Because of the variety of ways Bluetooth is implemented on different Pocket PCs, establishing a connection varies from Pocket PC to Pocket PC. However, in our experience, this is a straightforward process. Here are two examples:

HP iPAQ H2200 series running Pocket PC 2003: Press the connect button and a list of available Bluetooth devices appears. Press the one which corresponds to the device running FlexiPanel server. (If the server is configured to connect on several channels at once, you will then be asked to choose which channel you wish to connect through; choose an unused one.) The FlexiPanel control panel will then appear automatically.

Compaq iPAQ H3800 series running Pocket PC 2002: Activate the Bluetooth manager. If the list of available Bluetooth devices does not include the device running FlexiPanel server, press Search and it will appear. Click on that device to get the device information screen and select Connect To Serial Port Name. If the server is configured to connect on several channels at once, you will have a choice of several ports to connect to; choose an unused one. Start up FlexiPanel and press Connect. The FlexiPanel control panel will then appear automatically. The Pocket PC will remember the connection, so the next time you wish to connect you need only start up FlexiPanel and press Connect.

This section applies to FlexiPanel Client for Windows.

WidComm Device Drivers:  Most Bluetooth USB adapters use WidComm device drivers. 

• In the Bluetooth Manager (My Bluetooth Places),  Select Device Configuration... from the Bluetooth menu.  Click on the Client Applications tab.  The COM port should appear in the list, otherwise you can create one pressing the Add COM Port button. Ensure that Authentication and encryption are set appropriately.  To connect to FlexiPanel modules and adapters, they should be disabled.
   

• Connect to the remote device from the Bluetooth Manager.  Select Search For Devices... from the Bluetooth menu.  The device you are trying to connect to should be displayed in the list of icons.  Double-click on it to see the services it can offer.  One of these will be a Serial Port service.  Double-click on that to establish a connection. 
   

• Start FlexiPanel for Windows, check the correct COM port is being used (the one listed in the first step).  Press connect to connect to the remote device.

BlueSpaceNE Device Driver:  (e.g. Sony Viao ZV1A) 

• Start up BlueSpace NE and select BlueSpaceNE Settings from the Setting menu. On the Security Tab, ensure the following items are NOT checked:
   

  • Reject any connection from unauthenticated devices.

  • Reject any communication unable to be encrypted.
     

• Start up BlueSpace NE and press Device Discovery.  The device you are trying to connect to should be displayed in the list of icons.  Click on it and the Service Discovery to see the services it can offer.  One of these will be a Serial Port service.  Click on that to establish a connection.  The COM port being used will be displayed in the status bar once the connection has been made.
   

• Start FlexiPanel for Windows, check the correct COM port is being used (the one listed in the first step).  Press connect to connect to the remote device.
   

• The BlueSpaceNE driver integrated on some Sony laptops can be prone to crashing when its serial port service is used.  If this problem is experienced, use a USB Bluetooth adapter

Other Device Drivers:  The general steps are as follows:

• Find out which COM port is used for Client Applications (i.e. connections initiated by the computer to connect to other devices). Ensure that Authentication and encryption are set appropriately.  To connect to FlexiPanel modules and adapters, they should be disabled.
   

• Search for available devices.  One should be .
   

• Decide whether you want the connection to be encrypted, in which case communications will be more secure.

This section applies to FlexiPanel servers operating on Windows computers.  This includes:

Software using the Remote Controls API
PowerMagic
All Controls Demo

WidComm Device Drivers:  Most Bluetooth USB adapters use WidComm device drivers. 

• To identify the correct COM port, start the Bluetooth Manager (My Bluetooth Places) and click on View My Bluetooth Services. A serial port will appear in the list of services. Right click on it and select Properties. The COM port will be displayed. 
   

• If no Bluetooth serial port service is configured, set one up using the Bluetooth Manager (My Bluetooth Places).  Select Device Configuration... from the Bluetooth menu.  Click on the Local Services tab.  Press Add Serial Service and choose a COM port which is not currently in use.

BlueSpaceNE Device Driver:  (e.g. Sony Viao ZV1A) 

• Start up BlueSpace NE and select BlueSpaceNE Settings from the Setting menu. On the Security Tab, ensure the following items are NOT checked:
   

  • Reject any connection from unauthenticated devices.

  • Reject any communication unable to be encrypted.
     

• To identify the correct COM port, try to connect to the computer from a remote device.  The COM port should be displayed as part of the service name (e.g. "Connect to Com 4").
   

Other Device Drivers:  The general steps are as follows:

• Ensure at lease one Virtual Serial Port (sometimes called Serial Port Profile) has been created and find out its COM: port number.

• Decide whether you want the connection to be authenticated, in which case only approved clients will be able to connect to the server.

• Decide whether you want the connection to be encrypted, in which case communications will be more secure.
   

In some devices, the Bluetooth radio may be turned off to conserve power. If a Bluetooth connection is not working, the most common reason is that one of the radios is switched off.

The range of Bluetooth Class 1 radios is 100 meters (330 feet). To enjoy this range, the radios on both the server and the client must be Class 1 radios.

The range of Bluetooth Class 2 transmitters is 10 meters (33 feet). A Class 2 device can be upgraded by fitting a Class 1 adapter.

Most Bluetooth radios are over-specified and will easily communicate over the specified range in free-space, even in the presence of other radio traffic such as Wi-Fi. In order to maximize range, consider the following issues:

• Changing the antenna orientation may increase range. A PDA held vertically may have a completely different range profile to one held horizontally.
   

• A stronger signal is often required to establish a connection than maintain it, so the range once connected will be greater than the range required to connect.
   

• Signals which have to travel through anything other than free space (e.g. walls) may have reduced range. In general, substances that conduct electricity (steel girders, water, etc) attenuate the signal the most.
   

• With the current state of Bluetooth device drivers, FlexiPanel does not know implicitly when a connection has been dropped. This may happen if the client has moved out of range of the server. The ping or ack functionality provided with FlexiPanel should be used to detect this.
   

• Some Bluetooth devices can resume a connection if brought back within range after having moved out of range. If pings / acks are not used to disconnect out-of-range clients, FlexiPanel will resume such a connection but it cannot guarantee that connection will be resumed; it relies upon the device driver to do so .