Is there a Lightning splitter to allow for multiple accessories?

Lightning is a daisy-chain protocol, like FireWire, not a hub protocol like USB.

Every Lightning device except the really tiny ones should have two Lightning ports. Just connect them all in one long line.

Gyro, yes, the Belkin rockstar does some of what I wanted to, but what I really wanted to do is be able to hook up data devices to my iPhone. The Belkin rockstar specifically says that it does not do that. So, the Belkin rockstar is out of the picture.

Apple just relesed a new USB camera adapter. It is called the Apple lightning to USB 3 camera adapter which lets you connect a USB device and charge your iPad. It also provides power to that USB device so if that device requires to much power you don't need a powered USB hub like the old USB camera adapter.

http://www.apple.com/ca/shop/product/MK0W2AM/A/lightning-to-usb-3-camera-adapter ?fnode=59a311678d4c1feec158d8191d07144cd…

The Belkkin Rockstar is OK. Its cable is quite stiff and I've heard can lose connection but I've had it six months and use it daily without problem. Just don't bend it much.

Belkin Lightning Audio + Charge Rockstar

https://store.apple.com/xc/product/HKKP2ZM/A

Have you found a solution to this problem yet? I am in the same boat! I'd like to charge an iPad while using a keyboard that is not on batteries.

The other possibility is that you could use the lightning cable for charging the iPad and then just find a bluetooth keyboard you can plug in for a constant charge.

That looks like a good product, but it's not exactly what I was looking for. I'd like to have my iPad mounted in my car. I want it connected to a keyboard and my radio (will charge connected). I also don't know what case I'll have on it, so I don't think it will be dock friendly.

Keyboards for iPads talk to the iPad over Bluetooth. They would not use Lightning at all. A Bluetooth keyboard would have a battery in and that battery would last for many months because the keyboard would use almost no power. So you need not be concerned about powering the keyboard.

What I'm trying to accomplish is meant to be a permanent location. I'd rather not have to think about batteries in the future at all if I can help it. I would most likely forget about it. If I can find a bluetooth keyboard that allows it to be plugged into a power source, I would be happy. I don't mind using bluetooth over a wired connection. However, I'm a little concerned an iPad might not be able to handle 3 simultaneous connections. Keyboard, external GPS, bluetooth data network. I understand the iPad can do a keyboard and a JawBone speaker, but I haven't been able to test one out with the other devices I wish to use.

Okay, I understand your setup now. None of those things would use Lightning. You would want them all to use Bluetooth. Bluetooth is a very low-power system. It's designed on purpose for small devices with batteries in and a lot of its cleverness is its ability to listen for and broadcast using a tiny little chipset and very little battery power. So it's very good at transmitting a lot of very short messages like "they pressed the 't' key" or "your current GPS position is 1234,5678".

Lightning/Thunderbolt is a very high-power system. It's designed for transmitting huge amounts of data very fast. So it can do things like "Here is a frame for a 2048 x 768 display at 768 bits of colour per pixel" or "Here is the next 4 megabytes of your file". But to do this it uses some big chips on the circuit board, requires some very expensive cables, and uses power like you wouldn't believe, even for one tiny message. It would be a complete waste to have a Lightning keyboard, for example.

So don't worry about using Lightning for small devices which don't transmit much data, or that need to be light enough to clip to your ear.

Do you know how many devices an iPad can pair via bluetooth at the same time? Obviously each one is unique. I'm not trying to pair 2 different bluetooth speakers, etc. I know that won't work.

Do you have any recommendations for a bluetooth keyboard that isn't a dock? Preferably one that can be plugged in for charging the keyboard.

Look at Logitech Ultra thin keyboard cover (not folio), you can pair it to the ipad, still use bluettooth for the music as well and you can connect its micro usb power connection to a car power adapter usb. I have a double usb adapter in my car and can charge two USB items such as the ipad and iphone oer keyboard simultaneously.

This keyboard works very well, I leave mine plugged in while at my desk but can take it with me to meetings, travel etc.

A bluetooth device can have up to 8 other devices paired with it. So you could have a computer paired with lots of earpieces speakers cars GPS sensors, etc. Bluetooth devices which is meant to be peripherals (e.g. earpiece, GPS sensor) are usually programmed to accept only one pairing at a time, and when paired with something new forget previous pairings. This isn't a hardware limitation, it's done to simplify usage and decrease security problems.

In terms of things like keyboards, I recommend that instead of looking for one with a built-in charger (they're heavy and expensive because the charger components are heavy and expensive) you look for one which accepts standard batteries and use it with rechargable batteries. That way you can use the same batteries in lots of devices and just replace with a new set when the old ones wear out or before long trips.

With the Logitech being Bluetooth there is no need to place the ipad in the keyboard for use, that is simply a convenience on a desk. I often connect my pad to my large screen TV and set it on the entertainment center then use the logitech keyboard from across the room

Is there anyway to know if the iPad will drop the GPS and Bluetooth data network? It sounds like I will just have to try it.

This setup is for a mobile/car setup. The GPS version of iPad is too much for me 🙂.