support that particular printer, and my Windows XP box will see the printer but refuses to print to it.

Won't make that mistake again. Just because a piece of hardware fits a connector doesn't mean the software will be able to use it.

Sounds like an Anycom BT print adapter. I had one of those POS adapters and sent it right back.

BTW, this serial adapter does work for my mimio bar here in the office. I have a serial adapter connected to the bar and my 3Com card finds the mimio & communicates just fine. Eliminated a 55 foot cable, which was needed to snake all the way around the wall and back to my desk.

[Jason Dunn]

Also seems a bit pricey :roll:

You've got to keep in mind that this isn't aimed at consumers - it's aimed at legacy hardware that enterprises want to take wireless. ;-)

[pdauser]

You've got to keep in mind that this isn't aimed at consumers - it's aimed at legacy hardware that enterprises want to take wireless. ;-)
I was just thinking the same. Most consumers would just use a USB dongle.

[MMMGT]

Do I hear Group Buy anyone!? I would love one of these to connect My SportTrak Map with my h2215. But at the price, it would almost be more economical to sell the SportTrak and get something with bt built in. Oh well. Good idea tho!

[jher]

I was thinking about buying some of these last month so I could plug them into the serial ports on my routers/switches/etc. and do remote administration without needing the $#%! cables. Great idea but at $100-200 they're too expensive when I can do the same job for a little more inconvenience and a $2-15 cable.

[nirav28]

Do I hear Group Buy anyone!? I would love one of these to connect My SportTrak Map with my h2215. But at the price, it would almost be more economical to sell the SportTrak and get something with bt built in. Oh well. Good idea tho!

Yup..Also considering something like the Fortuna BT GPS receiver sells for around $180 online. But then again, you would be tied to GPS only device. This adaptor would allow you to use it for almost anything that requires a serial connection. But who uses 9-pin serial ports these days anyways?

Too bad no one has come up with a USB BT adaptor that can be hooked up directly to the periphreal device itself. Example, GPS-> USB BT dongle. Not USB BT Dongle -> PC.

[powder2000]

Also seems a bit pricey :roll:

You've got to keep in mind that this isn't aimed at consumers - it's aimed at legacy hardware that enterprises want to take wireless. ;-)

I know, but I want in on the action and I want it to be cheap :twisted:

[Ainvar]

I was thinking about buying some of these last month so I could plug them into the serial ports on my routers/switches/etc. and do remote administration without needing the $#%! cables. Great idea but at $100-200 they're too expensive when I can do the same job for a little more inconvenience and a $2-15 cable.


See I would love to have a few of these for that very reason. I am just curious would it work or not?

[AZMark]

These are ment more for industrial equipment that you can get readings and printouts from. Like Jason says not a consumer device.

My guess would be that the GPS devices would not have the power on the serial line an thus not power the device.

[ctmagnus]

Two things:

1) if used in a vehicle, you can get adapters that power the GPS and have a serial port attached. I don't know if these can get power to the port though, as the cable I have has the GPS connection in the middle, the power adapter on one end and the serial connection on the other.

2) Tek N Toys no longer lists these. :(

[Will T Smith]

Do I hear Group Buy anyone!? I would love one of these to connect My SportTrak Map with my h2215. But at the price, it would almost be more economical to sell the SportTrak and get something with bt built in. Oh well. Good idea tho!

Yup..Also considering something like the Fortuna BT GPS receiver sells for around $180 online. But then again, you would be tied to GPS only device. This adaptor would allow you to use it for almost anything that requires a serial connection. But who uses 9-pin serial ports these days anyways?

Too bad no one has come up with a USB BT adaptor that can be hooked up directly to the periphreal device itself. Example, GPS-> USB BT dongle. Not USB BT Dongle -> PC.

Garmin and Magellan need to start integrating BT chipsets into ALL their units. The big conundrum with the BT GPS receivers is that they are useless without a PocketPC or laptop.

The medium range receivers deliver some pretty powerfull functionality. They're also a little bit more rugged than a PocketPC.

I do see this as being a great stopgap so you can have your cake (nice mutli-function magellan unit) and eat it too (use PocketPC for building maps, routing on your way BACK from the trip. Basically, the serial cable is pretty useless in the field because the cool otterbox housings become useless.