iPad remote control for Keynote?

Dave, your idea of a belkin router, while technically sound, is really not an option for the vast majority of us. If the IPAD could communicate directly with the Apple TV, without a wifi network, then perhaps we have the begining of a solution. Frankly, I am surprised at the limited options.

-Either the keyboard should be allowed to communincate with the IPAD for adancing presentations; and / or

-the IPAD itself should be able to communicate directly with the projector wirelessly with a minimum of requirements. Perhaps a small dongle.

Daver12 - Sorry I didn't respond sooner. While certainly not elegant, the wireless router solution worked perfectly for me in a couple settings, including a corporate network which is highly secure. It allowed for easy connection between the iPhone with Keynote Remote and the iPad running Keynote. It even allowed internet connectivity for both devices. Not bad for $42. Cheaper over time than activating a $20/month hotspot.

While it is not what I would expect from the design geniuses at Apple, and while I will not leave the router set up between presentations because of both security and interference issues, I will use the solution until Apple fixes it’s devices.

Thanks for the help.

I've been checking these discussions to see if Apple would come around on the need for a simple remote control that can be used with an iPad. I don't want an app running on an iPhone connected to an iPad. During a presentation, I want a simple small hand controller with nice click feedback. I don't want a touchscreen device that is twitchy to use. I've had devices like this via USB on my Mac years and years. Perhaps this should be a Kickstarter project, if Apple will allow a third party to connect to Keynote on the iPad.

The idea of using a router is interesting. I do a fair number of large trade shows. I wanted the ability to have content on an iPad transmitted to a large flat panel using AirPlay. That requires an Apple TV, and a wifi router to create a private wifi bubble to allow the airplay transmission. I talked this over with a local Apple store, and they thought it would work. But it sure would be easier without the need for the wifi bubble.

Some clarification on using a standalone WiFi router to connect iPads, iPhones, and Apple TV's together for presentations:

Using a standalone WiFi router with nothing more than its WiFi radio turned on will create a WiFi network which is all that is needed to use the above devices. This is not a theory; it's a tried and tested reality. The iPad will connect up to the Apple TV and the iPhone can control the iPad.

A standalone router will NOT give you access to the internet unless you connect one of its ports to another device or connection that supplies an internet connection. If you do this, make sure you use the routers "Wan" or "Internet" port. This will keep the routers DHCP service from interfering with an existing network.

When I say that you can just plug in the router and use its default settings, I'm trying to demonstrate how simple it is. In reality, if you use a router, you should activate its wifi security to keep others in the area from also connecting to your router. If you will be connecting the router to an existing network, you should also change the router's IP address so that it's on a different subnet than the existing network.

The Apple TV allows for a password (simple PIN). You might want to activate this if you have coworkers also using their iPads to keep them from accidentally (or intentionally) taking over the connection to the Apple TV (without a password, any iPad on the network can take over the connection).

Those of you doing presentations at trade shows might be tempted to just use the WiFi network that is usually provided at these shows. In my experience, these "public" networks are usually set to isolate the users from each other which would also stop the iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV from talking to each other.

I hope this adds some clarity to the idea of using a cheap WiFi router to create a network just for the purpose of connecting devices for a presentation.

--Dave

Some very good news: iOS 5.1 fixes the Bluetooth linking problem that first cropped up in iOS 5.0. I confirmed this with both an iPhone and iPad updated to 5.1, and Keynote updated to the latest version.

Hurrah!

Yep- that was the FIRST thing I checked once I updated my iPad and iPhone. I'm happy... I have 4.5 hours of lecture time scheduled for tomorrow, and this is going to be SO much easier on me.

Hi, that sounds great. Can I just confirm what your're saying is that with IOS 5.1 I can use third party bluetooth presenters to move slides along when using Keynote on the iPad or iPhone?

3 generations of iPad and you still can't do what Steve Jobs did in the launch - BUT you can get a display that is even better than the one they said was better than the human eye - go figure! All that time and energy on a display when a simple software tweak would satisfy a whole market of presenters, trainers, lecturers and teachers. That's what happens when you say it's not the consumer's job to know what they want. And who really wants to walk around a board room fiddling with your iPhone instead of an invisible little remote neatly tucked into the plam of your hand. I'm fed up!

"Can I just confirm what your're saying is that with IOS 5.1 I can use third party bluetooth presenters to move slides along when using Keynote on the iPad or iPhone?"

No, sorry I wasn't clear. The issue I am addressing is a problem on 5.0 with the iPhone app "Keynote Remote" not being able to connect with Keynote on the iPad over Bluetooth. The new iOS release fixes this issue. As far as I know, Keynote for iOS has never worked with third-party Bluetooth remote devices, and this update does not change that.

I'm confirming that Keynote remote works by Bluetooth connection after updating my iPad and my old iPod to iOS5.1. Don't get confused that - if you go to Settings/General/Bluetooth - the devices are not found.

The ipad camera kit has a multifunction USB port on it. Has anyone tried using that port with some of the usb presentation remotes?

I tried to connect it to a Logitech remote presenter via the USB camera adaptor but it was not recognised by the iPad.

how did you get the iPad to 'discover' the iPhone4? I've uploaded both to OS 5.1, but neither one can discover the other. What am I missing here?

Thanks.

To use the Keynote Remote on the iPhone, one doesn't pair the two devices in the standard Bluetooth preferences. Instead, as long as Bluetooth is on for both devices, one connects the remote via the remote app itself and the settings in iPad's Keynote app.

This "fix" in OS 5.1 does not open up the iPad's bluetooth functionality to broad recognition of bluetooth enabled devices.

It does reportedly fix the bug which prevented the iPhone based Keynote Remote app to communicate with the iPad based Keynote app. This connection is made through the software (both the iPhone based Keynote Remote app and the iPad based Keynote app), not through bluetooth recognition.

So, it is reported that, if you have an iPad with the Keynote app, and you have an iPhone with the Keynote Remote app, and you follow the instuctions, you can control a Keynote presentation on your iPad through the Keynote Remote app on your iPhone, wirelessly via bluetooth.

I have tried it twice in the real world, and it worked once and dropped me a couple times in the second presentation.