Customer Reviews

Belkin F8T001 Bluetooth/usb Adapter, Desktop

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

(...)P>The Belkin F8T001 did what I wanted it to do, whichwas move images from my phone to my PC without pulling the MMC card. It found my phone, clear across the house! 100-meter range means I can drop pictures on my PC from my garage if I wanted. The software bundle is very, VERY short on documentation but big on function: everything works as advertised.

I'm withholding two stars for these reason, though. 1) the aforementioned lack of value in the documentation, and 2) the disappointment I have in not being able to browse my phone directly (would've been nice to pull *all* my pictures from the phone rather than pushing each one to the PC). This is largely due to Nokia's PC Suite not being configured correctly, but also the Byzantine manner in which you must configure Bluetooth to make it work.

Note that this adapter has two versions, v1 being the "flag antenna" version and v2 being the "silver bullet" version. Drivers for v1 are not very current, although www.bluwireless.com is available for registered users.

In conclusion, while v2 might be a solid choice, I would recommend the Linksys USBBT100 <ASIN: B0000DZET4> over this adapter for first-timers.

Fred

Arrived next day even though used supersaver shipping !! It's the F8T001 (100m range) just as I'd hoped (wasn't sure but ordered anyway). Computer recognized it right away. Synchronizing is a breeze with iSync and a mac; merged my T68i contacts with address book in seconds. What's more, I can now control my computer from anywhere in my apartment with my T68i phone thanks to the "clicker" software. Can control iTunes (tracks and volume) and DVD player (so I can watch movies in bed) - absolutely fanstastic!! Inseperable part of my mac now..... (minus one star because it's a little bulkier than other adapters especially with adjustable antenna; covers adjacent USB port on my iBook but ok for keyboard of my power mac - guess that's the price for a 100m range).

This device is not easy to install. The error "Your license does not permit use with this device" is entirely misleading because the problem is actually that the Microsoft generic drivers have been installed instead of the Belkin set. The other symptom is that the Bluetooth Configuration control panel won't work. The following is for those familiar with the Device Manager:

If the drivers fail to install properly, the instructions say to install through the driver update pathway by pointing to the bin folder in the Belkin program folder. This will not work in XP. There are a number of threads on the Internet but they boil down to: 1. In Device Manager, right-click the "Belkin Bluetooth Adapter" and select "Update driver" 2. Select "Install from a list or specific location Advanced)" -> Next 3. Select "Don't search, I will choose the driver to install" -> Next 4. There should be two options: "Belkin Bluetooth Adapter" and "Belkin Bluetooth Device". "Belkin Bluetooth Device" is not digitally signed. Select it and click Next.

The software worked properly after this maneuver but it took hours to get there.

I purchased the Belkin Bluetooth F8T001 USB Adapter so that I could synch my IPAQ 1945 PDA. However, after software installation, I could only get "BTTray: Incorrect License type" and "Error - Unable to start Stack Service."

When I contacted Belkin Tech Support, I was told that the problem was caused by the Microsoft Service Pack 2. According to Belkin, Microsoft has included their own version of Bluetooth in SP2, and it is not compatible with the Belkin adapter. When I asked for their suggestions, they replied that I should "uninstall SP2." They told me that SP1 "works with some devices," and XP works with everything. I asked when they were going to update their drivers to work with this adapter, and they said that they didn't know. "Microsoft had not yet published their interfaces." My feeling was that as far as the company Tech Support was concerned, the device works OK with XP original, so any problems I am having are just my tuogh luck.

Without a picture I can't be sure we are all talking about the same thing. I have a Belkin USB Bluetooth Adapter (Model #F8T001). I've used the adapter on both my laptop and PC with good results. The laptop went much more smoothly because I ran the installation CD first before inserting the USB. If you plug and play, Windows recongnizes something, but cannot find the drivers easily. The 100m range seems optimistic, but I have been able to access my Sony Ericsson t68i phone while it is sitting in my bag, in the corner of the office.

Another reason why macs are awesome when it comes to input devices. I bought this USB adapter solely for my new AT&T Sony Ericsson T68i, and I've never touched my mMode kilobytes to download ringtones and backgrounds. The only reason that it doesn't get 5 stars is because you still have to tinker with settings but those are fairly simple, and yes its hard to set up with PC's, but other than that you'll be up and running after you get through those quarks. This USB adapter's strength is awesome because I have an oddly shaped room, and even if my phone is behind me on the other side, I can still sync them together. I've just purchased an HP printer thats bluetooth enabled and it works wonders, don't even have to use my network to get it up and printing. I tried using this with my PC and its totally not communicating with it, the previous critic is right, its just another port. But I won't shun it away because the mac makes it a device you can't live without. If you have a mac, get this, you'll be glad you did when you start investing in bluetooth devices.

Expect many issues when installing the Belkin software onto a Win XP, service pack 2 OS. The Microsoft enumerator wants to take over and will continue to haunt you unless it is disabled and stopped in admin-tools/services. Expect many reboots. Belkin has come out with a revised version 2 with a different set of problems, just as many reboots. Be ready to call Belkin tech support. Works great once it is installed.

I was an early adapter of the version-1 of this product which was unstable and lacked many of the bluetooth functionality, but was adequate to sync my T68i. However, when I upgraded my phone to T610, along with a bluetooth headset, I realized I am missing a lot of functionality with the old adapter and learned that the V1 model can't be even upgraded to Bluetooth 1.1. So, instead of throwing it away, I just thought of checking with their customer service about a possible exchange, and they were very kind to agree immediately (I should say I am impressed with the customer service). So I got a free upgrade to the version-2 of this model and I am glad I did that. So far the product has been very stable and installation and setting up was a breeze. I was able to successfully synchronize T610 (I use an old verion of PDASync for that as the built-in sync doesn't support PalmDT), copy images from and to the phone, dial-up to ISP through it, and even used it as a headset for the phone (could occassionally substitute the the missing speaker phone functionality in T610). I could also successfully use the Jabra BT200 headset with this adapter, very useful to do voice chats at home.

The range seemed good, however I couldn't verify the claimed 100m, as I need another device which gives that much range. Over all I am impressed and recommend it. However, I have no knowledge of other adapters so I am not really comparing with other adapters (except the V1 of itself). To comment about the size, I would say it is average (a little longer but slimmer than V1). The DLink adapter does seem smaller, but the highly rated Linksys adapter seemed much fattier than this one. If size is important, I recommend checking it out and compare with others in a local store.

PS: I am pretty sure that all the -ve comments about this product actually belong to the version-1 of this product. Since Amazon didn't put up any image for some time, many must have mistaken this for the version-1 and must have rated it based on that. You should really ignore all the old reviews.

I have an HP iPaq 1945 that has built-in Bluetooth. I have an HP N1000C and use the F8T001 to sync with my iPaq. Works great! I keep my notebook in my office and I can still stay syncronized with my notebook while I work in a lab next door (50+ feet away and 3 walls away).

I also loaded the software on my home system so that I can wirelessly sync my home Outlook (Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, etc.) with my office.

You can also browse with my iPaq wirelessly using the Bluetooth connection, both at work and home.

I'm running XP Pro on my work and home systems and had no, none, zip, nothing... go wrong.

For those people that have had problems I don't know what to tell you. I had none of the issues you have mentioned.

J. Russell

I haven't seen the BSOD (blue screen of death) in a while! How exciting! Never seemed to want to work with XP (even though it is supposed to be compatible)which kept telling me a local connection was unplugged. Once I tried to actually make a connection from a device, my pc would crash every few minutes. My PC experience goes back to 286's so I'm not a total doof, but, this is bad news. Maybe a newer version of the adapter will work, but only if you've got the courage to risk it.