Bluetooth Network Help!

Meatball · 25 Feb 2006 at 19:27

Right before I start I am a n00b with regards to trying to explain things so apoligies. I have always been interested in making my house covered by a bluetooth network so that I can connect my Orange C550 (Mobile phone) to my broadband internet from all around the house. The thing about the phone is it requires a computer with and internet connection, bluetooth and Microsoft Activesync for the internet connection to be passed through (cannot connect to a bluetooth enabled router for example). Therefore I will need to use one of the Three computers (Laptop, PC One or pc two) to supply the bluetooth signal. PC One in my room will soon be connected to the internet so I think I shall use that. Is there a bluetooth dongle/equipment that will cover all of my house like the wifi router does (covers all areas of my house including at the bottom of the garden :O). I already have an MSI MS-6967 dongle but it barely covers the downstairs living room let alone upstairs. A Picture of the layout of my house is supplied below if it helps. Help would be highly appriciated and sorry again if I have not expalined things clearly.

iamgud · 25 Feb 2006 at 19:34

You would be better of getting a device that supports Wifi tbh, it is going to be hard to cover the house with Bluetooth as it only goes about 10m or so.

Meatball · 25 Feb 2006 at 19:36

iamgud said:
You would be better of getting a device that supports Wifi tbh, it is going to be hard to cover the house with Bluetooth as it only goes about 10m or so.

Getting a new phone is out of the question. The prices are ridiculous and I only upgrade my phone every 2-3 years. I would hope there is some way. I seem to remember being able to modify devices using aerials etc etc.

EDIT: Is it possible to buy bluetooth access points or bluetooth wireless relay/extension point?

EDIT2: Is it possible to connect PC One to bluetooth and then connect the laptop to that as an access point?

Meatball · 26 Feb 2006 at 11:15

I have been finding loads of websites that give instructions on making a wifi antenna (which would work with bluetooth) using tin cans and all sorts. Most of them offer a 3db or 6db gain. Is there a way I can calculate how much coverage that would add (Bluetooth dongle offering 100m)

Meatball · 26 Feb 2006 at 12:43

OK, I think I have come up with a cost-effective and simple solution but I need peoples help with setting it up. I done two experiments. I placed the laptop in the middle of my living room at the front of the house and placed my phone in various places in the house to see if I could find it. Here are the results:

This covered all of downstairs fine (I do not know about the speed or the garden).
My second experiment was placing the laptop in my room and checking the coverage. Here are the results: (Again I do not no the speed)

There I have come up with a simple solution. I shall create a cantenna using these instructions. I shall create one for covering upstairs and place that one in my room (since it covered everything upstairs). Luckily, there is a small hole in my floor going down to the hallway where a phone cable used to go. I shall reuse that hole and place an cantenna (disguising it of course) from the ceiling to cover the downstairs. The only help I need is regards to connecting them with the bluetooth dongle. Is it possible to use a splitter cable from the bluetooth dongle (soldered to the antenna port in dongle) so I connect both of the cantennas?

UKDTweak · 26 Feb 2006 at 12:48

Can you not simply setup bluetooth connection on one machine and then bridge the connection with your wi-fi ?

Meatball · 5 Mar 2006 at 15:20

UKDTweak said:
Can you not simply setup bluetooth connection on one machine and then bridge the connection with your wi-fi ?

I dont think that is possible? I have decided to simply buy a 5dbi Wifi antenna (which works with bluetooth) and attach it to my MSI MS-6967 bluetooth dongle. There was a tutorial on how to do this but I cant find it anywhere :confused: