Bluetooth dongle not recognized

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Bluetooth dongle not recognized

Hello everybody.

I am doing research that involves programming robots over a Bluetooth connection. As it turns out this programming does not work with the bluetooth that comes built-in with my MacBook Pro 15'' (brandnew version with Lion 10.7.4), so I decided to buy a USB bluetooth dongle (Belkin F8T016ng). I tested the bluetooth dongle with a Windows PC and it worked fine and I was able to program the robot.

Unfortunately, my macbook does not seem to recognize the dongle at all:

- I checked in USB Prober and nothing changes when I plug the dongle in

- In system report there is no mention of the dongle

- I am pretty certain there was a blue LED shining inside the dongle when I connected it to the PC, this doesn't happen with the Mac

Naturally the connection problems with the robot haven't changed, as the dongle doesn't seem to be active. Can anybody help me with how to activate the dongle and in case of conflicts even how to deactivate the internal USB whilst using the dongle?

Your help is very much appreciated,

Best,

Ben

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.4)

Posted on Jul 17, 2012 10:19 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 17, 2012 10:25 AM in response to GeorgeBusch

Well it appears that that device only works with Windows operating systems. See the specs http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=454501 for the Belkin F8T016ng which state:

Package Includes

Mini Bluetooth Adapter (Class 2)
Installation CD-ROM

System Requirements

Windows XP or Windows Vista
Available USB Port

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Answer 2

GeorgeBusch Author

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Jul 17, 2012 10:38 AM in response to BobTheFisherman

Thanks for your quick reply.

This page does indeed not make mention at all of working with Mac OS. On the packaging, however, it clearly states: For Mac Users: Mac OS X v10.2 or higher. And it says similar things here (though I agree not explicitly for the ng): http://en-us-support.belkin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2160/session/L2F2LzEvdGl tZS8xMzQyNTQ2NDk0L3NpZC92Vnpnem4xbA%3D%3D

I will try with a different mac later and if it doesn't work there either, I will have to bring it back to the shop and hope they will accept it back.

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Answer 3

GeorgeBusch Author

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Jul 17, 2012 11:26 AM in response to GeorgeBusch

Okay, this has just gotten a bit stranger. I tried the same Bluetooth dongle on my private computer (MacBook Air 11'' July 2011) which has the exact same operating system (Lion 10.7.4) and it works straight away, which is clearly indicated by the shining blue LED on the dongle. How is that possible?

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Answer 4

Jul 17, 2012 11:33 AM in response to GeorgeBusch

Maybe bad usb port on the other computer. Does it have more than 1 usb port so you can try a different port?

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Answer 5

GeorgeBusch Author

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Jul 17, 2012 11:35 AM in response to BobTheFisherman

It has two USB ports and I tried them both with the same result. I have also been succesfully using both USB ports for external hard drives and a mouse, so there doesn't seem to be a problem with the ports. As I said, the computer is brand new, it came last week, so I really don't understand this...

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