The World of Computing and Solutions

Make a Bluetooth-to-PC Connection:

Coded Messages, unseen radio signals, hush-hush techno jargon. These are the hallmarks of Bluetooth, the famously misunderstood short-range wireless technology, incidentally named after a tenth-century Danish king that lets you connect your cell phone to a PC. But what should be a snap right out of the box requires several steps before it will even work.
Bluetooth can be a right bugger for most people. The reason being is for starters, it only works differently on nearly every phone, not all PC’s have Bluetooth built in, and there’s a mishmash of incompatible versions. Did you know there are multiple “stacks” for Bluetooth, such as WIDCOMM or RFCOMM? Or that a stack is pretty much the same as a driver? It’s enough to make you want to plug in a USB cable. Read on as I demystify Bluetooth and explain how to make it work with popular phones. The good news: once configured, Bluetooth is pretty slick for exchanging data wire-less.

1) Configure your PC:
On a laptop, there’s likely a Bluetooth icon that looks like a “B” made out of a twist tie in the system tray . Double click it to get it started.
If you use a desktop PC, you might need a Bluetooth adapter such as the D-link DBT-120. Plug it in and run the install disc. Start Bluetooth and you’ll see the welcome screen.

2) What’s your stack?:
These next few steps differ slightly depending on your stack. A Bluetooth stack determines what your phone can do, such as sync data or serve as a Web link. WIDCOMM is common, especially on laptops.
But Toshiba laptops use the RFCOMM stack, and Microsoft has a more generic stack. Fortunately, most stacks require the same basic information.

3) Choose Services:
You can now select which services you want to use with your phone. Just place a check next to the ones you want. The catch: When you actually “pair” your phone with your PC, there’s another prompt that will let you specify which services you can really use with that phone and that stack.

4) Get connected:
Now, on your phone, go to the settings menu, enable Bluetooth, and click an option to “find me” or “pair” your phone. On your PC, your phone should appear in the Select a device screen. Select your phone and click Next. If you don’t see your phone, check out the “Bluetooth Trouble” at the end of this article.
Type a code for pairing - entering the same code on both your PC and your phone, for security. This can be any number - although you might have to check the manual for a specific code.
Click Repair Now. On your phone, type the same code. Now, click Yes or OK to pair the phone.

5) Bluetooth Service Selection:
We’re almost done. On your PC, you’ll see a screen that says which Bluetooth Services are available for your phone. Select the ones you want and click Next. Congrats. You have successfully enabled Bluetooth and paired your phone.

6) Lets get busy:
To use the Bluetooth connection on your PC, double-click the Bluetooth icon and double click a service icon, such as My Dial-up Networking to surf the Web or My PIM transfer to sync the contacts and other data between the phone and PC.

Configuring Bluetooth on your phone

Finding the Bluetooth configuration on your phone will require a few steps that may not be immediately obvious. In general, something close to these directions will work for most phones offered by a manufacture, although these specific directions come from the specific models listed below.

Motorola RAZR V3m:

• Press “menu”
• Scroll left to “Settings”, then down to “Connections”
• Select “Bluetooth”
• Select “Setup”
• Go to “Power” and click, then click “On”
• Click “Find Me”
• On your PC, search for and select the phone, click “next” and click “Pair Now”
• Type the code and click “Yes”

Nokia 6103:

• Click “menu”
• Go to and click ono “Settings”, then “Connectivity”
• Click on “Bluetooth”
• Click on “Bluetooth and Select “On”
• Go to and select “Bluetooth Settings”
• Make sure “Shown to all” is selected
• On your PC, search for and select the phone, click “Next” and click “Pair Now”
• Type the code and click “Yes”

Sprint Samgung A900:

• Press “menu”
• Go to “Settings” and click “OK”
• Go to “Bluetooth”
• Click “Enable” and select “On”
• Click “Visibility” and select “Visible for 3 min”
• On your PC, search for and select the phone, click “Next” and click “Pair Now”
• Type the code and click “Yes”

Motarola V360:

• Press “menu”
• Go to and select “Settings”, then “Connection”
• Click “Bluetooth”, then select “Setup”
• Go to “Power” and select “On”
• Select “Find Me”
• On your PC, search for and select the phone, click “Next” and click “Pair Now”
• Type the code and click “Yes”

Bluetooth Trouble

If you’re having trouble with Bluetooth-to-PC, it could be because…

• Your carrier has blocked file transfers. Verizon especially, is stingy with Bluetooth connections.
• On Samsung and Nokia phones, there’s a setting for “visibility”. Make sure it’s on.
• Your PC does not have Bluetooth, so you’ll need a Bluetooth Key. Search for “Bluetooth key” at an electronics Web site to see which models are available. Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR transfers data three times faster as previous versions, so get a key that supports that protocol. Even if your current phone doesn’t support EDR, your next phone might.
• Your phone doesn’t work with your stack. This problem isn’t common, but if it’s the case, then try a Bluetooth Key that supports your phone’s required stack.
• Your phone uses a specific pairing code, such as the code “0000″ used for some Nokia Phones. You’ll find the default code listed in the manual.
• Bluetooth is disabled on your PC. The easiest way to enable it is just to press the Bluetooth switch, which should glow blue.