Bluetooth distance - ways to enhance it ?

[frank.deben]

Hi all,

i use the wii with osculator together with a macbook pro and leopard.


i have a problem that the connection breaks down if i go too far away with the wii (about 4 metres) -which is bad for a performance !


is there a way to enhance the distance ?


for example if i use a external usb bluetooth receiver - does this help ?

and if so, does anybody has any experience or reccomadation ?


Thanks a lot for your help!

frank

[camille]

Hi Frank,


As far as I can tell, there are several classes of bluetooth transmitters, Class 1 being the one that has the furthest range. However, in order to use a third party adapter**, you have to disable the internal Apple Bluetooth driver. This is a bit complicated and doesn't work all the time.


Because they have a metal enclosure, MacBook Pros don't perform as well as MacBook with regards to wireless range. However the range you are giving seems a bit short, I can go to a larger distance with my MacBook Pro and Wiimote (around 8 to 10 meters). YMMV … I am sure you already checked, but Wiimote battery level should increase wireless range as well.


Cam


** not even sure if it works with OSCulator, but I am willing to try with a specific model if you tell me which one you would like to use

[Teresa]

macbook pro / increasing bluetooth range

hi there, i just found this article. i'm having the same problem and need to figure out how to extend the range on my macbook pro.

http://www.hardmac.com/news/2010/11/03/improve-bluetooth-range-on-a-mac-pro

if anyone's had any success with this or other methods, please let me know!

thanks,
Teresa
Media Artist & Arts Educator
Toronto

https://www.tascencao.com

[camille]

Hi Teresa,

This is an interesting article, but I find it a bit intrusive.
I am sure there are USB based solutions that exist out there.
As I suggested in the previous post, you are looking for a Class 1 adapter with a big antenna.

If you need really really long ranges, you can try this:
Use a small Mac on location that will gather the Wiimote signals, and connect it to another computer using an Ethernet cable. With an Ethernet CAT6 cable you can have up to 50 meters between the two computers. If you want more, use hub or switch between them.
The other computer can be used for processing if you need a larger or more powerful box.
You can use OSCulator on both computers to send and receive the OSC signals.


Best,
Cam

[ugo]

Hi all,
months ago I experienced the same issue, but noticed that the proximity of the MBPro to the wall of the loft where I was shaking the wii-motes was the culprit. Moving a bit from the wall solved.
Last time I used OSCulator ( with MainStage) live we where outdoors: no problem...

[frank.deben]

Hi all,
on the sticky page in this forum, there's one Bluetooth Adapter mentioned that can transmit long distance.

http://www.osculator.net/forum/threads/1396-Bluetooth-Adapters

I find it impossible to buy it somewhere.
I was wondering, does anybody know any other adapters that are similar (and work on a MAC)
thanks!
Frank

[sethrobin]

Hi Frank,

https://www.aircable.net/products/host-xr3.php

I recently purchased this unit, however the company is located in the US. Here's their list of international distributers:

https://www.aircable.net/company/partners.php

The form factor is different from the one linked above, but my understanding is that the internals are basically the same. I have tested the range and there is definitely an improvement. I have not done any long-term reliability testing, though.

The unit comes with the smaller "1km" antenna, which easily quadrupled the indoor range of my MacPro. I will be using this in an outdoor live show environment in a few weeks and will report on my findings after that.

Kind Regards,
Seth