DLink DBT-120 Bluetooth Adapter

Ok, this is for anyone else who may come across this same problem.

Last week I bought a new PDA (Palm Tungsten T5), and decided to give bluetooth a try so I could get my e-mail on it. Well off to the local Office Max store (had some other things to buy). The only adapter they sold is the D-Link DBT-120 for ~$40 US

Note this device is marked as revision "B4" and also this is on windows Pro, SP1. (mac's from what i have read have no problems)

So I go to install it, all done, get a message about not having a valid security code. I'm thinking it missed a step, so i reinstalled, same thing. Ok, when all else fails, read the manual right? LOL

Bingo, manual has the specific problem, and the solution. Cool I'm thinking. Go to run the program they say exists. Can't find it. I did a search on the install CD, nope, not there. Figure, ok, maybe it is a utility that unpacks during install, nope. Nowhere to be found on my entire system!

Grumbl Grumble, dial this # I see for 24 hour support. I'm on hold for about 7 minutes. During this time, I'm still browsing D Link's Help. I find a KB topic on setting up the network for the Palm T5. Cool, just what I need if this adapter can work! Suddenly, all of their support pages come up with some M$ "Application Error" pages. Every page.

So finally tech support answers, I tell him the problem, told him about how the file in the docs doesn't exist, I didn't see anything else in their help, and that now their help doesn't work. He informs me "yeah they just initiated an upgrade, we can't get to help either".

Well he did do his best to look (to be honest, I think he was searching the web like I was, not using their own help as he said it was down). Finally comes back, with "good news and bad news"

Good news is there is a fix, it is a known problem. Bad news is I have to wait till morning to contact Level 3 support, as they will be the only ones who can help me.

He told me one step they will have me do is go and download the drivers for revision B3, as the ones that ship with B4 don't work (no *&#@ sherlock). I will have to tell them my MAC address and they will issue me a security code, and do some other tweaks to the system to get the older drivers to work.

I thank him, he did the best he could with the resources he had and was very polite.

I get searching more and more online, there has to be some way. Well from what I can gather in reading, this security code is somehting only windows uses, and it is based off of your adapter's MAC address.

(as one person wrote on another forum: "The quick start guide says it all, 12 steps for windows, 1 step (just plug it in) for Macs")

So anyhow, I finally come across some help, that gives me the address of the people who make the bluetooth software, and a link for a form to get a new security code for D-links adapter. It says e-mail will be answered in I think 1-2 hours. I figured that is better than 7 hours till level 3 support opens up. I try it. Almost right away I get an e-mail back with the code.

Later on I go and uninstall B4 version drivers, install B3 drivers, it asks for the code. I give it, no problems. All seems to be installed just fine. I then go back to D-Links site, cool support is back up, follow their steps for setting up the T5, and cool, all works fine! I'm loving it!

Anyhow, the next afternoon, D-Link level 3 support calls ME becasue they hadn't heard from me (very cool I thought). I told him how I got it working on my own. He's like Oh, anything else I can help you with. I told him yeah he could suggest that they post this problem on their KB or FAQ since the forum where I found the solution, the posts about it started January 2004! I got the feling from him he agreed, but the company doesn't want to admit it.

The device is working fine, wasn't too big of a deal to get it fixed, especially if I had done it during "business hours", and they were very polite support. Big plus that they called me back when they realized I hadn't called them. But man, why after over a year don't you include this know fact. Even worse, they are still selling "rev B4" after over a year of a KNOWN problem without fixing it....

Anyow. I'm done ranting. When I get down to church. I'll post here the instructions for getting the proper code in case anyone else needs it.

-Greg