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    M1330 Bluetooth Range Isn't Very Good

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by MrDeeds, Sep 18, 2007.

  1. MrDeeds

    MrDeeds Notebook Consultant

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    I've been having issues with my motorola s9 headset. At first i thought there was something really wrong with the notebooks bluetooth but then i decided to pick it up and put it at eye level. All of a sudden i had no issues.

    So i realized it was a range issue. I know it isn't the headset because they work perfectly with my pda phone.

    Strangely enough though the phone and laptop sync fine over bluetooth without issues. I found a site that suggested i turn of vistas bluetooth service but that didn't help at all.

    Any suggestions are welcomed and im running vista ultimate 64bit.
     
  2. MrDeeds

    MrDeeds Notebook Consultant

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    Has anybody used their bluetooth?
     
  3. frazell

    frazell Notebook Deity

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    My bluetooth gets decent range, but if you have the Dell wireless card try turning on the "Bluetooth Collaboration" mode in the wireless card Advanced Properties area (accessed from Device Manager)... That might help increase your range, but minimizing the interference from your WiFi card...

    So far I'm not liking the BSODs I get from my bluetooth usage, but that is another topic in and of itself...
     
  4. Ken Wind

    Ken Wind Notebook Deity

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    Drivers can definitely affect performance. Make sure that you have the latest Dell drivers.

    Sometimes Bluetooth devices, particularly headsets, just don't play together well. If you can, try another headset with your notebook.
     
  5. sol7789

    sol7789 Newbie

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    I have the same issue. I use my bluetooth to control a scribbler robot for my computer science class. I'll have my laptop on the desk and the robot on the floor and the bluetooth range doesn't even reach there. Tried looking for the wireless card property- "bluetooth collaboration" but I didn't see that. Maybe I have a different card?

    According to a T.A. I asked in school the bluetooth might be a "class 2" which doesn't have very good range.. Not sure what that means, but yeah..
     
  6. PhoenixFx

    PhoenixFx Notebook Virtuoso

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    Motorola S9 is a class 2 (low power consuming) BT device, which means the maximum range is 10m. But with most headsets you can only get about 5m without distortion.
     
  7. Ken Wind

    Ken Wind Notebook Deity

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    Most consumer Bluetooth radios are Class 2, so that shouldn't matter.

    The Bluetooth card in the M1330 is manufactured by Widcomm (a subisidiary of Broadcom). You may be able to find it under that name in device manager.

    Learn all about Bluetooth on the Bluetooth SIG website.