MPI Tech Bluetooth Printer Adaptor

The Bluetooth revolution hasn't quite taken off as yet, mainly due to the lack of products appearing on the market, but also to the functionality of early products coming nowhere close to being worth the asking price.

However, the MPI Tech Bluetooth Printer Adaptor is one of the more useful products to have arrived on the scene, even though it doesn't quite fit into the 'breakthrough' category.

In essence it's a small dongle that fits into the parallel port of your printer, so it relies on the fact that you're not already using this port to connect the printer to a PC.

This could be a problem as you may well be printing that way from a desktop machine and simply want to use the Bluetooth connection to hook up a notebook.

Fewer problems should arise in an office where the printer is connected to the local network using a built-in network interface.

However, it might not be ideal for many smaller businesses or home users, as there is no pass-through connection where you could fit an additional parallel cable.

It is fairly straightforward to install, requiring you to simply plug in the dongle. However, when sending data, many Bluetooth devices require a password, which the printer is unlikely to have, making the adaptor rather less than a plug-and-play device.

You don't get any software in the box so it all has to be downloaded from the manufacturer's website. Nor are there any instructions in the box telling you to do this, which we think is a bit remiss.

Once installed it's fairly straightforward to set up, but you will need to send it a configuration file from a Bluetooth-equipped PC.

When all this is done you shouldn't have any issues using the adaptor and you can configure your printer driver to use your Bluetooth card as the default printer port.

As long as you're a bit computer savvy and read the instructions on the website carefully, you'll get this up and running in five minutes, but it's quite a pricey piece of hardware for what it does.

Price: £117.49 (£99 ex VAT)

Contact: Alltalking.com 0151 709 2759
www.alltalking.com

See also:

IT WEEK FOCUS: Bluetooth

Exploring the business applications of Bluetooth short-range wireless technology  24 Jul 2002

No more wires?

Wireless is touted as the future for networks, but still its role is unclear  08 May 2002

Bluetooth on the brink of a boom

After a difficult start, recent developments in smart phones offer the chance for glory, argues Bill Pechey.  08 May 2002

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