IOGEAR USB 2.1 Bluetooth Micro Adapter (GBU421)
by IOGEAR
|
List Price: Our Price: $9.99 You Save: $6.96 (41%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: CE See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of IOGEAR USB 2.1 Bluetooth Micro Adapter (GBU421)
Customer Review: Works Great Windows 7 64bit with the DS3 Tool
Summary: 5 Stars
First off, I need to clarify why I bought this adapter:
I bought this to use my Dual Shock 3 PS3 controller wirelessly on my PC. I wanted to play Assassin's Creed Brotherhood on my 42" TV and my PC is much more powerful than either the PS3 or 360, so I wanted to play at true 1080p at 60FPS, but I couldn't have a cord running across the room.
So far, it works great with the DS3 tool. I am only using one PS3 controller with the program, so I can't comment on how, or even if, it works with multiple PS3 controllers. Overall, the DS3 Tool software (motioninjoy.com) is pretty terrible when you're trying to use a bluetooth adapter.
In order to save some people some time (It took me two hours to get the thing to work) I'm going to document how I got the thing working. I can't guarantee that these steps are the exact way to get this thing working, because I tried so many different configurations until it finally just worked, and now it's working without any problems. Know that this DOES work with the DS3 Tool, but it's not an easy task, and I don't recommend it unless you're computer savvy. If your time is important and you want a high quality controller, just look for a way to get a 360 controller working on your PC. While it will cost you more, it will result in much less of a headache.
First off, when I started, I had version 0.6.0003 (The latest version at the time of this post) of DS3 Tool. It simply DID NOT want to recognize the BT adapter.
So here's what worked for me:
-Completely remove all DS3 Tool software from the control panel.
-Open the Device Manager and find "Microsoft Common Controller for Windows Class." Right click, and remove all DS3 Tool drivers and be sure to select "Delete the Driver Software for this device."
-Download the OLD version of DS3 Tool, version 0.5.0002
-In the program, install the drivers again. You may need to unplug and plug in the BT adapter again so it installs the driver for the BT adapter.
-Make the program check for updates, and update to 0.6.0003 again
-Check the BT pairing screen and the software should now recognize the BT adapter. If it does not, go to the driver install page and run the driver install again. Hopefully, after this, it will now detect the BT adapter. If it does, pair the controller with the BT adapter, and you're good to go!
I can't guarantee that this will work, as I played with this for two hours before it finally worked, but I'm pretty sure these were the steps I followed. After you finally get it working, it works perfectly. However, getting it to recognize the adapter is the big hurdle. I'd recommend NOT updating the software for any future updates if it works. The DS3 Tool, like I said, is just bad software. When version 0.6 was originally released, nothing worked until 0.6.0003.
I hope this helps some people, and the entire point of my review was to clarify that it does work for your PS3 controller if you have the patience to get it working.
Customer Review: It works! DO NOT install the WIDCOMM drivers.
Summary: 4 Stars
This IOGear Bluetooth Micro adapter is tiny! Size wasn't a factor in my purchase decision, but if you require a very small Bluetooth adapter then look no further!
I bought this adapter to use with a bluetooth wireless headset for my gaming computer. I was tired of being tethered to the PC and wanted a wireless headset to use with Ventrilo and/or Teamspeak.
The instructions that came with this bluetooth adapter say that if you have Windows XP Service Pack 2, you can just plug it in and Windows will auto-detect it and install the Microsoft drivers. This is true and it did exactly that! This is what you want to do too. DO NOT install the WIDCOMM drivers that come on the installation CD unless you absolutely have to!
I was unable to get my Sony PlayStation 3 wireless headset to "pair" with the adapter at first. I ended up calling IO Gear Tech Support and was pleased that it was a toll-free call. The tech support guy had me install the drivers that came on the CD (WIDCOMM), which I really didn't want to do. I read that some people had problems after installing them so I was reluctant.
The IOGear/WIDCOMM driver installation is weird right from the start. After inserting the CD clicking the "Windows Installation" button, nothing happens for 3 or 4 minutes. There is ZERO indication that anything is happening and I was tempted to click the "Windows Installation" button several more times, but that wasn't necessary.
After installing the WIDCOMM drivers, my PC started acting strange immediately. Several windows popped up saying that programs that I was trying to close were still open and in use by other processes. When I rebooted I received the "Windows has recovered from a serious error." message.
Now there is a "Network Status icon with a red X" in my Windows Taskbar that is somehow related to the Bluetooth adapter that I can't get rid of. The Tech Support guy said, "That's normal. Don't worry about it. Just ignore it." Okay sure.
The Tech helped me get the headset paired and working, but in hind-sight the problem was probably not related to the driver installation or lack there of. I was unable to get the headset to pair with my PC because I failed to enter the "0000" security code during the discovery and setup process. I didn't read the directions well enough and I rushed through the setup process. I honestly believe that the headset would have paired up properly with the standard Windows drivers that were installed when I first inserted the micro adapter.
Again, I do not recommend installing the WIDCOMM drivers unless you can't get your device to work with the Windows drivers. I may attempt to uninstall them and use the Microsoft drivers instead.
Overall I'm satisfied with the adapter. It's a simple device that does what it's supposed to do. I would have given it 5 stars, but the WIDCOMM drivers need some work.
I hope this review helps you make your purchase decision. Thanks for reading.
Customer Review: SOLUTION for Windows XP (and others), good value if it worked out of the box
Summary: 3 Stars
I don't normally write reviews but I think it is worth it to help the many people who may be as frustrated as I was with this product. Skip below to "INSTRUCTIONS" for how to get this product to work.
This device would be great if it actually worked out of the box. I tried installing it on a Dell 700m running Windows XP Service Pack 2. First thing I noticed, according to the instructions Windows XP should have bluetooth drivers already configured...I have SP2 and it did not have drivers for bluetooth anywhere. Windows would not recognize the device as a bluetooth headset nor configure it by just plugging it in.
So I went to option 2 which was use the install [mini]disk to load the drivers. My computer would not read the CD at all, I'm assuming because the CD was blank when I explored it in My Computer :/ So no drivers on the CD. As an alternative, I went to IOGear's website to download the appropriate drivers. Typed in my product info and started the download...... 4 hours it took!!! This is incredibly unacceptable considering the file was "52Mb" according to the website. Anyway, when it finished installing I unzipped the files and ran the Setup.exe. It appeared to load the "BTW" bluetooth software properly, and windows recognized the usb adapter as a bluetooth device, but the bluetooth manager would not allow me to do anything. I would go to "add new bluetooth device" and it would say "no bluetooth devices detected. Make sure they are powered on and connected" I got so frustrated and spent 3 hours searching the web for answers and none fit my problem.
Enter the solution:
I noticed when you install the BTW software package/drivers from IOGear's website, it download broadcom/widcomm drivers for bluetooth. But these don't work for some reason. So I did a little research and came upon broadcom's website and downloaded THEIR bluetooth software package/drivers and it works great now. I guess the IOGear USB dongle uses drivers from broadcom, but the ones they have listed on their website re way out of date or incompatible.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Go to Broadcom's website and download their USB Bluetooth Driver/Install Package
[...].
During the install you will notice it looks different than the useless driver package IOGear tried to supply. When you start the install package make sure the USB dongle IS plugged in so it can be detected and the driver package will take care of the rest.
NOTE: you don't have to worry about un-installing any old bluetooth drivers on your computer. The broadcom driver package will remove them automatically and replace them.
Hope this helps all of you that had trouble. My choices were to write a review on amazon or write a nasty letter to IOGear!
Customer Review: Works great on Win7
Summary: 5 Stars
Since I had zero prior experience with bluetooth, I was a little nervous after reading some of the reviews about whether I was going to be able to install this successfully. I got the adapter in order to be to easily transfer pictures from my cellphone to my computer. After some trial and error, I was able to get it properly installed and have already successfully transferred the pictures, so all is well. I am running Windows 7 Home Premium. For those neophytes like me, here's what I did: I first just plugged the adapter in and saw it started searching for drivers on its own so I let it do its thing. Then with my cellphone I tried to add a device and I was able to successfully get the phone to recognize the computer and vice versa, but when I went to transfer pictures it just kept saying there was no device connected. After running the troubleshooter on my computer, it said my phone was connected but had no services. So, even though some reviewers said they didn't need the manufacturer's drivers, in my case I needed them.
Following others' advice, I did not use the enclosed disk but went directly to the Iogear website ([..]), clicked on support, drivers, searched on "bluetooth", then selected model GBU421 and downloaded the Vista & Win7 driver (same one). After the files download & extract, I double-clicked on the Setup_Vista_Win7 file which starts the installation process. (Make sure the adapter is NOT plugged in when you start installation.) Click yes to install and it will do its thing for a few minutes until it reaches a point where it says it cannot detect a bluetooth device and only gives you the option to cancel. At that point, I plugged the adapter in, and it automatically continued installing. After it finished installing, I went back to the Windown bluetooth setup and saw it was searching on some sort of drivers and I noticed it had a long list of services that weren't there before. So I just let it finish doing its thing (took several minutes so be patient) and once it was done, I was able to transfer the pictures no problem.
This may not be the best way to do it, but it worked for me. I also agree with other reviewers that it's a little difficult to take in and out, but it's so tiny that I'm just going to leave it in all the time. One other note - another reviewer mentioned it's a battery drain, but in Win7 you can easily turn Bluetooth on and off, so I intend to leave it off most of the time and just turn it on when I need it. I would think it would only draw power if it's on.
Customer Review: Amazing size - works great with my netbook
Summary: 5 Stars
Decided my Acer Aspire One needed bluetooth, but size was critical. My Aspire is small and I wanted to keep the advantage this highy portable device. I found this bluetooth adapter. It looked small in the pictures. I ordered it and got it super fast in two days (yea Amazon). The adapter is even smaller than I thought. Barely sticks out from the USB port at all. Fits in the netbook sleeve that comes with the netbook even sticking out a tad. Perfect for my netbook. Worked flawlessly, and had it up and working in short order. Mini CD is included, so everything you need is in the package. Don't throw away the instructions without first getting that little CD out of the instruction booklet. Install the software and go for it. My Phone is an HTC shadow so I quickly paired the two, activated the internet sharing on the phone and was able to surf using my phones connectivity. Its slower but the point is that now, no matter where I am I have internet connectivity for my netbook. I also have a bluetooth GPS device I use with my phone (HTC Shadow didn't come with GPS built in), so I paired it with my netbook and the had GPS capability for my netbook. Downloaded free GPS software and now have navigation on my little netbook with full maps and everything. Tons of fun, and that was just during the first evening with it. Software is impressive as installing the drives you can activate several device options from headsets, fax, printers, etc.
Only CON might be the range. About three feet away I get a mid-range GOOD bar on my netbook software. Seems to drop off pretty fast. Not a problem for me, but might be for someone else.
I've already ordered a bluetooth mouse so I can ditch the honkin huge wireless mouse dongle I have that sticks out from the USB port two inches at least. With the new mouse I won't need anything else plugged in.
This is an awesome device. Tiny and highly functional. So small it won't block any other ports with it plugged in, as was a complaint of other adapter products I checked.
Highly recommended.
[Additional - 4/8/2009]
I ran a test specifically with a bluetooth mouse and this time it didn't drop off nearly as fast as the first time. Not really sure why it did that time, because it now appears pretty stable at a distant. So, distances may not be so much of a problem. I'm getting a bluetooth headset and that should give me a really good test at a distance. As before, I highly recommend it. Has worked flawlessly.