D-Link DBT-120 Wireless Bluetooth 2.0 USB Adapter
by D-Link
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Our Price: $50.00 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of D-Link DBT-120 Wireless Bluetooth 2.0 USB Adapter
Customer Review: Installs flawlessly with a Mac and PC.
Summary: 5 Stars
This product has been with me for years. I have the revision 3 and I believe they are up to revision 5 already. It has worked flawlessly with my old Sony Ericsson T610 phone. And it works even better with my current Nokia 6600 mobile.I installed the product in my Apple PowerBook G4 and iBook Dual USB and it instantly recognized the product without any drivers. I also believe this is the same product found inside every Bluetooth-equipped Mac because Apple did release a firmware update to their internal Bluetooth and it included these external D-Link DBT-120 units, if a user had one. (The only problem is that if you updated the firmware that Apple provided, you will not be able to use the D-Link on a PC. I haven't updated mine and never ran into sync problems).
I sync my address book and calendar in Jaguar and Panther OS to my mobile phone and iPod without any hitches.
Pros:
1. Small, compact, light
2. No drivers needed for Mac OS Jaguar and Panther and Windows XP OS.
3. Price. This product used to cost a lot. Now it has dropped down to USD40. Which is great, because this very same product that is installed internally in Macs still cost USD45 for the option. Shouldn't an OEM product installed during production be cheaper? Furthermore, if it's installed internally then you cannot transfer it between computers. The external is cheaper and transferrable.
Cons:
1. The only difficulty I can think of is the implementation of the Bluetooth standard across products.
I love gadgets and find myself tinkering with anything technological so I usually don't have problems making one product operate with another.
The problem with Bluetooth is that there is no standard way to activate and access operation between products. Each product has its own graphic user interface to contend with. Bluetooth is being billed to consumers as an easy plug and play product. I'm sure it is - just not right now as manufacturers are still fiddling with how to integrate it with their products. Hence, other consumers will have to read the manual on how to access and use Bluetooth across products. In products that come with no manual, they will have to be used to fiddling the interface. Until then, I can't wait for the time where Bluetooth actually performs the way it is billed.
If it doesn't work the first time, try to understand the logic behind each product's interface. The problem is that if they can't get it to work, they blame D-Link. If you're computer recognizes the product upon install, then there is no problem. If it doesn't and the activity lights don't work, then send it back. Unlike Wireless/Wired Ethernet products, the user interface is not embedded in the Bluetooth unit. This Bluetooth product is only a vessel. The actual operation is dependent on the computer and interface it has been programmed to interact with Bluetooth.
Customer Review: Works for my Mac, But....
Summary: 5 Stars
While I am an old time computer user (started in 1968) I have never owned a bluetooth device until I was recently acquired a Motorola RAZR. I looked around for a way to get the music and ring tones from my older Mac (G4 running OS X 10.4.11) to the RAZR. I found the D-Link device and saw many positive reviews so I ordered one. It arrived and with much fanfare, I opened the box then inserted the device into the end of the USB extension cable. This cable is a high quality shielded cable about 28 inches long I leave plugged into my Adaptec powered hub since my computer does not have a USB port on the front.
I then spent over 4 hours trying to figure out why the bluetooth preference did not show up in the set of system preferences. No mater what I tried it was not there, the bluetooth preference had disappeared. I read the manual, searched the vendor web site, and searched Apples web site all with with no luck.
The most irritating part was that it worked perfectly for my wife on her e-mac. She just plugged it in, opened the system preferences selected bluetooth, followed the on screen directions and installed her ring tone. ( And I am supposed to be the computer expert in our house... Grrrr..)
After I slept on the matter, I unplugged the adaptor from the cable and inserted it directly into the Adaptec powered hub (Not sure why I thought of this) and presto all was right with the world. The setup was a breeze, and I now drag and drop files to and from the RAZR v3xx in true Mac fashion with no problem. (My wife used the USB port on the side of her computer the first time)
Thus in two out of two tries, the device works exactly as advertised - right out of the box. I just wish someone somewhere had told me to beware of cables and plug the device directly into the computer port. Perhaps after you read this you will know to remove the cable if your bluetooth system preference does not show up.
- Jerry
Customer Review: Reliable and Easy to Use
Summary: 5 Stars
Among the bluetooth adapters available at the time I made this purchase, the D-Link had the best track record. It's not the rock-bottom cheapest, but believe me when I say the few extra dollars are worth it in headache prevention.
The package comes with three things: the dongle, which is about the size of your thumb knuckle (smaller than the average thumb drive); a usb extension cable, which is really handy if your usb ports are a little close together; the driver disc.
One word of caution: ignore the setup instructions-do NOT install the driver disc!! For some devices, particularly smart phones like the Blackberry, the D-Link drivers will not work properly. Have no fear, though- this actually makes things easier for you. You just plug in the dongle and away you go. Windows XP has built-in support that works flawlessly with my Blackberry Curve. I sync my phone, transfer files, and everything else without any problems whatsoever.
Overall I am extremely happy with this device and would buy it again without hesitation.
PS- I have heard of problems with this device and Windows Vista. All I can say there is Vista is already notorious for bugs, problems, etc. If you're using Vista, consider "downgrading" to XP.
Customer Review: Handles the bluetooth basics on a Mac: keyboard and mouse
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first bought my Mac Pro I got it without the bluetooth option failing to see that a wireless keyboard and mouse were very likely in my future. Anyone who knows the Mac towers knows that Apple makes it very easy to swap certain parts (Hard Drives, RAM) and VERY difficult to swap or add other parts (like internal Bluetooth, which requires you to entirely disassemble your computer using special tools).
The quick and cheap way to add bluetooth is to go with a USB Bluetooth adapter such as this one.
I first tried a Belkin adapter but ran into problems where bluetooth would hang while swapping batteries in my Magic Mouse, requiring me to restart my computer to get it to work again. (BAD!)
The D-Link was my second attempt to add bluetooth to my machine. I ended up with a Rev C that was positively plug-and-play with no problems whatsoever. I plugged it into the back of my Cinema display which puts the adapter about 6" from the Apple keyboard and mouse.
After a few seamless battery changes later I'm sold.
I have NOT tried this with bluetooth headphones or other bluetooth devices so I can't speak to how well those may or may not work.
Customer Review: The device gets 5 stars... but the technology doesn't
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this bluetooth radio for about a year now, and it's really worked just like it's supposed to. The software that comes with it fights a little with Windows XP, if you have all of the XP patches (including SP2)... I ended up uninstalling the software that came with it, because XP wouldn't relenquish control. No matter, XP controls the device great, and it's easy enough to set up new devices.
I use it with my phone and a few other trinkets that pass across my desk, and the bluetooth technology is still pretty inconsistent. There are too many standards and too many gateways that can be implemented per device (or not). Example, the audio gateway would be great for my phone, and would allow me use my headphones and mic for phone calls--except that the audio gateway service doesn't exist on my phone, so that's no joy.
Keep in mind that every device manufacturer can implement any one of many (nearly 100) bluetooth services, or they can devise their own and then release their own hardware to support it. This technology needs more standardization and that 'gotcha' can cause frustration for many people unfamiliar with the standard.