TRENDnet Compact Bluetooth USB Adapter
The USB 2.0 Bluetooth Adapter allows you to make short-range wireless connections between your computer and Bluetooth-enabled devices. This Bluetooth v2.0 utilizes Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) to allow for data rates up to 3Mbps. The Bluetooth adapter can easily connect to your Bluetooth-enabled devices from up to 10 meters away.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Good, easy and difficult
I looked at several, read the reviews and decided on this one for the price. I agree that a cover for the connector woud be a good thing, but you get what you pay for, neh? It’s intended use is dictating with Dragon Naturally Speaking. I dictate both in my office on a Dell Inspiron Laptop and at home on a Dell XPS PC both running XP Pro. Installation on the laptop was a horror. It would freeze in the middle. I had to uninstall the software and reboot the computer. The problem was that Wincomm would not recognize that a Bluetooth device was connected to the computer. After the reboot, I would edit the registry and delete the references to WINCOMM and reboot, then try the installation again. I think I did this six times before I tried shutting down the wireless and Norton 360. Nesxt install seemed to go better, but still couldn’t get it to recognize the BT device. Nesxt try was successful and the wizard set up and paired with the headset. I had installed Dragon 10 (was using Dragon 9) and was dismayed to find the mic wouldn’t work. Sent an email to tech support and got a reply the next day. The tech had reviewed Dragon online and said that I needed to use software that would go thru the sound card. I said that I thought if the sound got the the apeakers, then it was going through the sound card. Reply to that was that Dragon must not support mic and I should get headset, BT adapter and voice recognition that all supported each other. Hmmmm. Then I tried to install it on the PC and was surprised that it went without a hitch, ran the wizard, paired with the headset and listened to music. Then I installed Dragon 10 (update from 9) and during the setup wizard of Dragon got to the step in the wizard where you pick the source of sound. Lo and behold a Bluetooth unit was one of the choices and I COULD dictate with the mic. Ran the wizard on the laptop again and now it’s all running like a champ. The quality of the sound is good, but I guess that has as much to do with the headset as the dongle. Range was good in the home, could walk downstairs and still listen to the music. If I weren’t a bit of a geek and persistent, I would have given up on the laptop. Tech support was responsive, but I can’t blame him for not not knowing the ins and outs of a program he isn’t familiar with. His advice was sound about compatible components, just missed that Dragon does give you a choice. I would recommemd this unit to a friend and hope the install went like the easy one. I haven’t tried using it with either my LG enV2 or Moto Q9c, but I’m happy to lose the wires to dictate notes with Dragon.
4 Stars Works well, software is a bit annoying
I installed this on my Dell laptop, which is running XP SP3. The installation process worked fine, and I was able to transfer files to a cell phone with no problems. Everything else about the device itself seems to be just fine.
The issue I have is with the WIDCOMM software that comes with it. There’s an annoying desktop icon which can’t be easily removed and a service that starts automatically upon startup that is also not easy to disable. I realize that a lot of people just want something like this to work and be immediately accessible all the time, but others of us would like to use it on-demand and not have extra icons and crap running on our computers constantly.
If anyone’s interested, the desktop icon can be removed by deleting the following registry key:
HKLM\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\explorer\desktop\namespace\6af09… (delete the item that starts with 6af09…). Others have reported success using Windows desktop cleanup wizard, but this didn’t work for me. The service can be disabled by through msconfig. That’s what I did, and now I just run the BTTray.exe file in C:\Program Files\WIDCOMM\Bluetooth Software whenever I want to use it.
5 Stars Can’t beat it for the price
I bought this to replace one of my older adapters. The one this replaced was about 4 years old and I had lost the drivers for it, but was still able to use it with the M$ BT stack. This one beats it in every way other than it’s class 2 vs class 1. This was no big deal for me since my priority was throughput over range. I mainly use it to tether my phone to my laptop for EVDO service. My old adapter would only connect at 1.0 Mbps. Not bad, but it was bottlenecking my speed. This adapter connects at 2.1 Mbps, so the actual connection is faster and I’m sure the EDR helps with the throughput. The adapter says it will connect up 3.0 Mbps, so I guess my phone tops out at 2.1. It says it also supports Sactternet and connections with up to 7 other active slave devices. I haven’t had a chance to test this feature yet, but would come in handy if I were to also use a headset, A2DP, mouse, and keyboard at the same time.
Range seems about right. I got about 30ft (and that’s with 2 walls and a washer/dryer in between) before the connection became intermittent. For those wondering why this is not a class 1 it’s probably because there is trade-off when it comes to range. You can ether have more range or more throughput at the expense of the other. I don’t think there are any class 1 adapters that are also v2 + EDR.
I noticed someone else say that it did not just work out of the box. For it to just work, it would have to be compatible with M$’s BT stack (I don’t know if this one is, I didn’t even try it). Even if it worked, I’ve always found M$’s BT stack to be a little lacking in features and settings. If you get this, do yourself a favor and use it with the included drivers (which are Widcomm 5.1, btw). Important thing with BT drivers is to run the install shell before connecting the adapter. Just follow the instructions, they are refreshingly very clear.
Supported Profiles:
DUN, FAX, BPP, LAP, SPP, GAP, HID, HCRP, FTP, OPP, A2DP, GAVDP, HSP, PAN, BIP, SYNC, AV, GOEP
Pros:
- Price
- BT v2.0 + EDR
- Supports Scatternet and up to 7 ACTIVE slave devices
- Uses Widcomm 5.1 drivers (versus Blue Sol that usually comes with cheaper adapters)
Cons:
- Class 2
- Does not come with a cap (IMO, just another thing to lose, and mine stays plugged in anyway)
I’m ordering 2 more to replace my other adapters 
1 Star Not ready for plug and play
A real struggle to get operative. An email to the technical support went unanswered. Steer clear of this one if you don’t enjoy technical hassles.
5 Stars Works perfectly
Plugged it into my Linux machine. Absolutely no problems; drivers worked the first time. I was able to transfer contacts and pictures to my cell phone and my wife’s cell phone.
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