Exactly what I was looking for! Not BlueSoleil.8/1/2017 10:47:33 AM
Pros: Works great, has excellent range, and drivers are simple to install and use.
Most importantly, it does not use BlueSoleil Software!
Cons: There isn't clear instruction on how to set up/connect your bluetooth devices, but I was able to figure it out without much trouble (I was connecting a bluetooth headset to my desktop).
Overall Review: Seriously if you're considering purchasing a BT dongle that uses the BlueSoleil software, beware, they conveniently decide to shut you down saying that you may be a victim of an invalid license and boom, useless BT dongle. Then there is no support to fix the situation unless you speak Chinese or are willing to call directly during Beijing hours. Their customer service email contact is broken too.
Cons: Drivers for Windows 7 x64 did not work. Compatibility states Win7 x64, and I tried to use the drivers on the CD as stated in the instructions. The driver from the CD installed, but the device manager shows driver problems for the Bluetooth device. Bluetooth headsets will connect, but immediately disconnect. I checked the website for new drivers, but their "driver" download is for BlueSoleil, a commercial Bluetooth product that requires a separate purchase (no registration code is included with this dongle). I absolutely cannot recommend this product if they don't supply functioning drivers, and I'll extend my negative rating to the company itself. I've seen this before with other Bluetooth devices, and I'm disgusted that I have to go through this hassle for such a common type of device.
Overall Review: I can't emphasize enough how much I would discourage anyone from purchasing from a company that doesn't supply its customers with the proper software for the hardware they purchase. They are knowingly wasting your time and money-- there are plenty of Bluetooth dongles with functioning drivers. Companies relying on the Blue Soleil crutch are just adding hassle and cost (do they expect us to purchase Blue Soleil for every machine we want to plug the dongle into?).
Cons: Silver metal portion slipped of the black plastic portion that held the electronics.
Was removed three times then came apart.
Overall Review: Apparently designed for a one time installation. I do not recommend.
Manufacturer Response:
We're sorry to hear that our USBBT1EDR4 stopped working for you.
We stand behind our products, and this adapter is covered under a 2-year warranty with free lifetime technical support. We recommend contacting us directly so that one of our Technical Advisors can look into this further for you.
You can reach one of our Technical Advisors at 1-800 265-1844 or www.startech.com/chat.
Nick, StarTech.com Support
Pros: It was quickly detected under Arch linux, and devices pair to it easily.
Cons: I have no idea where they got the numbers for the range. Maybe devices can connect from that distance, but they definitely aren't functional. I have a Fujitsu bluetooth keyboard that barely works from less than 10 feet away.
Anonymous
Ownership: 1 week to 1 month
Verified Owner
It really doesn't get much better than this5/14/2017 8:35:13 PM
Pros: Class 1 device, decent range, no driver download required on Windows 10, Broadcom drivers are available on Startech.com's webpage if you want to use those. It's a Startech.com product, a company which seems to have what I'm looking for more often over time.
Cons: Support page could be improved. I learned a lot reading Plugable's support page on their adapter to learn about USB rear port issues and USB 3.0 interference.
Overall Review: I got better range out of this once combined with my StarTech USB31CAADP USB-C to USB-A adapter. I have an otherwise useless USB-C port on the back of my machine and combined with this BT adapter, I got better signal range out of it by getting it further away from all the USB3 ports and other PC parts causing interference. No adapter gets what's claimed due to interference, tiny antenna and that USB3.0 design flaw.
Anonymous
Ownership: 1 week to 1 month
Verified Owner
StarTech USBBT1EDR4 Mini USB Bluetooth 4.0 Adapter7/22/2020 8:09:24 AM
Pros: It works for device, but not so good for audio.
Cons: It isn't necessarily plug and play on the Mac. If you have an exist Bluetooth (older version) and want to get to 4.0 you will have to remove the old Bluetooth card or use a cli NVRAM command to give the USBBT1EDR4 priority for it to work. StarTech chat support is ready and waiting to help with this command. The 50m (165 ft.) range of the is device is not realistic even in line of sight scenarios. 20 to 30 feet max. It didn't support all of my Bluetooth device at once. Bluetooth headphone not fully in lip sync. Comes in way to much packaging.
Overall Review: I recommend the USBBT1EDR4 if you don't have more than 3 Bluetooth devices. I purchased this adapter in the hopes that I would be able to use my Bluetooth headphone (JBirds & Bose Sports) With my keyboard, track pad and magic mouse connected to the adapter everything works fine. Add some headphone and you are over the top. Audio is out of sync and delayed. Disconnect any of the other Bluetooth devices and headphone will work better, but lip sync is just off by the slightest bit.
Pros: Great range.
Works fine with my Microsoft Presenter mouse, and a Logitech bluetooth keyboard.
Cons: Getting BAD_POOL_CALLER bluescreens with Win8.1.
Ran driver verifier, shared the crash dump with MSFT and they confirmed it's the bluetooth driver:
Csr Bluetooth Port driver (Reference: km:0xc4_62_vrf_leaked_pool_image_csrbtport.sys).
Seems more stable after I moved it to a USB 2.0 port. Not sure if that will fix it or not.
Overall Review: Hopefully they'll come out with a fix for this.
Pros: Works great, has excellent range, and drivers are simple to install and use. Most importantly, it does not use BlueSoleil Software!
Cons: There isn't clear instruction on how to set up/connect your bluetooth devices, but I was able to figure it out without much trouble (I was connecting a bluetooth headset to my desktop).
Overall Review: Seriously if you're considering purchasing a BT dongle that uses the BlueSoleil software, beware, they conveniently decide to shut you down saying that you may be a victim of an invalid license and boom, useless BT dongle. Then there is no support to fix the situation unless you speak Chinese or are willing to call directly during Beijing hours. Their customer service email contact is broken too.