IOGEAR GBU211 Bluetooth To USB Adapter

by Iogear

Product Details

• Item Weight: 4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0006FS2E0
• Item model number: GBU211
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 7, 2004

Product Description

IOGEAR's Bluetooth to USB Adapter allows any computer with USB connections to become a Bluetooth-enabled computer, and communicate with other Bluetooth-enabled computers and devices without cable connections. It complies with Bluetooth 1.2 and USB 1.1 specifications, and provides users with a 723 Kbps data rate at ranges up to 66 feet. It also enables wireless Personal Area Network (PAN) connectivity to Bluetooth enabled devices such as PDAs, printers, cellular phones, computers, etc. This Bluetooth Class 2 adapter is compatible with both Mac and PC computers. It is easy to install and use, and very portable. It's great for both home and mobile networking needs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Works With XP SP2 Laptop!!!, October 25, 2005

By 

Philip R. Heath "Gadgets, Music, & Books" (DFW) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: IOGEAR GBU211 Bluetooth To USB Adapter (Personal Computers)

Here's the secret to getting this to work on an XP SP2:

1. With a clean system, i.e. don't load the CDROM, simply plug in the adaptor to a USB port.

2. Load the software from the CDROM.

3. Go to Control Panel -> System -> Hardware -> Device Manager.

4. Select the adaptor under bluetooth devices.

5. Go to properties, update drivers. Don't let it connect to the internet, and tell it that you will specify the driver. From here you can specify the IOGear driver over the Windows driver.

That's it!

I have been able to pair my laptop with my Treo 650, Mobile Crossing BT GPS, and my PC. I have transferred files between the the two computers, and I've had my GPS up with Microsoft Streets and Trips.

For reference, I connected it to a Gateway CX2610. Good luck!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not 2.0 compliant., December 30, 2005

By 

R. Enstrom (Santa Fe, NM) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: IOGEAR GBU211 Bluetooth To USB Adapter (Personal Computers)

I use the IOgear GBU211 for a modem connection with my Motorola E815 bluetooth capable phone. It paired to my laptop without any difficulties. The phone itself has a 66' bluetooth radius so I only needed the same from the bluetooth adapter; if you want to use bluetooth headphones definitely go with something that has a stronger signal.

I remember hearing about bluetooth technology about 4 years ago and it has taken its time in finding its niches in the market. I'm seeing it everywhere now, and although I initially got this just for use with my phone-modem, I can see myself using this adapter for wireless headphones or a wireless mouse (though I hear the mice suffer from lag, so I'm holding out on that).

A big con on this product is that it's bluetooth 1.2, which has a 723kbps (or 90kBps) limit. It works fine for a modem connection but not for file-transfers; it takes 11 seconds to transfer 1 megabyte at that rate. The bluetooth 2.0 standard is three times faster and is backward compatible. Higher throughput will also have less bottlenecking if you're using multiple bluetooth items (say simultaneously using a BT mouse, BT headphones, BT modem & BT networking/internet sharing). There will be more & more bluetooth gadgets coming along and a computer can have only one adapter installed at a time. Although this product works as advertised I recommend getting one that's 2.0 compliant.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Easy-to-use Dongle, March 18, 2006

By 

a4naught (Santa Ana, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: IOGEAR GBU211 Bluetooth To USB Adapter (Personal Computers)

The Iogear adapter worked great with my iBook and Motorola PEBL phone. Pretty self-explanatory (of you are at all familiar with your system) and worked great without having to use the included software with OSX (10.4.3, Tiger). Really handy to have if one is not ready or able to get an internal bluetooth card for a one's machine. This is a great piece of gear and at about $20, definitely worth the throw.