There is a wide variety of hardware available for adding Bluetooth support to your computer. Devices fall into several categories: -
- USB dongle
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Plugs into the USB port. This device is the most common and economical. -
- Built-in
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Increasingly, laptops are shipping with a Bluetooth transmitter built in. Typically this device appears to the operating system as if it were a USB device. -
- PC card
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Plugs into a laptop's PCMCIA slot and provides a serial interface to the Bluetooth transmitter. -
- CF card
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Behaves in the same way as a PCMCIA card, and it is used with PDA devices. -
- Serial dongle
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A Bluetooth transmitter that plugs into the serial port. In the early days of Bluetooth deployment, it was a popular choice; today, however, it is not a recommended option. Compatibility between Linux and Bluetooth hardware is good. A comprehensive table of verified device compatibility can be found on Marcel Holtmann's web site, at http://www.holtmann.org/linux/bluetooth/devices.html. This table includes information for laptops with built-in Bluetooth, too. If you have no specific overriding criteria, it is best to choose a USB dongle. Due to the standardization of the Bluetooth USB interface, compatibility is very good. | If you dual-boot your computer between Linux and the manufacturer's operating system, such as Windows XP or Mac OS X, you may want to use the Bluetooth device your vendor recommends. Both the Apple-sold D-Link USB dongle and Microsoft-manufactured USB dongle are known to work with Linux. If in doubt, consult the Linux device compatibility list. | | When choosing a Bluetooth device, be aware of the difference between Class 1 and Class 2 Bluetooth devices. Class 1 devices have a more sensitive radio and work up to distances of 100 meters, whereas Class 2 devices work up to 10 meters and are cheaper. |