Customer Reviews

Canon BU-20 Bluetooth Adapter

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

This adapter is very expensive for a device that gives you blind print dump features only. This adapter does not support scanning, faxing, or even the most basic features such as printing/er status and ink levels. Documents printed with this will print but printer/ink status and every other function will yield an error. After speaking with canon tech support about the bluetooth "Hardcopy Cable Replacement" which states it will support all of the same features as if it were connected via a cable they confirmed that none of that is true and the ONLY function this adapter will support is direct to port printing.

I have noticed a lot of confusion online and no clear explanation of this simple question: Will ANY bluetooth dongle work in place of the Canon BU-20 Bluetooth Adapter in a Canon printer? The answer is YES. The cost of the BU-20 is rather exorbitant and a simple $8.99 Class 1 Bluetooth Adapter will work perfectly fine. The only issue you may run in to is fitting the adapter in the usb slot. On my PiXMA MP470 the front usb port is recessed and the adapter I purchased did not fit on its own. However the adapter I purchased came with a small usb extension cable which easily solved the problem. So, unless you're willing to shell out for the aesthetics of the BU-20, I recommend any bluetooth adapter in its place.

The adapter works for printing only on a canon MP950, but not for scanning. The canon printer documentation does not make this lack explicit. It simply talks only of printing.

Maybe Canon could have spent an extra penny to make it clearer that you can only print on your $450 printer after spending an additional $80 for the adapter.

At least, you know now.

Any Class I bluetooth adapter would work in its place! The only thing to keep in mind is that the adapter that you should get one that has a USB extension cord in order to let it fit into the small port on the printer. Please dont buy this and waste money. I have a $8.00 bluetooth adapter that works great! Enjoy your printer :)

PS. I am using it with MP460 and my comp is running Vista Ultimate. I have installed the vista compatible drivers for MP460 that I got from the canon's website (European).

I purchased the BU-20 last week and am using it in my home network with a Mac G4 Laptop running OS 10.4.11. I also connect with my desktop G5 running OS 10.4.11.

I plugged into my Canon Pixma 610 printer and within 2-3 minutes was up and running. No software needed. Just plug it in and go. You do not need to be a computer guru to use this device. Just make sure your computer is bluetooth compatible and your printer has a USB port to insert it in. On a Mac you just go to the Bluetooth Icon on top of the screen and scroll down to "Set Up A Bluetooth Device" and with just a few keystrokes you are in sync and start printing from most anywhere in your home. I do not know the max distance but I am printing in from about 30 feet through walls on the same floor. I have not measured the speed difference between hard wired and Blue Tooth but in my case it is very close. I also can print photos from my Motorola RAZR 2 cell phone wirelessly. I am very pleased as it does all I want it to and it is very very small. The newer Canon Printers like the 610 are equipped to handle the Blue Tooth device. Older models are not. Five stars from me.

Easy to set up and use, but VERY slow printing. Don't plan to use this for graphics, but for occasional printing of text files it works fine. I had hoped it would allow me to avoid using my desktop Mac as a print server (via wireless network connection) when printing from my laptop. Alas, when I need to print large files (eg, photos, or 17 pages of TurboTax output) I take my laptop to the printer and plug-in USB direct.

I suppose I could start print jobs just before going to bed....

This product works fine for what is intended, that is, printing wirelessly.The range is somewhat limited because it is bluetooth, not wifi, and you cannot scan to your computer, but neither can you do so with many wireless print servers. What canon doesn't tell you, of course, is that this adapter doesn't offer any additional functionality over any bluetooth dongle off-the-shelf. At least that's the case for my mp610 AIO. I use an aluratek abd2020, and everything works fine right out of the package. Just follow canon's instructions for bluetooth in the onscreen manual and GO! Save your money and try any usb bluetooth adapter for $10-$20 or so (might want to see that it has an extension cradle in case you want to move it around to improve range).

I don't own this so I can't comment on it's functionality but you do not need this. As someone else mentioned already, Canon says the Pixma MP470 does not support other adapters (I even contacted their support department) but it is not true. After reading the aforementioned review, I tried my own Bluetooth adapter (paid $8.99) and it worked fine--although, depending on your adapter, you may need a USB extender like I did.

This product works fine, however it's very expensive and I discovered other USB bluetooth adapters work fine also, though some others don't work (Kensington did work with my Pixma mp610 printer). So you can save some dough.

I have a Mac with Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and it's been pretty much plug-and-play.