USB Bluetooth Adapter-TOP OF THE LINE

Hi guys!!! Its great to have a second opinion and experts on this forums.

I am planning to make my laptop Bluetooth-enabled. I was advised to get a Bluetooh USB Adapter. The transfer rate and range was one of the parameter to look for.What are other parameters to compare??? [ ]What is the most reliable bluetooth usb adapter in the market today??? [?] [?][?]

Most are in the 33 ft range and I found some with longer range...


Here's the product I found:
1. Anycom Blue USB-240 500 Foot Bluetooth USB Adapter range: 100 meters, up to 1 Mbps transfer rate, ONLY one I saw to be Bluetooth 1.2 ready
http://anycom.com/us/newprod/prodspec_us.php?prodid=CC3035&lang=en

2. Linksys Bluetooth USB Adapter - USBBT100 range: 330 feet 721kbps transfer rate

3. Zoom BLUETOOTH USB ADAPTER - 4310-00-68 range: 330 feet 723 kbps transfer rate



So so far, I have my eye on Anycom...[:0]

 

I have the Anycom USB Bluetooth adapter that is 1.1 compliant...mixed feelings. I picked it up because of the maximum transmit range. However, I've had a terrible time trying to get it to work with various laptops. I've used it with GPS applications on a Vaio NV190 and a Toshiba Libretto L5 and both machines required multiple restarts before the adapter would find my GPS. On the flipside, I recently installed it on my Vaio v505 and have had consistent operation. Anycom's tech support is very UNhelpful and I've yet to find another adpater with 300ft range and good reviews.

As I've been looking for adapters, the three things that stand out are: Form Factor, Version, and Range.

Form Factor: Most, if not all, BT adapters are offered in USB or PC-Card format. Either one is good and really depends on your needs. I went with USB because I need access to my PC-Card bays for other devices. You may choose PC-Card if you need access to your USB ports. Either form factor is good.

Version: From what I can gather, the version correlates with the 'profiles' that are available in BlueTooth. The profiles are basically rules for communicating with different devices. I would think as long as you pick up a device that is at least 1.1 compliant, you should be able to use 98 percent of the BT devices available.

Range: Most BT devices only suppport a range of 10 meters - 33 feet. There are newer devices that are 'Class 1' that support a maximum range of 300 ft. It really depends on what you'll be doing. I chose a class 1 product because occasionaly I go on a friends boat and it's a big dang boat.

To me, BlueTooth is still a work in progress. There are just too many setup options depending on the BT adapter you choose and there is not alot of consistency. My suggestion is you do alot of research before settling on a model. I would also heavily suggest looking for posts of BT adapters that have worked succesfully with your model of laptop.

 

Thanks Big Calhoun for the reply... Please elaborate more on the "classes." If there is a class 2, is there a class 3 or 4? Does range increase when classes increase (Class 2 has longer range than class 1?)[?][?][?]

 

I believe the 'classes' are actually in line with FCC requirements. As far as I can tell right now, there are only two classes:

Class 1 - 300 ft maximum
Class 2 - 33 ft maximum

The only difference between them is maximum transmit range.

 

Do other guys and gals in the NotebookReview.com "Conference" have other opinions regarding the Bluetooth USB adapter?

Kindly tell your experience with your unit... Tell your unit, its class (1 or 2) and your difficulties and good side of the product.

 

It is better to get the performance of the USB bluetooth adapter in the real world in forums like this.

(No offense to the reviews published in some websites, they are either:

extremely good...Like a mother praising his own son
or
extremely bad... Like a person working for the competing company

[?][?][?]

Like in any study or experiment, an unbiased query is still the BEST.

Your input is very much appreciated.[ ][ ][ ]

 

I found out thru my readings to this forum and articles elsewhere that bluetooth is developing its technology to expand its range of coverage.

Currently the general reach is 30 feet. The next generation bluetooth should then be at par or exceed the b and g network. Hope that it comes soon.

 

I have been doing a lot of research on these adapters in order to pick one for a christmas present and the common reviews I am seeing is to get the Anycom USB 250 Bluetooth 2.0 400ft adapter.

Though there are some compatability issues with some software and hardware, this seems to be the lesser of the evils as well as the most commonly suggested alternative to other adapters.

 

I am getting this adapter as well. From what I have read on Howardforums (cell phone message board), this was the most recommended.