[Networking] Jadel:
(POST EDITED)

Hi Nir36, awesome post! I had planned on doing this myself at some stage, but your details are far more inclusive than mine would have been. Good work!!

Here are a few additions:

In relation to Activesync and Bluetooth, the only way I personally (using a HTC Himalaya, WM6.1) was able to connect was by partnering the two devices from the mobile device side, not the PC side. I could only do this using Windows Xp’s built in Bluetooth drivers, and my device’s built-in Bluetooth drivers. Other drivers did not work for me. I suspect that whatever drivers you use on your mobile device should be used by the PC as well.

The information provided below is from me, the Windows Forum and Treo Central Forum, cobbled together and edited to suit this site. So cheers to those folk over there. It is for users of Windows XP.

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1.	First of all, open up “Control Panel” and open “Bluetooth Devices”.

2.	Under the “Options” tab, tick the boxes in “Allow Bluetooth devices to connect to this computer” and “Alert me when a new Bluetooth device want to” and “Show the Bluetooth icon in the notification area” and “Turn discovery on”.

3.	Under the “COM Ports” tab, click add. Add an incoming COM port below 9 (it appears numbers higher than that are not recognized). Click the “OK” button.

Now for the next part:

1. Ensure Bluetooth is turned on, on both your PC and Mobile Device, and each is in Discover Mode.

2. In Bluetooth setup on your Mobile Device, DELETE any existing partnership with the PC.

3. In Activesync on the Mobile Device, choose Connect via Bluetooth. Activesync will say it cannot, but will ask if you want to set up a new partnership. Choose yes.

4. When the Mobile Device Bluetooth application comes up and presents the Devices tab, click “Add New Device”. Go through the normal pairing process when it finds your PC (entering passcode on Mobile Device, accepting connection on PC, entering passcode on PC, etc.). It will probably not show "Activesync" as a service on the PC yet (you may have to tap on the “Advanced” tab to see the list of services provided from your PC).

NOTE: Sometimes the Bluetooth icon on your PC will not let you know that a Mobile Device is trying to connect until you double-click on it.

5. In ActiveSync on the PC, go to Connection Settings. Verify that it allowing connections via com ports (combo box) is checked and you can see a list of available com ports.

6. Here's the trial and error part. Start by selecting the same COM port in the list as what you selected under Bluetooth Devices on the PC, clicking OK. If Activesysnc gives you an error, start Step 5 over again and choose the next COM port on the list (change the one under Bluetooth Devices in Control Panel first) until you get one that does not produce an ActiveSync error (cannot connect to COM port). NOTE: DO NOT select "Bluetooth" from the drop down list. Don't forget to click OK each time and to close the Connection Settings dialog box.

7. On the Mobile Device click refresh. If "Activesync" shows up as a service from the PC, check it and you should be OK to select "Connect via Bluetooth" on the Mobile Device and start synchronizing. If "Activesync" still does not show up as a service, go back to Step 5 and just keep moving on to the next COM port in the list. One of them should work eventually.

NOTE: Others suggest that you need to make a connection with the PC first using the cradle and Activesync. Using the above steps, this was not the case in my case. I connected straight away with Bluetooth without ever first having to connect my device using the cradle and USB.

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Connecting external Bluetooth GPS receivers to your Mobile Device for use with navigation software ie TomTom, Garmin etc

(by Jadel)

1. Switch your Bluetooth GPS device on (this example is with an early model Navman external GPS device).

2. Pair your Bluetooth GPS device with your Mobile Device first using your device Bluetooth manager (Go to the devices tab and “Add new device”, click on the name corresponding to your external Bluetooth device, entering passcode on Mobile Device which should come with GPS device’s documentation).

3. After this, make sure to choose the “Advanced” option which will give you the choice of choosing a serial connection. Select it and click “save”.

4. Go to the tab down the bottom that says “COM Ports” a new “Outgoing Connection” and then which port you want to use. I always choose COM5 as this seems to work fastest, most stable etc (on a HTC Himalaya and HTC Hermes).

5. Then, leave your Mobile Devices bluetooth on and in discoverable mode.

6. After this, load up your software (TomTom/Garmin etc).

7. The correct COM port should then appear in the list of possible COM ports for you to choose from in your software’s External Bluetooth GPS device section (the correct COM port should be the same as the outgoing COM port ie COM5). After that, all should be well with the world.

Note: Sometimes your mobile device may reset when it is scanning the COM port in your navigation software if the incorrect COM port is chosen.

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Go online with Activesync: Skype over Bluetooth Activesync

(by Jadel)

If you managed to get your device to sync over Bluetooth using the above guide, then most of this should work automatically. If you connect correctly, you should be able to use most internet related applications on your device such as MSN Messenger, Windows Live, Pocket Internet Explorer (PIE) and Opera. Email should also work.

But you can also use Skype! Even though it says you need WiFi or 3G, it can also work over Bluetooth ActiveSync.

This means that if someone else is using the computer (family members etc) you can still call people and send messages to them over Skype.

1. Install the SkypeforPocketPC.cab file on your phone.

2. After it installs, log in, and make sure it remembers your login details, by ticking the “remember me” box.

3. When it asks how you plan to connect, make sure to chose “Wifi and 3G”.

4. If you choose just Wifi, it won’t work.

That should be all you need! You may need to restart your device or re-establish the Activesync to get it to work. The first time I tried this, I was able to do the echo test and pass, but my messages did not send. The second time I connected, everything worked.

And having tested Skype over Bluetooth Activesync many times, I can tell you that the sound was perfect/crystal clear. I think the minimum you need for Skype is about 54Mbps, whereas Bluetooth 1.1 (older Bluetooth) transfers at about 750Mbps if I am not mistaken.

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Cheers Nir36.

PS Good work!