Profiles list for BT adapters?

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LittleGreyCat

153 posts

Master Geek

#487 4-Sep-2003 09:28

Hi,

I am slowly being ground down by the process of selecting a BT adapter for my PC (after that, I need one for my iPAQ!).

As far as I can establish at the moment, the two major issues are which profiles are currently supported, and if there is good ongoing support for software upgrades.

I have started putting together a spreadsheet listing the profiles supported by each adapter (where the information is available) but was wondering if there was already a comparison table available somewhere?

Just done Belkin from their website (F8T002 and 3 support different profiles and there are none listed for F8T001).

For a lot of devices in online stores it is difficult or impossible to establish the profiles or the manufacturers :-(

Cheers
Dave R

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
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#1293 4-Sep-2003 10:20

This is a great idea! Care to share the results with us later? I might find some information on the Bluetooth SIG forum. If you have models I can look up there.

LittleGreyCat

153 posts

Master Geek

#1299 4-Sep-2003 20:23

Quite happy to share the spreadsheet :-)

The information comes with no warranty as I don't trust most of the information to be up to date :-(

LittleGreyCat

153 posts

Master Geek

#1302 5-Sep-2003 06:06

A quick update:
I was trying to track down the manufacturere and support organisation for a BT dongle and eventually got in touch with them, and explained what I was looking for (lots of profiles).

We shall see if this has any impact.

How are you supposed to choose a BT dongle without information?
Or do most people buy one assuming they are all the same, then spend ages struggling until they decide BT is crap?

Cheers
Dave R

LittleGreyCat

153 posts

Master Geek

#1303 5-Sep-2003 06:07

A quick update: (without the bodged link :-( )
I was trying to track down the manufacturere and support organisation for a BT dongle and eventually got in touch with them, and explained what I was looking for (lots of profiles).

http://www.esktech.com Esktech support Windigo dongles in the UK plus some others with Extended Systems XTNDConnect Blue Manager, and their own make with the Widcomm stack.

They told me that the Kondor Connect from Carphone Warehouse or The Link was their product, and the one to go for if I wanted maximum profiles.

I looked at both Carphone Warehouse and The Link websites and there is zero information about the profiles (or anything else) :-(

I have emailed Esktech support again asking them for a list of profiles, and also noting that I wouldn't buy their product based on the information on the vendors web sites!

We shall see if this has any impact.

How are you supposed to choose a BT dongle without information?
Or do most people buy one assuming they are all the same, then spend ages struggling until they decide BT is crap?

Cheers
Dave R

LittleGreyCat

153 posts

Master Geek

#1329 6-Sep-2003 23:11

Yaaarrrghhh!!!

Just realised that the Belkin F8T001 and Belkin F8T001uk are different products!

The body construction is totally different and the UK version has a pop up aeriel.

Both are class 1 devices, though, and neither has any profiles listed.

I may buy the UK version today, though, as it is only £29.99 in Argos which is close to disposable price.

Drivers are dated as 1st May 2003 so presumably not Widcomm 1.4 stack.
Anyone know what stack the Belkin kit has?

freitasm

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#1337 7-Sep-2003 16:06

The latest drivers for the Belkin (at least on their site) is 1.2.2.16.

The F8T001 does have the little aerial and looks exactly like the F8T001UK. Or at least it seems like it.

LittleGreyCat

153 posts

Master Geek

#1344 7-Sep-2003 23:31

Following your two links as posted:
The US device is long and smooth and silvery with a little blue light in the middle.
The UK device is squat, black and square with an aerial on one side and two buttons on the other.
Granted they both have a USB connector :-)
I think you must have looked at the UK picture twice :-))

About the stack - is this the Widcomm stack renumbered by Belkin, Belkin's own in house stack, or another 3rd party stack?

I don't think most manufacturers list the stack as Widcomm, especially if they have tweaked it themselves.

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freitasm

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#1345 7-Sep-2003 23:37

Here are the pictures and the links:

http://images.belkin.com/F8T001uk/STD1_F8T001uk.jpg

http://images.belkin.com/F8T001/STD1_F8T001.jpg

They look the same to me...

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#1356 8-Sep-2003 21:12

http://images.belkin.com/F8T003/STD1_F8T003.jpg

This is the F8T003.

freitasm

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#1357 8-Sep-2003 21:16

Transparent proxy servers will kill my sanity! The images were the same, during the last day. Until now, when I refreshed the Belkin pages a few hundred times - and now I see the different model.

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