| D-Link DBT-120 Wireless Bluetooth 2.0 USB Adapter |
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Model: DBT-120
Brand: D-Link
Manufacturer: D-Link
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 254
Operating system: Apple MacOS X 10.1.4 or later
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Bluetooth
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| Features: |
Sync Data between Your Bluetooth PDA, Mobile Phone, and PC
Secure Encyption for Enhanced Network Protection
Experience The Convenience of Bluetooth Headphones, Cameras, Mice, and Keyboards
Works with PC & Mac
Plug and play |
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| Description: |
| D-Link DBT-120 PersonalAir Wireless USB Bluetooth Adapter - Finally, thanks to Bluetooth technology, we can kiss those annoying wires goodbye! Using this Bluetooth adapter on your PC or Macintosh computer, you can wirelessly access any Bluetooth-enabled device. Devices such as printers, cellular phones, PDAs, & more. This adapter supports up to 7 such Bluetooth devices and has a range of 33 feet. Extremely portable, this adapter can be taken with you anywhere. Use it on your notebook or desktop! |
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| User Reviews (254 total): |
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Wow! Installation sucks.... but the product is pretty good, February 14, 2006
By user (Pleasanton, CA United States)
I had a heck of a time getting the drivers for this thing to install. I used the supplied CD ROM, but it just junked up my system. I checked the website and it tells you to manually uninstall all traces of Bluetooth and then you have to download a special driver and then reinstall everything again. THEN my Nokia PC Suite software didn't work!!! So I uninstalled both of the programs and reinstalled everything again from scratch. This pretty much wasted my entire evening.... But now everything is finally working and performance seems very decent. Hopefully I don't forget how to do this if I ever need to reinstall on another system....
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Mac Wireless Keyboard interface to Bluetooth., January 31, 2006
By user
I am using this Bluetooth USB Adapter with a new Mac Wireless keyboard. The installation and operation of this device is excellent.
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works great on PC's, and even better on Mac's, January 30, 2006
By user (No. St. Paul, MN)
I have a PC and this uetoth adapter works great, its easy and quick to transfer files to and from my computer. My brother, who has a Mac, has this same adapter, but the software for macs alows him to browse his phone from his computer, and has alot more options for how to transfer files. I would recomend this for anyone, its pretty simple to use andhas worked perfectly for me.
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No complaints, January 29, 2006
By user (Seattle, WA USA)
I got this piece of hardware to interface my Razr V3 with my computer. For that purpose it works flawlessly. Once I got the Razr and my computer talking I decided to see if my iPaq would interface with my computer. Setting up activesync was a snap. This piece of hardware is small enough to fit into any of the USB ports I have even with other peripherals plugged in. I would highly recommend this product.
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They need to pull it from the market, January 18, 2006
By user (Durango, CO USA)
No one with average or moderate computer skills will be able to implement their updated drivers. I noted each step I took and thought "what would Mom and Pop do here?". After going into DOS prompt (you're done, Mom) I updated the new drivers (they're zipped, Mom)and found that setup.exe would not initiate. Stop. This is where you realize the manufacturer is bogus and order Linksys or somebody dependable. Don't buy it or just take the loss and move on.
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Does not work with Windows XP SP2, January 12, 2006
By user
Spent over 4 hours attempting to get this thing to work, Downloaded the latest drivers, installed them according to directions, it didn't work. Found a not in their support saying that if SP1 is installed you must do something different, did it, then got a "invalid registration key" message, but had never been prompted for a registration key. found a message online support for this problem spent over 1 hour completely eradicating the drivers from my machine (per d-links' instructions) including several things from the command line, and setting new environment variables, and using a Windows tool that I'd never seen before. and installed the "latest" drivers per instructions, but the same thing happened. Took it back and got the Linksys USBBT adapter (it actually works).
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After a few updates, works perfectly, January 4, 2006
By user (Rexburg, ID USA)
I had to go to the D-link website and download the new drivers because they have had problems with WinXP trying to use it's own drivers and there is a problem with the MAC address certification. so that would explain why a lot of people have been having problems getting this to work.
But after I installed the new D-link drivers I have had perfect preformance ever since. it communicates with my Motorola RAZR V3 perfectly, I can transfer pics, audio, video, and internet connection with no problems. the range is also impressive. and the interface is pretty easy to use. I have always been a fan of D-link. their Tech-support has a lot to be desired, but when you get the product to work I have never had problems afterwards.
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What you need to know about any Bluetooth USB Adaptor, January 3, 2006
By user (overthemoonreview@hotmail.com)
Hunting down a Bluetooth USB can seem like a complicated task but is in fact a lot easier than you would expect if you learn two basic things - range and speed. All Bluetooth USB connections do the same thing. They are small dongles that slot into a USB connection. A Bluetooth USB is also sometimes called a Bluetooth Dongle. They will work with USB 1.1 and above. Bluetooth USB connections have a range of 10 meters to 100 meters depending on which brand you choose. 1 meter = 3.2 feet, so we are looking at Bluetooth USB products ranging from 30 feet to 300 feet. You can probably find Bluetooth USB Adaptors that have a longer range than 100 meters but all of this is about reading the product descriptions to find the kind of range you want. 10 meters is a big distance and so is 100 meters. It means you can have a wireless connection with your PC and Bluetooth device all the way down the road depending on the range you want. So after you have worked out the range you want you need to examine the speed. This is where Bluetooth USB adaptors vary considerably between 723Kbps and 3Mbps. The 723Kbps version is known as Bluetooth V1.2 and the 3Mbps is known as Bluetooth V2.0. V1.2 runs just better than half the speed of a standard USB cable connection. V2 is almost instantaneous, however the difference in terms of sending a big email from your PC to your phone is a matter of seconds, so both V1.2 and V2.0 are considered fast wireless Bluetooth connections. If you can get V2.0 you will have a faster Bluetooth connection. No harm owning a V1.2, you will still be using your Bluetooth device with speed. Some Bluetooth USB adaptors offer encryption but some do not work encrypted. They all use security passwords. If you want encryption you need to check that your Bluetooth USB adaptor has it. All Bluetooth USB adaptors simply slot into your USB connection. I do not know about Apple or Linux but with Windows XP SP2 you will have automatic detection; however it will take a few seconds to setup every time you use it unless you have a CD. In most cases the manual asks that you install the software from the CD before you plug-in the Bluetooth USB adaptor but XP may reject it in which case you need the adaptor in the slot before you install from the CD. CD installation will guarantee a onetime setup only and you don't have to install it again. Most Bluetooth USB adaptors will light up blue. The Bluetooth icon looks like a big letter B. It will appear in your notification area of Windows XP. Installation will create a new place in the `Other' section called My Bluetooth Places. Here devices can be detected and displayed as icons. This will usually give you the following abilities Serial Porting, Dial Up Networking, Fax, Headset, PIM Item Transfer, PIM Synchronization, File Transfer, Network Access, Audio Gateway and HID. It can also access more than one device at a time. Mobile phone users can enjoy wireless access to their phones and access their phone with whatever software they have been provided with. I personally own an MSI Star Key Bluetooth USB. The biggest problem is not with the Bluetooth USB adaptor setup or even with starting up Bluetooth on various devices but with setting up software to use your Bluetooth connection. That will only be as good as the software is. And to that I recommend Bluetooth especially for mobile phone users who have that function. You can work your phone from your desktop without wires.
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Works great with my Powerbook G4, December 30, 2005
By user
I purchased this item since it was the one recommended by Apple. Even after reading some reviews that panned the device, I still got it. For me it worked just great. Plugged it in and right away it was talking to my new bluetooth modem. Since working great since August 2005.
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Horrible product. Terrible customer service. Bad all around experience., December 27, 2005
By user (New York, NY)
I bought this dongle on a recommendation and it has been nothing but trouble. Because this is the only Bluetooth dongle that Apple recommends, I purchased it so that I could use it on both my Windows and Mac machines. I had emailed D-Link beforehand to make sure that it would be compatible with my devices, and their response was that the dongle was compatible with all compliant Bluetooth devices. So, I took that as a "yes" and bought the device. After installing the drivers on my Windows machine, it was revealed that it was in fact NOT compatible with my headset. The customer support web site instructed me to update the drivers, which I proceeded to do. The procedures to "correctly" install the drivers was completely strange and irregular and extrememly time consuming, and involved removing devices from the system hardware profile, among other irregular procedures. After about 2 hours of following directions and re-boots, it finally worked. Sort of. The dongle will sporadically not recognize devices. No errors, no explanations. They simply don't appear on the list of devices. About half the time when I use a headset, the other end only hears very loud white noise (and I mean VERY loud). This happens sporadically and unpredictably. This is completely unusable as it is.
Now, on the Mac, I figured that installation would be much easier since the drivers are built in to OS X. That indeed was the case, except that the dongle does NOT work with headsets. In order to have interoperability with Bluetooth headsets, they recommend a firmware upgrade to the dongle, which PERMANENTLY alters the dongle so that it no longer works with a Windows machine. This, unfortunately, is not stated in the upgrade.
This has been a TERRIBLE experience with a device that costs more than other comparable devices. I have the B4 version, even, which is supposed to be their newest best version of the product.
Shame on everyone involved with making this device.
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more fun than the barrel of monkeys who wrote the software., December 24, 2005
By user
This product is truly wonderful, if you wish to gain a deeper understanding of how your computer works and if you don't really value your own time.
D-Link has gone out of their way to keep you from using their product outside of your license, whatever that means. This is done by requiring the software to read from a "license file" before working properly. This system is made foolproof by not including this file.
Once you realize this and try to get the updated version on the D-Link website, be careful, there are several versions based on numbers on the back of the unit itself. At this point, their tech service website has detailed instructions on how to remove the old software and devices and install the new. This is quite a bit of fun. Removing the old software is easy, and then you get to use DOS! I can't remember the last time I had to enter information in a command line, but thanks to D-Link for helping me to reconnect.
Then you get to remove dozens (I had around 50) of devices this contraption has randomly created for you in the device manager, which must be removed individually and there is a pause after each one. Great for those uneventful parts of the middle of the day when you have nothing better to be doing.
After all of this (I have, if you can believe it, ommitted some steps), installing the new software gives the same problem. Not exactly the same, however, the new version now pops up 4 annoying little windows every few minutes before popping up the original 'no license file' window. This apparently is progress.
Good work by D-Link tech support noticing that a problem existed with the original software, but instead of fixing this problem in the newer version it is simply made more irritating.
In summary, I can't really review the device itself, which is nice looking and very small and the little lights indicate it is trying to work, because the software is so terrible it is simply beyond belief.
I almost recommend this product so you can see this mess for yourself. I imagine more than a few of these poor devices have been flung across rooms or out windows. If you buy this thing, I sincerely wish you good luck.
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Security Key issue, December 7, 2005
By user (Dallas, Tx., USA)
I tried to upgrade to the latest drivers and now the DBT-120 is not operational. The drivers for the DBT-120 (revision B3) require a security key that is not provided. I contacted Dlink and they say they cannot give me a security key. Instead they suggest I go to a website and enter my information and the DB (MAC address) of the device. Unfortunately, the website says that my DB # is incorrect (it is not) and returns an error. Dlink will replace the DBT-120 as long as I pay for shipping. That's nuts. Their software broke their device and they want me to pay for shipping to replace their product. After hours on waiting on hold and talking to tech support level 1, 2 and 3, I refuse to purchase another Dlink product ever again.
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Terrible Cust Service & Unusable Product, October 28, 2005
By user
D-Link's customer service is the worst I've ever encountered. I got the DBT-120 to use with my Nokia 6230 and my Windows XP computer, went to D-Link's site to download the newest driver and thought I'd be up and running in about 10 minutes. The software requires a 32 character security code which I couldn't find, so after some initial looking around online, called tech support. Bottom line, I wasted several hours trying to get a code so I could finish the software installation. No one at D-Link was able to look up or create this code for me.
Save yourself some time and frustration and look elsewhere.
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works great linux, October 28, 2005
By user (Boston, MA USA)
Worked off the bat in linux. Haven't tried on my mac yet.
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D-Link DBT-120 Bluetooth USB Adapter works fine with MacOS X, October 25, 2005
By user (Mexico)
I sync my address book and calendar in Panther (MacOS X) to my mobile phone (motorola V555) and two Palms (m505* and Zire72)
*Palm m505 has bluetooth adapter.
I sync my images with my mobil phone too.
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Way too difficult to install, October 24, 2005
By user (Highlands Ranch, CO USA)
I bought the D-Link DBT-120 with a Motorola HS820 Headset to use with Skype. The combination works well - but only after many hours struggling with the D-Link software installation. Eventually discovered that the software in the box doesn't come close to working and must be replaced by a new version available online. D-link customer support was a complete waste of time requiring negitiation of a tedious voice response system, a discussion with an individual who collects more information about the caller than the problem followed by a seemingly infinite wait for an product specialist.
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NOT for WinXP SP2, October 20, 2005
By user (Boston, MA USA)
Useless, completely, I've been in IT for 6 years and after 8 hours of trying , 3 calls to tech support, and reading through every newsgroup I could google....Nothing. Even after the convoluted installation process, it still never works. Hopefully the more recent revisions are better but I'd stay safe and buy from a different company.
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Bad Times, October 14, 2005
By user (LA, CA)
Installed everything including driver from D-link website and didn't work. I don't think it works well with XP. Computer didn't recognize it. Called tech support (and you know how long that takes)and eventually they told me to just return it. I have to give it a 1 because it didn't even work. Tried on 2 different computers. Now I'm scared to buy any Bluetooth USB adapters thats are cheap but I don't want to pay a lot.
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Worked perfectly right out of the box, October 13, 2005
By user
Worked perfectly with an iMac G4 right out of the box.
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Works Great In My Computer, October 7, 2005
By user (Dominican Republic)
i have these D-Link DBT120-T for several months now and it works great. I never had problems installing the bluetooth adapter. Its a great device for a fair price. I used this adapter to communicate with my Sony Ericsson z800i. It is a GREAT device.
I highly recommend this.
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