It seemed like a good idea to me, and when searching I found this:
http://www.microdirect.co.uk/ProductInfo.aspx?ProductID=17745&source=googleps
They aren’t cheap that for sure. Security also starts to become a concern, but I can imagine these being exceptionally useful. With the prevalence of Bluetooth in laptops it looks like a tidy idea!
Let us know what you think in the comments section!
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August 7th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
I have seen these before, I have just ordered one. I don’t think in my area that security will be much of a concern, as most of the time, it will be used during installs or green site implementations.
I will test it out and let you know. I almost purchased one a few months back but the same model was £90.
For £40 its worth a gamble. I hope it lets me stick it behind the rack and then go and sit somewhere comfy for a change, without having an extended 20 ft console cable
Thanks for the update.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:17 am
I bought one of these. It works well, however the only draw back is that you have to have it powered.
There is an option to power the device from pin 9 of the serial connector,but as pin 9 on Cisco console is not used it cannot be used to power the device. A workaround is to use the supplied usb lead, you can plug it into a router’s usb port.This worked on 2800, 3800’s and ASA’s. Alternatively you can use a charger for an HTC Titan phone, or similar which is mains to small form usb.
Setting up to the console port was easy enough.
Firstly you have to setup the device. To do this you simply connect it to the com port on the back of your pc or laptop. You setup the baud on your console client for 19200 and then connect to it using AT commands;
For example to setup the Baud for 9600 (To work with Cisco devices) you would enter;
AT
ATL1
You could then setup the PIN number for Bluetooth pairing, I guess this helps with some concerns regarding security.
ATP=1234
This string can be between 4 and 8 characters long.
Finally connect the device. You just need to ensure you switch the device to DTE using the slider. (This is slider towards the antenna) To connect use the included DB9 gender bender, which allows you to insert the blue DB9 console cable.
That’s it, retreat to a corner, save your back and find a seat. Browse for bluetooth devices, pair with the serial adapter and connect to the com port it has assigned. (In my case this was com 41) The range is not much more than 10 meters but good enough for what I need.
On a final note the build quality is good, and I experienced no freezing or crashing when connecting. My only gripes are power, it would be nice for it to be rechargeable. I also feel the antenna is a little too rigid for laptop bags etc. It would of been better if it folded away neater, I suppose you could just buy a different antenna off ebay for a few pounds.
I did google around for a rechargeable one. The best I found was by Serial IO
http://serialio.com/products/adaptors/BlueSnapXP.php
It retails at around $200 but is 100m range with a Lithium battery. I may put this on my Christmas list