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Review: using Bluetooth LAN Access Point with Pocket PC

Version of this page: 1 (February 26, 2005).

Nowadays several brilliant Pocket PC phones don´t have built-in Wi-Fi (aka Wireless LAN) but just built-in Bluetooth. Example: HTC Magician - the mini Pocket PC phone known also i-mate JAM, T-Mobile MDA Compact, O2 Xda II Mini, etc... This lack of Wi-Fi constitutes for many people major psychological hurdle because they would like to get this new fancy Pocket PC phone but at the same time they would like to browse Internet at home for free - with use of their Wi-Fi access point - that nowadays almost everybody has, as everybody has fixed Internet connection at home (like DSL or cable modem). This problem usually has been solved by using SDIO Wi-Fi cards, but using such card in Pocket PC phone is not optimal in most cases because then the only SD card slot in the Pocket PC phone cannot be used for memory cards!

Instead of using Wi-Fi through add-on card, there is another solution: using Bluetooth LAN access profile known also as PAN profile (Personal Area Network). To use Internet access over PAN profile a Bluetooth LAN access point is needed - a device that on one side connects to internal home network with help of Ethernet cable (and is working there are as DHCP client that is taking IP address from DHCP server) and on the other side makes Blueooth LAN acccess available. Usually such Bluetooth LAN access point can handle up to 7 devices at the same time - PDAs and notebooks, etc - however it is recommended to connect up to 3 at the maximum to achieve optimal performance.

Coverage area of Bluetooth LAN access points is smaller than in case of Wi-Fi access points: 20 meters (in case the one that we review here) compared to about 100 meters. On the other hand however using Bluetooth for LAN access has also advantages: the power that mobile device needs to use mobile Internet with help of Bluetooth LAN access is much smaller than in case of Wi-Fi usage. On the other hand speed achievable in Bluetooth LAN access is maximally 723 Kbps compared to 11 Mbps in case of Wi-Fi. In practice however this difference is not visible and access with Bluetooth LAN access is practically equally fast as Wi-Fi. However using Bluetooth LAN access to use mobile Internet has major advantage: much higher security because: range (coverage) is much smaller, so hackers has less possbility to even reach the network (practically zero chances if you use it inside of your house), and also the transmission can be encrypted and users need to know special pass code, to access it.

Times are changing. Yet in year 2002 the price of Bluetooth LAN access points was prohibitively high - over 300 USD. Nowadays one can get Bluetooth LAN access points very cheaply, even below 50 USD! Here is an example of a cheap Bluetooth LAN access point:

Here are 2 such Bluetooth access points - one located on the other:

On the picture above you can see: antenna socket (upper left corner), LAN Ethernet socket, reset button and power supply socket.

To access network over Bluetooth you need to open Bluetooth Connection Wizard and select "Connect to network" item:

Then the Bluetooth device representig LAN access point will be found and presented:

Upon selection a secreet password (see user manual of your Bluetooth LAN access point) needs to be entered:

If password sequence is correct then the connection is being initiated :

... and green icon with arrows denotes established conneciton:

You can see properties of this Bluetooth connection:

... and last not least you can browse Internet easily - without Wi-Fi, without cellular network connection (no GPRS):

After switching the Pocket PC off and on, you must remember to click on the icon of the Bluetooth LAN access point again to activate connection! It takes however just a couple of seconds - so it´s not a problem.

Conclusion: lack of Wi-Fi shouldn´t stop you if you are interested in some Pocket PC phone, that has Bluetooth. Why? Because if you don´t have to use Wi-Fi outdoors with your Pocket PC (after all sometimes Wi-Fi access is very expensive), but just at home, then such cheap Bluetooth LAN access point in combination with Wi-Fi-less Pocket PC phone, may be the optimal (and cheap!!!) solution for you!