Is there a Lightning splitter to allow for multiple accessories?

Marker227 wrote:

I like the design, but it's meant for docking the iPad. I won't be able to dock the iPad with the way I'm mounting it.

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 Cheers, Tom 😉

Not sure what you mean by 'drop'. A Bluetooth network will collapse if there is a lot of radio interference where you are. I've heard reports of them collapsing at the ends of the Channel Tunnel because the security systems in use there flood the Bluetooth frequency with noise. Two minutes after you leave the area everything starts working again without you having to reset your devices yourself.

If you mean "is there any way to know if Apple will stop supporting Bluetooth" then I find it unlikely. Apple's equipment uses Bluetooth for many things including some new facilities in OS X 10.10 and iOS 8. The new version of the Bluetooth standard 4.0 supports an even lower-power mode suitable for continuous-operation health-devices like the heart-rate monitors joggers use. Apple is already taking advantage of this in its new iOS 8 health application. Everyone seems to love Bluetooth and I see no signs of anyone looking for an alternative.

Of course, only a fool would try to predict exactly what's going to happen in the technology market.

What I meant by "drop" was - Can an iPad handle an external bluetooth GPS receiver, a bluetooth cell data network, and an external bluetooth keyboard all at the same time?

I already know IOS devices can stream data via bluetooth. I've been doing it to my iPod touch. My goal here is to basically turn the iPad into a GPS with data in order to use apps such as Waze etc. when on the road. Of course the easier way to do this would be to buy the cellular version of the iPad, but I don't want or need the cellular data when I can just tether via bluetooth to my non-smart phone.

Your GPS receiver and keyboard are all on the same network as any data. It's all just one bluetooth network. They all talk and listen at the same time.

Before investing money in the kind of setup you describe I would check with the publishers of whatever software you want to use that it can deal with GPS data sourced from a mobile phone. Most phones will only use that data internally, they won't supply it to another device. The usual way to do this what you describe is to use an external GPS detector such as these

http://bad-elf.com/products/be-gps-1000

http://bad-elf.com/products/be-gps-1008

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/oem/sensors-and-boards/glo-/prod109827.html

which as you can see costs at least US$100 and is yet another device which needs recharging. I hope you now understand why GPS abilities built into iPads increases the price so much.

I might of misunderstood your post, but I'm not trying to get GPS from a mobile phone. I'm aware I have to purchase a $100 dollar external add-on. I'm using my phone to give the iPad a data network, so I can use the internet, etc. I've done this successfully, so I'm not worried about it not working.

I wasn't 100% sure if I tethered an iPad with my phone, it would disconnect the keyboard, or external GPS. That's the question I was originally asking.

I sympathize with you, jawsnap. You made a perfectly reasonable request for a Lightning bridge that would plug in to the port of an iPad and have a secondary Ligtning data port to connect a keyboard. Instead, everyone is trying to get you to go with Bluetooth, with all of the complications it would have.

I have a similar problem, with a growing number of Lightning-connected accessories that are wonderful to use, but prevent me from charging or powering my iPad while they are plugged into it. I have an iRig Keyboard and an iCirround memory stick for starters. Even if I could connect them with Bluetooth, I wouldn't. Wireless connections are never as reliable. I have a wireless Bluetooth speaker that I only use with a direct audio cable connection because of the streaming lag. When I try to play along with a MIDI track, the latency makes the system unusable.

Last night, I bought a PowerBridge from IK Multimedia that seemed to be what you and I are asking for. It was called the Lightning version, and would plug into my iPad with a side port connector for data. Unfortunately when I read further and looked more closely at the photos, it didn't have a Lightning port, but some kind of non-standard DIN connector. They were kind enough to refund my money this am, but now I am still looking!

Your issues of latency during co-use for simultaneous MIDI + music broadcast and your need for bandwidth to access a memory stick efficiently are your special cases. These will be minimal if not non-existent complications for the OP.

To borrow an analogy, using a lightning connector for an external keyboard on an iPad is comparable to watering a patch of flowers with a firehose. Also, when comparing lightning to BT, you are paying for a high performance BMW that drains power rapidly from your system versus paying for a Toyota Prius that registers far less on your battery drain.

I agree with some of your points, but still maintain that a direct connection is preferable to wireless when reliability is paramount. IK Multimedia obviously agreed, since they do make a power bridge that does almost exactly what I want, but unfortunately only works with their products. The only drawback is their choice of a mini DIN jack rather than a Lightning jack for the accessory connection.

Many thousands of Lightning memory sticks have already been sold, and I expect the numbers to escalate since it is a much cheaper way to expand iOS memory that to purchase more memory built in. So my "special case" is soon to become a mainstream case and someone will have to fill the need.

Thanks for this information. I have ordered one.

I also contacted a few companies that make adaptors and cables for Apple devices, and suggested they make such an adaptor. The ideal for me would be one that has one Lightning plug and two Lightning jacks, since it could be made super-compact.

The Logitech wired keyboard mentioned in the original post is designed specifically for Apple products and comes with a lightning cable and not a standard USB cable. So, as of right now there is no product (splitter) that can solve the problem. I'm guessing Logitech is already aware of this issue. It's not too much of a power hog.

With the iPhone 7 this question has a twist: I need a way to use the wired headphones and charge the device at the same time. My car doesn't have BT and I need a way to listen to my tunes on long and all-day drives. The Jumbl Bluetooth bridge won't maintain a connection, so I don't trust any BT bridges now. I'd rather have a Lightning cable that allowed me to charge my phone while listening to wired audio.

It is now 31/2 years since this thread began, and I still don't see a lightning power/sync splitter adapter on the market. I define that as an adapter with one lightning plug and two lightning jacks. It plugs into an iPhone, iPad or iPod. One jack accepts power from a USB charger, and the other connects to lightning devices or a sync cable.

Apple recently released an adapter that looks exactly the above product. It plugs into an iDevice and has two lightning jacks. It allows you to plug in your charge cable and connect a pair of lightning headphones! And thats it!

I saw it on the Apple Store, and thought I would take a chance that if it could output lightning audio, it might allow for a full connection with my iRig keyboard, my iCirround memory stick and my sync cable. I ordered one. Nope. the output jack only does audio. Hard to believe.

Did you ever find a solution to your multiple lightning connector problem? I have a similar problem in that I want to be able to hook up power and data device to my iPhone 6 at the same time. That is not possible, obviously, with only one lightning connector.

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